Al Shurooq Private School, Dubai

Al Shurooq Private School follows the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum, delivered primarily in Arabic as the language of instruction. This framework is designed to build progressively on students' prior knowledge across four cycles - KG, Cycle 1 (Grades 1-4), Cycle 2 (Grades 5-8), and Cycle 3 (Grades 9-12) - and encompasses Islamic Education, Arabic as a First Language, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Moral Education. The curriculum is intentionally aligned with national development goals, and the school has made deliberate cross-curricular connections that DSIB inspectors noted as meaningfully planned and well-coordinated. In terms of academic outcomes, mathematics and science are the school's strongest performing subjects, with Good attainment and Good progress ratings across all four cycles in the 2023-2024 DSIB inspection. A majority of students are attaining above curriculum expectations in these subjects - a notable achievement. DSIB highlighted improved attainment in mathematics across the school and in science specifically in the KG and Cycle 1 as one of the school's headline accomplishments. In the upper cycles, students in Cycle 3 are handling complex equations in mathematics and demonstrating understanding of genetic recombination and mutations in science, indicating genuine depth of learning at the senior level. Islamic Education is a particular strength, with Very Good attainment and progress in the KG and Very Good progress in Cycle 2. Students across the school demonstrate memorisation and recitation skills, and senior students discuss contemporary social topics from an Islamic perspective. Arabic as a First Language shows Very Good attainment and progress in the KG, though Cycle 2 attainment dips to Acceptable - an area the school is actively working to address through initiatives including a drama club to engage students with the language more creatively. English is the school's most significant academic challenge. Attainment is rated Acceptable across all four cycles, and progress is also Acceptable in the KG and Cycle 1, improving to Good only in Cycles 2 and 3. DSIB noted that students' reading literacy skills lag behind their performance in mathematics and science, and the school failed to meet its PIRLS targets. The school's own explanation - that mathematics and science are assessed in Arabic while English reading tests are administered in English, disadvantaging students - is reasonable but does not eliminate the concern for parents who need their children to develop strong English proficiency. For external examinations, the school uses EMSAT (Emirates Standardised Test) as the primary external benchmark. The school's international benchmark scores are rated outstanding for whole-school and Emirati students in mathematics and science, but weak in two English-related areas, producing an overall average of Very Good for the National Agenda Parameter in international and benchmark achievement. The school holds no formal external accreditation beyond KHDA regulation. Academic support structures include a dedicated SEN section supervised by specialist special education teachers, a Gifted and Talented policy, and six guidance counsellors serving 1,948 students. The school uses progress tracking sheets that merge internal and external data to inform teaching strategies - a system DSIB noted positively. Teaching methodology is primarily teacher-led, though DSIB identified this as a limitation, recommending that students be given more opportunities to take ownership of their learning. Assessment is linked to MoE curriculum standards, with the upper grades benefiting from more consistent written feedback than the KG and Cycle 1.