Al Najah Private School, Abu Dhabi

Al Najah Private School is led by School Director Ahd Ziad Aboughazal, whose vision — articulated on the school's own platform as embracing growth that is "messy, challenging and enjoyable" — sets a candid tone for a school that is clearly in a period of active development. No tenure data is available for the current director, and no vice-principal or deputy leadership figures are named in inspection sources. What the 2024–25 Irtiqa report does confirm is that the school maintains stability, with minimal staff turnover and positive staff morale — a meaningful signal for parents weighing continuity of care for their children.

The governing board is noted for its secure knowledge of UAE national priorities, and the school has recently made new middle management appointments to build a more effective distributive leadership model. However, inspectors were direct in their findings: leadership and governance are both rated Good, while school self-evaluation and improvement planning, and management, staffing, facilities and resources are each rated Acceptable — a step down from Good in the previous cycle. Middle leaders' understanding of the UAE School Inspection Framework is identified as insufficient, and vacancies in the guidance and inclusion teams remain unfilled, placing strain on existing staff. These are structural gaps that parents of children with additional learning needs, or high-attaining students, should weigh carefully.

The teaching workforce numbers 126 teachers supported by 16 teaching assistants, serving a student body of 2,176. The school reports a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:16 in non-KG sections and 1:22 in the Foundation Stage/KG section. The non-KG ratio compares moderately against the Abu Dhabi city average of 1:13.6 across all private schools, suggesting somewhat larger class sizes in the main school. Teacher nationalities listed in the inspection report include Ireland, South Africa, and Lebanon, consistent with the school's stated emphasis on a predominantly internationally-sourced teaching staff. No data is available on the percentage of staff holding postgraduate qualifications.

Teaching quality across the school is rated Good in all four phases for AY2024–25, though it declined from Very Good to Good in the senior phase (Cycle 3) compared to the previous inspection. Inspectors found that teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge but do not consistently use assessment data to stretch higher attainers or gifted and talented students — a recurring theme across the report. The school's parents and community engagement is rated Good, supported by an open-door policy, regular newsletters, briefing sessions, and a parent portal via iSAMS. This infrastructure for home-school communication is a genuine strength and reflects a leadership team that values parental involvement. Founded in 1987, ANPS brings over three decades of institutional experience to Mohamed Bin Zayed City — a form of stability that newer schools in Abu Dhabi's competitive British curriculum sector cannot replicate.