Al Mashail National Private School

Curriculum
Ministry of Education
ADEK
Good
Location
Abu Dhabi, Al Danah
Fees
AED 9K - 20K

Executive Summary

Al Minhaj Private School, following the MoE (UAE) curriculum, has maintained its overall Good rating since its previous inspection in 2022. The school demonstrates a stable commitment to quality education across all cycles, with particular strengths noted in students' progress in Arabic-medium subjects and their positive personal development.

Academically, students show consistent Good progress in Islamic Education and Arabic as a First Language across all phases. Significant improvements have been observed in Mathematics and Science in Cycle 3, with attainment rising to Good and progress reaching Very Good in some instances. Students' learning skills are consistently Good, reflecting effective collaboration and clear communication.

While strengths include effective leadership and strong parental engagement, areas for development focus on enhancing higher-order thinking skills, improving extended writing in English and Arabic, and strengthening curriculum adaptation for gifted students. The school is also working to improve its performance in international assessments like PISA and TIMSS.

Overall School Performance

Inspection Year 2025-2026

Outstanding

Very Good

Good

Acceptable

Weak

Very Weak

Al Minhaj 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
Good

Students generally make good progress across most subjects, particularly in Arabic-medium subjects like Islamic Education and Arabic as a First Language. While internal assessments often indicate higher attainment, observed levels in English and Mathematics are acceptable, with notable improvements in higher cycles for Mathematics and Science. Arabic-medium subjectsMathematicsScience

Students' Personal & Social Development
Good

Students demonstrate good personal development, positive attitudes, and a strong understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture. They show self-discipline and respectful relationships. Social responsibility and innovation skills are acceptable, with students enjoying activities but rarely taking initiative in leadership or design. Islamic valuesEmirati culturepositive attitudes

Teaching & Assessment
Good

Teaching for effective learning is consistently good across all cycles, characterized by purposeful and well-structured lessons. Assessment practices are coherent and comprehensive, utilizing a range of data. However, the consistent use of assessment information to plan learning and address individual needs varies across subjects. purposeful lessonscomprehensive assessment

Curriculum
Good

Curriculum design is good in KG and cycles 1 and 2, showing clear progression, but is acceptable in Cycle 3 due to a greater emphasis on knowledge acquisition over skills development and narrow options. Curriculum adaptation is acceptable across all cycles, with appropriate modifications for most students, though opportunities for enhanced challenge are inconsistent. curriculum designcurriculum adaptation

Protection, Care, Guidance & Support
Acceptable

Health and safety, including child protection and safeguarding, remain good with effective maintenance and monitoring. However, care and support have regressed to acceptable, highlighting a need for more systematic career guidance and inconsistent in-class provision for students of determination, despite appropriate identification systems. health and safetycare and supportstudents of determination

Leadership & Management
Good

The effectiveness of leadership is good, providing clear strategic direction and stability, with middle leaders contributing effectively. While partnerships with parents and community are good, self-evaluation and improvement planning, along with governance, are acceptable, needing stronger analytical evaluation and impact on academic performance. strategic directionparental engagementself-evaluation

Key Highlights

Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.

Consistent Student Progress

Students consistently make good progress across most subjects, with particular strengths in Arabic-medium subjects.

Strong Leadership Vision

Leaders articulate a clear vision and demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement across the school.

Positive Student Development

Students exhibit positive attitudes, act responsibly, respect Islamic values and UAE heritage, fostering a safe and respectful environment.

Safe & Inclusive Environment

Positive relationships and consistent behavior systems contribute to a safe, calm, and inclusive learning environment.

Active Community Engagement

Parents and the wider community actively contribute to the school’s learning culture and support student development.

Improved Math & Science

Attainment and progress in Mathematics and Science have improved significantly in Cycle 3, demonstrating deeper conceptual understanding.

Academic Performance Breakdown

KGKG1-KG2
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a First Language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Acceptable
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Good
PrimaryGrades 1-5
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a First Language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Good
MiddleGrades 6-8
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a First Language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Good
Science
Good
Learning Skills
Good
SecondaryGrades 9-12
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a First Language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Good
Learning Skills
Good

Internal assessment data often indicates higher attainment than observed levels and external benchmark tests (ACER IBT, PISA, TIMSS) in several subjects, particularly Arabic and English.

Leadership & Management

Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.

The effectiveness of leadership
Senior leaders provide clear strategic direction and stability, with middle leaders contributing effectively through monitoring and planning.
Good
School self-evaluation and improvement planning
Monitoring focuses more on teaching processes than impact on student progress, with evaluation lacking consistent analytical depth and clear links to measurable outcomes.
Acceptable
Parents and the community
Parents are supportive and engaged, contributing positively to students’ learning and school life.
Good
Governance
The governing body continues to strengthen accountability and oversight, but its impact on raising academic performance is still developing.
Acceptable
Management, staffing, facilities and resources
The school operates efficiently with well-organised systems, qualified staff, and good facilities.
Good

Leadership Approach

The leadership team provides clear strategic direction and stability, fostering effective collaboration among middle leaders. While strong in managing resources and engaging parents, there is a need to enhance the analytical rigor of self-evaluation and strengthen the governing body's impact on academic outcomes.

Inspection Findings

Students' Achievement

Students demonstrate good progress across most subjects, particularly in Arabic-medium subjects. There are notable improvements in Mathematics and Science in higher cycles, though English writing and higher-order thinking skills require further development. External assessment results (ACER IBT, PISA, TIMSS) indicate areas for improvement compared to internal data.

Personal & Social Development

Students exhibit good personal development, positive attitudes, and a strong understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture. They show self-discipline and respectful relationships. Social responsibility and innovation skills are acceptable, with students enjoying activities but rarely taking initiative in leadership or design.

Teaching & Assessment

Teaching for effective learning is consistently good, with purposeful and well-structured lessons. Assessment processes are coherent and comprehensive, utilizing a range of internal and external data. However, the consistent use of assessment information to plan learning and address individual needs varies across subjects and grade levels.

Curriculum Design & Adaptation

Curriculum design is good in KG and cycles 1 and 2, showing clear progression, but is acceptable in Cycle 3 due to a greater emphasis on knowledge acquisition over skills development and narrow options. Curriculum adaptation is acceptable across all cycles, with appropriate modifications for most students, though opportunities for enhanced challenge are inconsistent.

Protection, Care & Support

Health and safety, including child protection and safeguarding, remain good. However, care and support have regressed to acceptable, reflecting a need for more systematic career and future education guidance, and inconsistent in-class provision for students of determination despite appropriate identification systems.

Areas for Development

  • Raise attainment and accelerate progress across all core subjects and cycles by strengthening students' Qur’anic recitation, Tajweed accuracy, and memorization to enhance fluency and application.
  • Improve reading fluency, comprehension, and extended writing in both English and Arabic to ensure the comprehensive development of language skills.
  • Enhance conceptual understanding, reasoning, and inquiry-based skills in mathematics and science to deepen analytical thinking and problem-solving.
  • Strengthen students’ ability across cycles to apply their knowledge of UAE identity, citizenship, and values in more complex and relevant contexts.
  • Strengthen the systematic use of assessment data to inform teaching, curriculum planning, and targeted intervention to meet the needs of all groups of students.
  • Enhance curriculum modifications to provide more personalised challenge and support to meet the needs of all groups of students, especially higher-attaining and gifted students.
  • Integrate creativity, enterprise, and innovation opportunities more consistently into daily lessons so students can regularly apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts.
  • Improve early identification systems and tracking of progress for students of determination to ensure their needs are effectively met.
  • Provide systematic pastoral and academic guidance in Cycle 3 to support students’ transition, well-being, and career aspirations.
  • Enhance leadership capacity and governance impact by strengthening the strategic impact of senior leaders and developing the evaluative capacity of all leaders.
  • Improve students’ performance in international assessments (TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA) by embedding inquiry-based and analytical learning tasks and aligning teaching strategies with cognitive demands.