Al Tharawat National Private School

Curriculum
Ministry of Education
ADEK
Acceptable
Location
Abu Dhabi, Bani Yas
Fees
AED 10K - 12K

Executive Summary

Al Tharawat National Private School has received an Acceptable overall rating in the latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2024-2025 academic year. This marks a regression in the school's performance, as its overall rating has declined from Good since the previous inspection in 2022.

The decline is primarily driven by a regression in students' achievement, particularly in English, Mathematics, and Science across most phases. Teaching for effective learning and assessment quality have also regressed, attributed to limited understanding of teaching strategies and insufficient resources. The curriculum, while coherent, emphasizes knowledge acquisition over skill development and lacks robust modifications.

All aspects of leadership and management have also regressed to Acceptable, with the impact of recent leadership changes not yet evident and roles unclear. Despite these challenges, the school maintains Good levels in Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies, and demonstrates effective safeguarding and child protection procedures.

Overall School Performance

Inspection Year 2024-2025

Outstanding

Very Good

Good

Acceptable

Weak

Very Weak

Al Tharawat National Private School Overall Rating

Acceptable

ADEK Performance Standards

The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.

Students' Achievement
Acceptable

Overall, students’ achievement has regressed from Good to Acceptable. Attainment and progress have declined across most subjects and phases, including English, Mathematics, and Science. While Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies maintained Good ratings in some cycles, Arabic also saw regression. EnglishMathematicsScienceArabicIslamic EducationUAE Social Studies

Students' Personal & Social Development
Good

Students' personal development, understanding of Islamic values, and awareness of Emirati and world cultures are judged as Good. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, with students rarely leading projects or developing enterprise skills. Islamic valuesEmirati and world culturessocial responsibilityinnovation skills

Teaching & Assessment
Acceptable

Teaching for effective learning and assessment have regressed to Acceptable, particularly in KG and Cycle 1. This decline is attributed to teachers' limited understanding of effective strategies, insufficient age-appropriate resources, and the absence of robust assessment procedures to inform teaching. effective teaching strategiesage-appropriate resourcesrobust assessment procedures

Curriculum
Acceptable

Curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation are Acceptable across all cycles. While coherent and aligned with MoE guidelines, implementation focuses more on knowledge acquisition than skill development, and modifications are insufficient due to inaccurate assessment data. knowledge acquisitionskill developmentcurriculum modifications

Protection, Care, Guidance & Support
Good

The quality of health and safety, including child protection, and care, guidance, and support have regressed to Good. Safeguarding policies remain effective, but student access to facilities and engagement in physical activities are limited, and support for students of determination is insufficient. safeguardingchild protectionstudents of determinationphysical activities

Leadership & Management
Acceptable

All aspects of leadership and management, including effectiveness, self-evaluation, partnerships, governance, and resource management, have regressed to Acceptable. Despite new leadership commitment, their impact is not yet evident, and roles are unclear. Parental involvement and governing board support are limited. new leadership teamdistributed leadership modelparental involvementgoverning board

Key Highlights

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

Good Achievement in Core Subjects

The school has maintained overall Good levels of achievement in Arabic, Islamic education, and social studies across various cycles.

Strong Cultural Appreciation

Students consistently demonstrate a clear appreciation and understanding of Islamic values, UAE culture, and heritage.

Effective Safeguarding

The school has effective safeguarding and child protection procedures in place, ensuring students feel safe and protected.

Committed New Leadership

The new leadership team is committed to improving the quality of academic achievement and personal development for all students.

Academic Performance Breakdown

KGKG
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a first language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Acceptable
KG Note
Achievement in KG has largely regressed across most subjects, with English, Mathematics, Science, and Learning Skills declining to Acceptable.
Cycle 1Grades 1-5
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a first language
Acceptable
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Acceptable
Cycle 1 Note
Cycle 1 shows significant regression, with Arabic, English, Mathematics, Science, and Learning Skills declining to Acceptable levels.
Cycle 2Grades 6-8
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a first language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Good
Cycle 2 Note
Cycle 2 maintained Good ratings in Islamic Education, Arabic, UAE Social Studies, and English progress, but saw declines in English attainment, Mathematics, and Science to Acceptable.
Cycle 3Grades 9-12
Islamic Education
Good
Arabic as a first language
Good
UAE Social Studies
Good
English
Good
Mathematics
Good
Science
Good
Learning Skills
Good
Cycle 3 Note
Cycle 3 maintained Good ratings across most subjects, though Mathematics and Science declined from Very Good to Good.

Overall students' achievement has regressed from Good to Acceptable since the previous inspection. While Islamic Education, Arabic, and UAE Social Studies maintained Good levels in some cycles, English, Mathematics, and Science have seen significant declines across KG and Cycles 1 and 2.

Leadership & Management

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

The effectiveness of leadership
Regressed from Good to Acceptable.
Acceptable
School self-evaluation and improvement planning
Regressed from Good to Acceptable.
Acceptable
Parents and the community
Regressed from Good to Acceptable.
Acceptable
Governance
Regressed from Good to Acceptable.
Acceptable
Management, staffing, facilities and resources
Regressed from Good to Acceptable.
Acceptable

Leadership Approach

All aspects of leadership and management have regressed to Acceptable. Despite recent changes in school leadership personnel and their commitment to school improvement, their impact is not yet evident. The distributed leadership model does not clearly define roles and responsibilities, and parental involvement and governing board support are limited.

Inspection Findings

Students' Achievement

Students' achievement has regressed overall to Acceptable, with declines in English, Mathematics, and Science across most phases. While Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies maintained Good levels in some cycles, Arabic also saw a regression. Standardized and international assessment results like PISA and TIMSS are below targets and international averages.

Personal & Social Development

Students demonstrate Good personal development and understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, as students rarely lead projects or develop enterprise skills, despite generally good behavior.

Teaching & Assessment

The quality of teaching for effective learning and assessment has regressed to Acceptable. This is due to teachers' limited understanding of effective strategies, insufficient age-appropriate resources, and a lack of robust assessment procedures to generate accurate data for informing teaching.

Curriculum Design & Adaptation

Curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation are Acceptable. The curriculum aligns with MoE guidelines but emphasizes knowledge acquisition over skill development. Modifications are insufficient due to reliance on inaccurate assessment data, limiting effective intervention and enrichment.

Protection, Care & Support

Protection, care, guidance, and support for students have regressed to Good. Effective safeguarding policies are in place, but students' access to school facilities and engagement in physical activities are limited. The identification and support for students of determination and gifted students are insufficient.

Areas for Development

  • Raise students’ achievement to at least Good across all cycles, particularly in English, mathematics, and science by improving reading fluency, problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and Quran recitation skills.
  • Improve the quality of teaching for effective learning and assessment by strengthening teachers’ understanding of learning, delivering differentiated lessons, increasing pace and challenge, and improving assessment procedures and feedback.
  • Improve the effectiveness of the implementation and modification of the curriculum by balancing knowledge acquisition with skill development, using accurate assessment data for modifications, and expanding extracurricular activities.
  • Improve outcomes in PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS international assessments and aim to meet the set targets by strengthening curriculum alignment, improving interpretation skills, and raising student and parent awareness.
  • Improve the effectiveness of school leadership by clarifying roles, aligning self-evaluation with the UAE Inspection Framework, broadening stakeholder involvement, and ensuring prompt actions on staffing and facilities.