Al Amal School For The Deaf - Breanch Al Yarmouk
Executive Summary
Al Amal School for the Deaf - Al Yarmouk Branch is a pioneering special education institution affiliated with Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, established in 1979 and licensed by the Sharjah Private Education Authority. The school follows the Ministry of Education curriculum from Kindergarten through Grade 12, adopting a bilingual approach using both spoken language and sign language in accordance with best international practices. The school's overall effectiveness has been rated Good in the 2024-2025 inspection cycle, maintaining the same rating as the previous review.
Most students achieve attainment in line with curriculum expectations across all subjects and phases, with the exception of Islamic Education in the secondary phase where the majority exceed expectations. Sign language proficiency, communication skills development, speech and language therapy, auditory training, and music therapy are identified as key strengths. Students' learning skills are rated Good across all phases, and their personal and social development is rated Very Good, characterised by positive behaviour, respectful attitudes, and a strong sense of social responsibility.
The quality of teaching and assessment and the quality of the curriculum are both rated Good across all phases. Senior leaders demonstrate strong commitment and have established a positive school environment where students feel safe and happy. However, some middle leaders still lack sufficient knowledge of best practices in educating students with hearing impairments, and individual learning plan targets are not always monitored with sufficient precision. The school demonstrates a good capacity for continuous improvement and benefits from strong parental and Board of Trustees support.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Al Amal School For The Deaf - Branch Al Yarmouk Overall Rating
Good for 2+ consecutive years
SPEA Performance Standards
The performance standards used by SPEA to evaluate school quality across Sharjah.
All 72 students enrolled are students of determination with hearing impairments. The school provides an exceptionally comprehensive support system including sign language instruction, speech and language therapy, auditory training, music therapy, and cochlear implant support. These systems are described as highly effective in enhancing students' communication skills and enabling them to maximise their residual hearing capacity. Sign LanguageSpeech TherapyAuditory TrainingMusic TherapyCochlear Implant Support
Student personal development is rated Very Good across all phases. Students demonstrate positive, mature, and responsible behaviour, and report feeling safe and happy at school. Attendance is good at 94%, and students actively participate in health awareness campaigns such as the 'Your Health is Our Priority' programme. Effective health and safety protocols and strong pastoral care systems ensure a secure environment for all students. Your Health is Our Priority94% AttendanceDigital Safety Ambassadors
The school participates in TIMSS and the International Benchmark Test (IBT), with Grade 4 students performing above national expectations in Mathematics and Science in TIMSS 2023. IBT 2023 results for Mathematics also exceeded expectations, though IBT 2024 English results indicated that 55% of students performed below expectations. The school also participates in the Arabic Language Arts test (Tala') and the Early Arabic Reading test (Mubakir). TIMSSIBTArabic Language ArtsEarly Arabic Reading
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Sign Language Excellence
Students develop strong sign language proficiency across all phases, using it fluently for communication in lessons and social settings by the time they reach Grade 12. This bilingual approach underpins all academic achievement.
Comprehensive Support Systems
The school provides an intensive and highly effective range of support services including sign language instruction, speech and language therapy, auditory training, and music therapy, enabling students to overcome their hearing challenges and succeed academically.
Positive Student Behaviour
Students across all phases demonstrate very positive attitudes, respectful relationships, and a strong sense of social responsibility. Bullying incidents are rare, and students actively contribute to the school and wider community through volunteering and charitable initiatives.
Strong Community Engagement
Students participate in national and international competitions, visit other schools to teach sign language, and engage in community service initiatives. Senior leadership has established a collaborative and supportive school environment with strong parental and Board of Trustees involvement.
Safe & Caring Environment
Robust health and safety protocols, effective student welfare systems, and positive relationships between staff, students, and families create a secure and nurturing environment. Students consistently report feeling safe and that school is their second home.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Overall student achievement is rated Good. The most notable strength is in Other Subjects (sign language, speech and language, auditory training, music therapy, arts, ICT and PE) which are rated Very Good for both attainment and progress across all phases. Islamic Education in the secondary phase shows improvement with attainment rated Good and progress rated Very Good. Core subjects (Arabic, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) show Acceptable attainment with Good progress across all phases.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
Senior leaders at Al Amal School for the Deaf demonstrate a focused, inclusive, and dedicated vision that helps students overcome the challenges they may face in their future lives. The leadership team has established a positive, safe, and happy school environment underpinned by strong staff morale and collaborative relationships. While senior leaders show good knowledge of students and effective strategic direction, the school continues to work on building the capacity of middle leaders to ensure they have sufficient expertise in deaf education best practices and can monitor individual student progress against personalised learning plan targets with greater precision.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Overall student achievement is rated Good. Most students achieve attainment in line with curriculum expectations across all subjects and phases, with Islamic Education in the secondary phase being a notable exception where the majority exceed expectations. Students make good progress across all phases in core subjects, and very good progress in other subjects including sign language, speech and language, auditory training, music therapy, arts, ICT and PE. Learning skills are rated Good across all phases, with students demonstrating enthusiasm and positive engagement with learning.
Personal Development
Personal and social development is rated Very Good across all phases. Students demonstrate mature, responsible behaviour and show increasing independence in the secondary phase. Relationships between students are characterised by respect and empathy, and bullying incidents are rare. Students show a strong sense of social responsibility, participating in charitable and volunteering activities both within the school and in the wider community. Student attendance is good at 94%.
Teaching Quality
The quality of teaching and assessment is rated Good across all phases. Most teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and understanding of how their students learn, using a total communication approach effectively. Teachers successfully keep students engaged throughout lessons and reinforce key learning points. However, some lessons are overly teacher-led with limited student participation, and lesson plans do not always sufficiently address the individual needs of all students. Assessment information is not always used with precision to inform teaching, particularly in relation to psycho-educational assessment results.
Protection & Care
Student protection and care is a significant strength of the school. Effective health and safety protocols, successful student welfare systems, and positive relationships create a safe environment for students, including during school transportation. The school provides a comprehensive range of specialist support services including sign language interpreters, speech and language pathologists, psychologists, social workers, and a school health nurse. Students consistently report feeling safe and that school is their second home. Digital safety ambassadors actively promote online safety awareness.
Areas for Development
- •Improve students' academic attainment across all subjects by ensuring teaching is more precisely targeted to individual student needs and that higher-attaining students are consistently challenged to reach their full potential.
- •Provide more opportunities for students to develop project management skills, innovation, independent research, and creative thinking within classroom lessons across all phases.
- •Ensure the effective implementation of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) and precise monitoring of individual student targets based on their assessment outcomes, so that teaching is more accurately informed by each student's specific learning goals.
- •Strengthen the capacity of middle leaders to ensure they lead effectively within their areas of responsibility, with sufficient knowledge of best practices in educating students with hearing impairments, to drive school improvement.