Belvedere International SchoolPrincipal & Leadership TeamLast Updated: April 7, 2026

Principal Ismat Daou leads Belvedere International School with over 30 years of experience in education, supported by Vice Principal Ms. Antonette Naidoo and a structured senior leadership team that includes heads of curriculum, assessment, inclusion, and key stage leadership. Governance sits with a Board of Governors chaired by Dr. Salem Abulrahman Aldarmaki, with dedicated committees covering national identity, parental complaints, health and safety, behavioural management, and development and quality assurance — a framework that inspectors rated governance Good in the 2024–2025 Irtiqaa inspection.

The school was founded in Al Ain in 2018 and has maintained an overall Acceptable rating across both its 2021–2022 and 2024–2025 inspections, indicating a stable but plateaued performance trajectory. Inspectors noted that since the previous inspection, the school introduced a middle leadership tier whose full impact is still developing, and that leadership effectiveness was rated Acceptable — with a specific recommendation to define clearer roles and increase accountability within the senior and middle leadership teams. Recent changes in science and mathematics leadership and teaching staff are cited as a contributing factor to declining attainment in English-medium subjects, a signal parents should weigh carefully.

On teaching quality, the picture is mixed. Teaching in Phase 1 (KG) improved to Good in the current inspection cycle, but teaching in Phases 2 and 3 remains Acceptable. Inspectors observed stronger practice in Arabic-medium subjects, while English-medium lessons were found to be more teacher-led, with limited critical thinking, challenge for high attainers, and independent inquiry. The school employs 45 teachers and 14 teaching assistants across a roll of 351 students, producing a student-teacher ratio of 1:8 — significantly more favourable than the city average of 1:13.6 across Dubai private schools, suggesting small class sizes that could support more personalised learning if teaching quality improves. Teacher nationalities span the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Syria, among others. Staff qualification data is not publicly available [MISSING: percentage of staff holding relevant teaching qualifications or postgraduate degrees].

Parent engagement is a recognised strength. Inspectors rated partnerships with parents and the community Good, noting that the school actively involves families in learning and decision-making through a Parent Representatives Committee, regular Parent Forums, termly coffee mornings, parent-teacher conferences each term, and three written reports per year. The school's vision — "Together, we prepare for life and celebrate every success" — is reflected in this community-oriented approach, and the integration of UAE culture, Islamic values, and national identity into daily school life is consistently praised by inspectors. Health and safety was rated Very Good, the school's highest-performing domain, underpinned by systematic safeguarding policies and a well-maintained environment. BIS holds accreditations from BSME, ISA, and Cambridge Assessment International Education, providing external quality benchmarks alongside the Irtiqaa framework.