Al Andalus Private Academy, Al Ain

Al Andalus Private Academy is led by Dr. Yahya Nayel Abed Elfattah Dmour, School Director, a highly credentialed educator holding a doctorate in Education alongside a Master's in Curriculum and Teaching Methods and extensive prior experience as a school principal, academic director, and general director of a private school group in Jordan. His leadership profile is notably deep: before joining Al Andalus, he served as General Director of Masarat Al-Asala schools and Director of Pre-University Education at the University of Jordan, bringing institutional leadership experience that extends well beyond a typical school principal role. The 2024–2025 Irtiqaa inspection confirms leadership effectiveness rated Very Good, a standard the school has maintained consistently since at least its 2021–2022 inspection, signalling genuine stability at the top.

The senior leadership team is well-structured. Lara Ali Al-Khasawneh, Assistant Principal, brings a Master's in Educational Administration and a career spanning library management, theatre education, and school leadership in both Jordan and the UAE, with her current role at Al Andalus dating back to at least 2016. Issa Hikmat Ghazal, Vice Principal and Academic Supervisor, holds a Master's in Cell Biology and brings specialist expertise as a former PISA coordinator for Al Ain schools and a certified international assessment trainer accredited by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge — a particularly relevant background given the school's stated focus on improving international assessment outcomes. This is a leadership team with complementary strengths and meaningful institutional continuity.

On teaching quality, the school employs 85 teachers serving 1,493 students, producing a student-teacher ratio of 1:18. This is notably higher than the Dubai private school average of 1:13.6, and warrants attention from parents who value smaller class sizes and more individualised attention. Among MoE curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, this ratio sits at the higher end. The inspection rates teaching for effective learning as Very Good in KG, Cycle 1, and Cycle 3, with Cycle 2 rated Good — a gap the inspectors attribute to inconsistent differentiation and insufficient use of assessment data to tailor instruction. Assessment is rated Good across all cycles, with inspectors noting that feedback quality and the systematic use of assessment information to guide next steps require further development. [MISSING: staff qualification percentage data]

Governance is rated Good in the 2025 inspection, with the governing body described as becoming more representative through increased involvement of staff, students, and parents — a positive direction of travel, though not yet at the Very Good standard achieved by leadership overall. The inspection notes that self-evaluation and improvement planning are also rated Good, with recommendations to sharpen middle-leadership accountability, introduce measurable success criteria in improvement plans, and establish a formal performance-management process for the Principal and senior leaders. These are substantive governance gaps that the school is on notice to address.

Parent and community engagement is a genuine strength. Parents and the community are rated Very Good by inspectors. The school operates an active Parent Council, a formal school-parent agreement, and a range of family engagement initiatives including the 'Walk with My Father' event, 'Me and My Mother Read Together', book fairs, and visits from Emirati authors. A dedicated university guidance counsellor supports Cycle 3 families, and an 'Alumni Inspiration' initiative connects current students with graduates. Founded in 2001, Al Andalus has built a community identity over more than two decades that is evident in parent testimonials and the school's embeddedness in the Falaj Hazza' area of Al Ain.