Al Yahar Private School And Kg - Moe
Executive Summary
Al Yahar Private School and KG, operating with an American and MoE curriculum, has maintained an Acceptable overall rating in its latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2024-2025 academic year. The school demonstrates strong safeguarding procedures and fosters a respectful environment with positive staff-student relationships, contributing to good personal development and high attendance rates.
While attainment and progress in most subjects generally remained Acceptable, some areas, such as Arabic as a first language in Cycle 1 and Mathematics progress in Cycles 2 and 3, experienced declines. Students' personal development and awareness of Emirati and global cultures are rated Good, though social responsibility and innovation skills require further development. The school utilizes MAP and IBT data to monitor learning, but teachers are still refining their use of this data for effective differentiation.
Leadership and management, along with curriculum design and adaptation, are consistently rated Acceptable. The school is committed to improvement, with ongoing efforts to enhance teaching strategies, student support, and curriculum offerings, particularly in integrating AI and innovation skills. Key recommendations focus on raising attainment across core subjects, improving teaching and assessment strategies, and strengthening provision for diverse learners and international assessment preparation.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
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Very Weak
Al Yahar Private School And Kg - Moe Overall Rating
Acceptable
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement is generally Acceptable across most subjects and cycles, with some areas showing decline since the previous inspection. While internal data often indicates attainment above curriculum standards, external assessments like IBT, MAP, PISA, and TIMSS show performance below international averages in several subjects and cycles. Learning skills are Acceptable, though communication and collaboration skills in Cycle 3 have declined. internal assessment dataexternal assessmentslearning skills
Students' personal development and their understanding of Islamic values, Emirati, and world cultures are rated Good across the school, reflecting respectful behavior, positive attitudes, and responsible conduct. The school effectively promotes punctuality. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, as students are not consistently proactive in taking initiative or leading contributions beyond the school. respectful behaviorEmirati and world culturessocial responsibility and innovation skills
Teaching and assessment practices are Acceptable across the school, with teachers demonstrating secure subject knowledge and using real-life examples. The school uses MAP and IBT data to identify learning gaps and track progress. However, teachers are still developing their capacity to effectively use this data for refining questioning and adapting tasks to meet the diverse needs of all students, including high-achievers and those requiring additional support. secure subject knowledgeMAP and IBT datadifferentiating instruction
Curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation are Acceptable across all cycles. The school follows the California Common Core curriculum alongside the Ministry of Education curriculum for Arabic-medium subjects, ensuring alignment with the school’s vision and UAE national goals. The curriculum provides a balanced and age-appropriate learning experience, but further development is needed in cross-curricular planning and electives for innovation skills. California Common CoreMinistry of Education curriculumcross-curricular planning
Health and safety arrangements are Good, supported by well-established systems that ensure a secure and nurturing environment. Care and support are Acceptable, with a dedicated inclusion team overseeing referral and intervention systems for students of determination and high achievers. However, provision for diverse learners is not yet fully consistent or effectively targeted, and support plans are not always consistently implemented. health and safetyinclusion teamstudents of determinationhigh achievers
All areas of leadership and management are Acceptable. The school operates under a clear, values-driven vision aligned with national priorities, with distributed leadership responsibilities and accountability systems. Communication with parents is effective, and partnerships with local organizations enhance learning. While leadership shows commitment to improvement, the overall capacity to innovate and consistently raise standards is still developing. values-driven visiondistributed leadershipcapacity to innovate
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Strong Safeguarding
The school maintains strong safeguarding procedures, ensuring a secure and nurturing environment for all students and staff.
Positive Student Behavior
Students exhibit good behavior, build strong relationships, and contribute to a respectful environment, supported by positive staff-student connections.
High Attendance Rates
Students' attendance rates at the school are Very Good, reflecting effective systems to promote punctuality and engagement.
Cultural Understanding
Students clearly understand how Islamic values shape daily life and demonstrate strong respect and appreciation for UAE culture.
English Achievement
Students' achievement in English is Good in Cycle 3, indicating a strength in the upper secondary phase.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Overall, attainment and progress in Arabic-medium and English-medium subjects were generally sustained at an Acceptable level across most cycles. However, specific declines were noted in Arabic as a first language (Cycle 1 attainment), Islamic Education (KG and Cycle 3 progress), and Mathematics (Cycles 2 and 3 progress). Learning skills in Cycle 3 also declined. Performance in standardized and international assessments (ACER-IBT, MAP, PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS) generally indicates attainment below international averages, highlighting areas for targeted improvement.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team operates with a clear, values-driven vision aligned with national priorities, distributing responsibilities and monitoring through accountability and performance management systems. While committed to ongoing improvement and fostering strong communication with parents and the community, the overall capacity to innovate and consistently raise standards across the school is still developing.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students' attainment and progress are generally Acceptable. While internal assessment data often shows students performing above curriculum standards, external standardized tests (IBT, MAP) and international assessments (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS) indicate performance below international averages in several subjects and cycles. Learning skills are Acceptable, but communication and collaboration skills in Cycle 3 require improvement.
Personal & Social Development
Students' personal development, understanding of Islamic values, and awareness of Emirati and world cultures are Good, reflected in their respectful behavior and positive attitudes. The school effectively promotes punctuality. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, as students are not consistently proactive in taking initiative or leading contributions beyond the school context.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching and assessment practices are Acceptable. Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge and use real-life examples. The school uses MAP and IBT data to identify learning gaps and track progress. However, teachers need to further develop their capacity to effectively use this data to refine questioning and adapt tasks to meet the diverse needs of all students, including high-achievers and those needing additional support.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
Curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation are Acceptable. The school follows both the California Common Core and Ministry of Education curricula, which are aligned with the school’s vision and national goals, providing a balanced and age-appropriate learning experience. However, there is a need to fully embed cross-curricular planning, broaden electives for innovation skills, and refine curriculum review processes to address learning gaps.
Protection, Care & Support
Health and safety arrangements are Good, ensuring a secure and nurturing environment. Care and support are Acceptable. A dedicated inclusion team manages structured referral, intervention, and monitoring for students of determination and high achievers. However, the provision for diverse learners is not yet fully consistent or effectively targeted, and existing support plans are not always consistently implemented in lessons.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students’ attainment and progress to a consistently Good level in all core subjects and cycles by improving Qur’an recitation skills, developing historical event descriptions in Cycle 1, strengthening Arabic reading and writing fluency, improving English writing accuracy, enhancing problem-solving in mathematics, and developing scientific investigative skills.
- •Improve strategies and provision for effective teaching and assessment by ensuring consistent differentiation, fostering creativity and innovation, enhancing teachers’ questioning skills, providing specific and targeted feedback, developing Cycle 3 electives for AI and innovation, broadening extracurricular activities, and tailoring curriculum modifications for diverse learners.
- •Enhance students’ care and support across the school by improving admission procedures for students of determination, ensuring consistent implementation of support plans (IEPs/ALPs), addressing the needs of gifted and talented students, reviewing provision for higher-ability students, and strengthening academic and career guidance for older students.
- •Ensure that the curriculum is well-designed, implemented, and adapted by fully embedding cross-curricular planning, broadening and developing high school electives that integrate AI and innovation, strengthening curriculum scope and sequence, refining curriculum review processes, focusing on essential learning skills, and providing opportunities for enterprise and social contribution.
- •Enhance the impact of school leadership by strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems for teaching and learning, providing clear and constructive feedback to teachers, increasing middle leaders’ visits to local schools for best practices, ensuring alignment between self-evaluation and development plans, measuring the impact of teacher training, providing targeted leadership training, and upgrading IT lab computer provision.
- •Improve results in the International Assessments TIMSS, PISA, and PIRLS by reviewing preparation approaches, analyzing previous results, strengthening PISA preparation, enhancing teachers' understanding of assessment frameworks, incorporating varied question types, providing higher-order thinking opportunities, conducting regular mock assessments, and encouraging test-taking strategies.