Al Diyafah High School
Executive Summary
Al Diyafah High School, following the UK curriculum, has maintained a Good overall rating for the 2023-2024 academic year. The school is recognized for its positive learning culture and strong support from parents, fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students.
Academic achievement is at least Good across most subjects, with notable improvements in Islamic Education in Primary and Post-16, and Arabic as an additional language achieving an acceptable standard. Students demonstrate strong learning skills, particularly in the upper school where they communicate ideas with confidence.
The school excels in the quality of care and guidance for students, promoting positive and trusting relationships with teachers. Leadership is effective, providing a shared vision and ensuring accountability, while also fostering an inclusive and safe atmosphere that permeates the school.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Al Diyafah High School Overall Rating
Good for 11+ consecutive years
Dubai Focus Areas
These three pillars represent the Dubai education authority's priorities: ensuring inclusive practices, prioritizing student wellbeing, and meeting UAE National Agenda targets.
The school maintains an inclusive ethos with a well-established system for identifying students of determination. Students benefit from accommodations, personalized support, and targeted interventions, with most making progress in line with their IEPs. Parents are generally pleased with the school's approach. students of determinationpersonalized supporttargeted interventionsIEPs
Wellbeing is a high priority, driven by strong leadership and supported by a counsellor and committee. The school fosters a sense of belonging and provides care, though the frequency of data collection for identifying less obvious needs could improve. Moral, social, and cultural studies (MSCS) and initiatives focus on student wellbeing. wellbeing committeecounsellingMSCS curriculumsafe and secure environment
The school's international assessment performance, though not meeting its 2021 PIRLS target, remains in the high range. Leadership focuses on international test results and NAP assessments, with departments analyzing data to identify strengths and gaps. Reading literacy is prioritized, but consistent application of reading level information in lessons needs improvement. International AssessmentPIRLSreading literacyNational Agenda Parameter
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Quality of Care
The school provides high-quality care and guidance for students across all phases, ensuring their well-being and development.
Positive Relationships
Students and teachers share positive and trusting relationships, which enhances the learning environment and overall school experience.
Parental Engagement
Parents play positive, well-informed, and meaningful roles within the school community, actively supporting their children's education.
Inclusive Atmosphere
The school maintains a welcoming, inclusive, and safe atmosphere that benefits all students and staff.
Academic Performance Breakdown
In other subjects, students’ achievement is at least good, with the exception of Arabic as an additional language, which is now of an acceptable standard. Learning skills are strong, and students in the upper school communicate their ideas with confidence.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
School leaders provide effective leadership, fostering a shared vision and a positive learning culture. They are held accountable by a constructive governing board, and parents are highly supportive of the safe learning environment provided.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students' achievement is at least good in most subjects, with improvements noted in Islamic Education and Arabic (additional language). In FS, children make better than expected progress in literacy. Learning skills are strong, particularly in the upper school where students communicate ideas confidently.
Personal Development
Students demonstrate very positive and responsible attitudes, showing awareness and concern for others. They have a very good understanding of Emirati heritage and culture, with awareness of world cultures more evident in higher phases. Post-16 students are developing strong entrepreneurial and innovation skills.
Teaching Quality
Teaching is most effective at Post-16, leveraging specialist subject knowledge. Most teachers skillfully use digital technologies. Internal assessment processes provide valid information, though FS assessment practices need clearer guidance on next steps. Professional training has maintained teaching quality, but consistent embedding of new initiatives is still developing.
Protection & Care
Rigorous safeguarding and protection procedures are implemented, with students feeling safe. Buildings and equipment are well-maintained, and medical staff support health and wellbeing through whole-school initiatives. Counselling and guidance services provide support, especially for Post-16 students.
Areas for Development
- •Ensure that the large amount of assessment information available to teachers is used to impact directly on how lessons are planned and taught.
- •Make certain that teaching strategies and plans focus on the development of students' critical thinking, problem-solving and independent learning skills.
- •Develop the library as a reading hub for all learners across the school.
- •Make sure that gaps in subject skills and content are addressed and monitored more rigorously and, ensure that teachers make full use of assessment information to cater for the range of student ability.
- •Ensure that all teachers make effective use of the reading levels of students to help them to improve their literacy skills.
- •Implement a more structured wellbeing curriculum to guide initiatives.
- •Ensure all students have a secure understanding of their own wellbeing and are equipped with appropriate strategies to manage and develop their wellbeing needs.
- •Improve students’ Holy Qur’anic memorisation and recitation skills and ensure that they understand the meanings of the verses they recite.
- •Improve students’ skills in using appropriate references from the Holy Qur’an, Hadeeth, and Seerah to justify their opinions in discussions and debates.
- •Enhance students’ speaking and writing skills across the school.
- •Increase the number of opportunities for students to apply their vocabulary and language skills in various contexts.
- •Provide students with regular opportunities to produce extended pieces of written work.
- •Ensure high quality feedback is used by teachers more consistently to help students improve the quality of their work.
- •Ensure that information from mathematics assessments informs both the planning and the delivery of lessons.
- •Use digital technologies more consistently to support mathematics learning and teaching.
- •Improve the application and use of mathematical language lessons across the school.
- •Provide more practical activities in lessons ensuring that activities focus on key scientific knowledge, understanding, and skills for all students.
- •Ensure that all teachers use assessment information regularly to inform lesson planning, so that teaching strategies meet the needs of all students.
- •Implement strategies for younger students to become more proficient in evaluating and improving their own work.
- •Provide students with more opportunities to become innovative and enterprising in lessons across the curriculum.
- •Promote children’s learning skills in FS to help them to support one another’s personal development.
- •Ensure that in FS, assessment strategies provide clear information to teachers on the next steps in learning for all children.
- •Ensure that in lesson planning, all teachers make full use of assessment information to meet the learning needs of all students.
- •Ensure that the curriculum is suitably adapted to meet the learning needs of all students, including students of determination.
- •Embed more opportunities for enterprise, innovation, creativity and social contribution across all areas of the curriculum.
- •Ensure behaviour management is effective in all classrooms and hallways.
- •Improve the effectiveness of IEPs by including a range of personalised academic and non-academic goals.
- •Ensure the improved quality and consistency of all class-based support and curriculum modification.