Al Dhabiania Private School
Executive Summary
Al Dhabiania Private School maintains its overall Good rating from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) for the 2024-2025 academic year. The school follows the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum, providing a comprehensive and balanced education that emphasizes national values and aligns with international assessments.
Key academic strengths include Very Good achievement in Islamic Education, Social Studies, and Mathematics in Cycle 3, alongside consistent Good performance in Arabic and English across all cycles. The school demonstrates strong commitment to integrating Islamic values and UAE culture, fostering positive student relationships, and promoting social responsibility.
While the school has addressed previous inspection recommendations, particularly in technology infrastructure and aspects of teaching and learning, there is a continued need to enhance students' achievement across all subjects and improve the effectiveness of teaching, assessment, and leadership practices.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Al Dhabiania Private School Overall Rating
Good for 2+ consecutive years
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement is rated Good overall, with particular strengths in Islamic Education, Social Studies, and Mathematics in Cycle 3, where performance is Very Good. While science achievement improved in Cycle 1, it regressed in Cycle 3, highlighting a need for more independent scientific investigation opportunities. Attainment and progress in Arabic and English remain consistently Good across all cycles. Islamic EducationSocial StudiesMathematicsVery GoodArabicEnglish
Students' personal and social development, including innovation skills, is rated Good across the school. Students exhibit positive behavior, warm relationships, and a strong understanding of Islamic values and UAE culture, which is Very Good in Cycle 3. They demonstrate strong social responsibility through active participation in volunteering, sustainability, and innovation-driven activities. Islamic valuesUAE culturesocial responsibilityinnovation skills
Teaching for effective learning is Good, with teachers effectively sharing lesson objectives and providing verbal feedback. However, matching learning activities to the specific needs of all student groups, particularly high attainers, and consistently developing critical thinking and innovation skills, remain areas for development. Assessment practices are Good, but the effective use of data to meet diverse student needs is inconsistent. effective learningverbal feedbackcritical thinkinginnovation skillsassessment data
The curriculum design and implementation are Good, featuring a clear rationale, breadth, balance, and age-appropriateness, with common cross-curricular links. Curriculum adaptation is also Good, effectively meeting the needs of students with additional needs during pull-out sessions, though less successful within regular lessons. Connections to Emirati culture and the UAE are well-integrated throughout the school. curriculum designcross-curricular linkscurriculum adaptationEmirati culture
The school maintains a Good rating for protection, care, guidance, and support, with robust systems for safeguarding students from abuse and bullying. Health and safety arrangements are effective. However, further efforts are needed to improve the identification process for students with additional learning needs, including students of determination. safeguardingchild protectionhealth and safetystudents of determination
Leadership and management consistently maintain Good judgments across all five key indicators, including effectiveness of leadership, self-evaluation, and governance. Leaders have addressed some previous inspection recommendations, but there is a recognized need to further improve students' achievement and strengthen middle leadership capacity. effectiveness of leadershipself-evaluationgovernancestudents' achievement
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Strong Cycle 3 Achievement
Students demonstrate Very Good achievement in Islamic Education, Social Studies, and Mathematics in Cycle 3.
Curriculum Connections
Students effectively connect learning to different subjects, UAE culture, and real-world applications.
Islamic Values & Culture
Students show clear knowledge of Islamic values and a strong appreciation for UAE heritage and culture.
Positive Staff-Student Relations
Relationships between staff and students are positive, reflecting genuine care and support.
Effective Senior Leadership
Senior leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the curriculum and best practices in teaching and learning.
Academic Performance Breakdown
While internal and MoE national examination data often indicate Outstanding attainment, IBT and international assessments (PISA, TIMSS) show students performing below international averages and school targets in Arabic, Mathematics, and Science, indicating a disparity in performance measures.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team consistently demonstrates a Good approach, maintaining strong judgments across all key indicators. They are proactive in addressing previous inspection recommendations and show a clear understanding of curriculum and best practices, though further focus is needed on enhancing student achievement and developing middle leadership.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students generally achieve above curriculum standards in internal assessments and MoE national examinations, with particular strengths in Islamic Education, Social Studies, and Mathematics in Cycle 3. However, performance in international assessments (IBT, PISA, TIMSS) is below international benchmarks, indicating a need to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills across subjects.
Personal & Social Development
Students exhibit positive behavior, respectful relationships, and a strong understanding of Islamic values and UAE culture, especially in Cycle 3. They actively engage in social responsibility initiatives, community involvement, and innovation-driven activities, demonstrating strong personal and social development.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching effectively shares learning objectives and provides verbal feedback, but consistency in developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning skills needs improvement. Assessment processes are coherent, yet the effective use of assessment data to meet the needs of all student groups, particularly high attainers, is inconsistent.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
The MoE curriculum is well-designed, broad, balanced, and age-appropriate, with effective cross-curricular links. Curriculum adaptation successfully supports students with additional needs in pull-out sessions, but its effectiveness within regular lessons needs enhancement. Emirati culture and UAE connections are well-integrated throughout the curriculum.
Protection, Care & Support
The school maintains robust health and safety measures, including comprehensive child protection and safeguarding arrangements. Care and support for students are Good, but there is a need to improve the identification process for students with additional learning needs, including students of determination, to ensure timely and appropriate support.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students’ achievements to consistently Very Good levels across all subjects and cycles by enhancing recitation skills in the Holy Qur’an, promoting fluency in standard Arabic, improving extended and creative writing in English and Arabic, and developing independent scientific investigation skills.
- •Improve the effectiveness of teaching and assessment by consistently using strategies to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning, providing sufficient challenge for all students, and moderating assessment data carefully for reliability and effective planning.
- •Improve the effectiveness of leadership by providing professional development for middle leaders, ensuring a clear understanding of self-evaluation, aligning the school development plan with student outcomes, and enhancing reporting to parents.
- •Improve students' performance in international assessments (PIRLS, PISA, TIMSS) by aligning the curriculum with real-world applications, encouraging critical thinking, introducing diverse reading materials, and providing ongoing professional development for teachers on assessment frameworks.