Al Ain English Speaking School
Executive Summary
The Al Ain English Speaking School has maintained its overall ADEK Irtiqa rating of Very Good in the 2024-2025 academic year inspection. The school is recognized for its strong relationships among staff, students, and peers, fostering a positive learning environment, and for the thorough subject knowledge of its teachers. Leadership, provided by the principal and senior leaders, ensures an inclusive school with a positive learning culture.
Academically, the school demonstrates strengths in its British curriculum, with improvements noted in English-medium subjects overall, and significant progress in learning skills in higher phases. The school actively promotes international benchmarking assessments like PISA and TIMSS, integrating PISA-style questions and developing teachers' questioning skills. The curriculum design and implementation are rated Very Good across all phases, supported by a state-of-the-art STEM center and a fully embedded phonics program.
While the school maintains Very Good ratings in most performance standards, including protection, care, guidance, and support, and self-evaluation, there has been a regression in governance and the effectiveness of leadership to Very Good, attributed to recent significant changes in ownership and staffing. Key recommendations focus on consistently raising attainment and progress in core subjects, enhancing critical thinking and innovation skills, and improving curriculum modification to foster personal and social development.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Al Ain English Speaking School Overall Rating
Very Good
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement is rated Very Good overall. While English-medium subjects show slight improvement, Arabic medium subjects exhibit mixed results. Progress in higher phases has risen to Very Good due to enhanced Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs for teachers. English-medium subjectsArabic medium subjectsContinuous Professional Development
Students' personal development is Very Good across all phases. Understanding of Islamic values, awareness of Emirati and world cultures, social responsibility, and innovation skills are rated Good across all phases, indicating areas for further enhancement. Personal DevelopmentIslamic valuesEmirati and world culturesSocial responsibilityinnovation skills
Teaching for effective learning has improved to Very Good in most phases, with assessments also rated Very Good across all phases. These improvements are linked to teachers' effective use of assessment data for lesson planning, alignment with external exams, and enhanced feedback practices. Teaching for effective learningAssessmentsassessment dataexternal examsfeedback practices
Curriculum design and implementation are rated Very Good across all phases, while curriculum adaptation is Good. The school's curriculum is enriched by a state-of-the-art STEM center and a fully embedded phonics program, aligning with EYFS Statutory Framework and Development Matters guidance. Curriculum design and implementationCurriculum adaptationSTEM centerphonics program
Protection, care, guidance, and support remain Very Good across all phases. The inclusion department has been strengthened with dedicated personnel and specialized learning spaces for students of determination, including a purpose-built life skills center and EAL intervention programs. Protection, care, guidance, and supportinclusion departmentstudents of determinationlife skills centerEAL intervention programs
Leadership and Management is rated Very Good. While self-evaluation, partnerships, management, staffing, facilities, and resources remained Very Good, governance and the effectiveness of leadership regressed to Very Good due to significant changes in ownership and student/teacher populations. Effectiveness of leadershipGovernanceSelf-evaluation and improvement planning
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Positive Learning Culture
Strong relationships among staff, students, and peers foster respectful behavior and a positive learning environment.
Teacher Expertise
Teachers demonstrate thorough knowledge of their subjects and effective understanding of how students learn.
Rich Extra-Curriculars
The school provides a diverse range of extra-curricular opportunities, encompassing academic, creative, and sporting activities.
Robust Safeguarding
Rigorous procedures are in place for student safeguarding, including child protection and protection from cyberbullying.
Inclusive Leadership
The principal and senior leaders provide effective leadership, ensuring an inclusive school with a positive learning culture.
Enhanced CPD Program
An enhanced Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program has improved teaching quality and classroom practices, leading to better student progress in higher phases.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Arabic medium subjects show both improvement and regression across phases. English-medium subjects have shown slight improvement overall, though some regression in attainment and progress. Improved student progress in Phases 3 and 4 (Cycle 2 and 3) led to a rise in learning skills, attributed to the school's enhanced Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program. However, regression in Phases 1 and 2 (KG and Cycle 1) indicates a need for further targeted efforts.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership provided by the principal and senior leaders ensures an inclusive school with a positive learning culture. While self-evaluation and partnerships with parents and the community remain strong, recent shifts in ownership and staffing have impacted overall stability and strategic direction, leading to a regression in the effectiveness of leadership and governance to Very Good.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students generally attain levels above curriculum standards in Islamic Education, Arabic, and UAE Social Studies, with outstanding attainment in Year 13 MoE exams. English and Mathematics show mixed results in standardized tests, with some phases demonstrating weak attainment and progress, particularly in GL assessments and A-Levels. High-attaining students do not always make the progress they are capable of across subjects.
Personal & Social Development
Students' personal development is Very Good across all phases. Their understanding of Islamic values, awareness of Emirati and world cultures, social responsibility, and innovation skills are consistently rated Good. This area was not evaluated in the previous inspection but now shows a strong foundation.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching for effective learning and assessment practices have improved to Very Good in most phases. Teachers effectively use assessment data to plan lessons, align tasks with external exams, and challenge high-achieving students. Regular assessments, baseline testing, and enhanced feedback, including peer and self-assessment, contribute to improved progress tracking and student engagement.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
Curriculum design and implementation are Very Good across all phases, while curriculum adaptation is Good. The Foundation Stage provision aligns with EYFS and Development Matters. A new phonics program is fully embedded, and a state-of-the-art STEM center enriches the curriculum with real-life learning experiences and sustainability initiatives.
Protection, Care & Support
Health and safety, child protection, safeguarding, and care and support remain Very Good across all phases. The inclusion department has been strengthened with dedicated personnel, specialized learning spaces, a purpose-built life skills center, and EAL intervention programs, ensuring strong support for students of determination and those with additional learning needs.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students' attainment and progress to consistently very good or better in all core subjects and phases by improving instructional practices, providing targeted support, and using data-driven approaches.
- •Enhance students’ critical thinking and innovation skills by developing inquiry-based learning, integrating innovative methods, fostering exploration, and utilizing technology for student-driven projects.
- •Improve curriculum modification to foster student personal and social development by enhancing knowledge of UAE culture, increasing leadership opportunities, strengthening healthy habits, and differentiating learning paths for all student groups.
- •Improve students' comprehension skills of the meanings of prescribed Surahs and Nobel Hadeeth across all phases and enhance their ability to consistently apply Tajweed rules when reciting the Holy Qur’an.
- •Improve writing skills in phase 1 and speaking standard Arabic and reading skills in phases 2 and 3, and strengthen reading fluency and extended writing skills in phase 4.
- •Improve conversational fluency in Arabic as a second language with a focus on guided discussions using correct tenses and structures, enhance reading comprehension, and strengthen writing skills beyond memorized phrases.
- •Improve students' attainment while focusing on enhancing their understanding of UAE history in Phases 2 and 3, and accelerate progress for Emirati students in Phase 2 and high attainers in Phase 3.
- •Raise students’ achievement in external GL assessments across years 4 to 10, accelerate the progress of boys and high attainers in Phase 4, and enhance the implementation of phonics programs in early primary.
- •Increase students’ opportunities to use technology and on-line resources to support their learning, accelerate the progress of high-attaining students and students with gifts and talents, particularly in phase 4, and enhance students’ knowledge of multiplication tables in phase 2.