Al Rashid Al Saleh Private SchoolPrincipal & Leadership Team

Principal Lina Adil Yohana Mayoma, appointed 26 June 2023, leads Al Rashid Al Saleh Private School — one of Dubai's oldest private institutions, founded in 1973. Her appointment is relatively recent, and the 2023–2024 KHDA inspection, conducted just seven months into her tenure, provides the most current picture of leadership quality. Inspectors rated the effectiveness of leadership as Good and governance as Good, with parents and the community rated Very Good — the highest-scoring leadership dimension in the report. The governing board is noted as directly impacting overall school performance, with members actively investing in expanding specialist facilities.

The inspection found that all leaders share a commitment to UAE national priorities and a vision focused on improving student outcomes, wellbeing and inclusion. Most display a positive understanding of the curriculum and effective teaching practices. However, inspectors identified meaningful gaps: self-evaluation processes — including the monitoring of teaching and learning — were found to lack sufficient rigour, and leaders were specifically directed to develop their capacity in best practices across teaching, learning, assessment and curriculum. National Agenda leadership was rated only Acceptable, with action plans described as well-structured but insufficiently connected to accurate data analysis.

On teaching quality, the inspection found standards vary across cycles, subjects and between boys' and girls' sections. Most teachers use subject knowledge and a range of strategies effectively, with stronger practice observed in KG and Cycle 3. Assessment use is inconsistent, and learning activities are not yet sufficiently adapted for the lowest and highest ability students. School self-evaluation and improvement planning was rated Good, though inspectors noted the process needs to be more rigorous and better linked to measurable impact. Management, staffing, facilities and resources was also rated Good.

The school employs 175 teachers and 30 teaching assistants, supported by 6 guidance counsellors, serving 2,692 students. This produces a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:15, slightly above the Dubai private school average of 1:13.6 — meaning each teacher at Al Rashid Al Saleh carries a modestly higher load than the city norm. [MISSING: staff qualification levels and percentage holding postgraduate degrees]. The largest nationality group among teachers is Egyptian, reflecting the school's Arabic-medium MoE curriculum. Among the 17 UAE Ministry of Education curriculum schools in Dubai, Al Rashid Al Saleh's Good rating places it in the upper tier — only 7 of 17 MoE schools hold a Good rating, with the remaining 10 rated Acceptable and none rated Outstanding or Very Good.

Parent engagement stands out as a genuine strength. Inspectors highlighted strong relationships with parents as one of four school highlights, and the Very Good rating for parents and the community reflects consistent, effective communication and involvement. Leaders conduct parent surveys and are described as effectively engaging all parents. Student personal development — rated Outstanding across all four cycles — further reflects a school culture where values, belonging and wellbeing are embedded in daily life, even as academic systems continue to develop.