Ashabal Al Quds Secondary Private SchoolMinistry of Education Curriculum, Subjects & Qualifications

Ashabal Al Quds Secondary Private School follows the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum across four distinct academic cycles: Kindergarten (KG1–KG2), Primary (Grades 1–5), Preparatory (Grades 6–8), and Secondary (Grades 9–12). The Kindergarten stage draws additionally on the Common Core State Standards and Core Knowledge Sequencing Model, giving early learners a dual-framework foundation. Instruction is delivered in both Arabic and English throughout, with Arabic as the primary language of the MoE curriculum. Among the 17 MoE-curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, Ashbal Al Quds is one of only seven rated Good — a position that reflects consistent, if not exceptional, performance within this curriculum group.

The school's most distinctive academic strength lies in its cultural and values education. Inspectors rated students' understanding of Islamic values and appreciation of UAE heritage as Very Good across all four cycles — the only domain to achieve this rating school-wide. In Arabic language, the Grade 12 MoE national examination recorded outstanding attainment in the last two academic years, a genuine high point in an otherwise mixed achievement picture. English attainment is rated Good in Cycles 1, 2, and 3, and the school integrates the Common Core-aligned English Language Arts program with a speaking-for-writing strategy to build literacy progressively from primary through secondary. Elective options including ICT and computer programming in the Preparatory stage, alongside dedicated specialist classrooms for music and physical education, broaden the academic offer beyond the core MoE framework.

The international benchmarking data, however, presents a candid challenge. In PISA 2022, 15-year-old students scored 319.7 in reading, 355.5 in mathematics, and 347.4 in science — all substantially below the PISA international averages of 476, 472, and 485 respectively, and below the school's own targets in every domain. TIMSS 2023 results placed Grade 4 students at 419.9 in mathematics and 409.75 in science, and Grade 8 students at 433.67 in mathematics and 412.77 in science — all within the low international benchmark. PIRLS 2021 recorded a Grade 4 reading score of 437.5, again at the low international benchmark. The ACER IBT AY2023/24 found that fewer than three-quarters of students across cycles met expectations in English, and only a few students in Cycles 1 and 3 met expectations in mathematics and science. These results are the most significant academic concern for prospective families to weigh carefully.

The 2024–2025 Irtiqaa inspection maintained the school's overall Good rating — consistent with the prior year — but identified meaningful internal variation. Teaching declined from Good to Acceptable in KG and Cycle 1, driven by high teacher talk and insufficient student-led learning. Mathematics attainment is rated Acceptable across every cycle, and science attainment is Acceptable across all phases. Inspectors flagged that support for the 31 students of determination is inconsistent, and that gifted and talented students are not sufficiently challenged. Self-evaluation and improvement planning also declined from Good to Acceptable, limiting the school's ability to accurately diagnose and address achievement gaps. Compared to peer MoE-curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, where 10 of 17 schools are rated Acceptable, Ashbal Al Quds holds a relatively stronger position — but the gap to Very Good or Outstanding remains wide, and no MoE school in the city currently holds either of those top ratings.

On the positive side, the school participates actively in international benchmarking — a commitment not universal among MoE schools — and has introduced assessment-style question integration into daily lessons, teacher professional development sessions, and parent awareness workshops as part of its improvement response. The Smart Learning Platform (LMS), Microsoft Teams, and Al-Diwan digital books platform support classroom instruction, and online reading platforms Abjadiyat and Kutubee extend literacy development beyond the school day. Partnerships with parents improved to Very Good in the latest inspection, with enhanced reporting and communication systems. University destination data is not publicly available, and no external accreditations beyond MoE registration are confirmed. [MISSING: university placement data; external accreditation details beyond MoE]