Crescent English School
Executive Summary
Crescent English School, located in Al Qusais and established in 1984, is an Indian curriculum school serving students from KG 1 to Grade 12. Following the CBSE framework, the school received an overall rating of Acceptable in the 2023-2024 DSIB inspection, a standing it has maintained consistently since 2018-2019 following improvement from earlier Weak ratings.
The school demonstrates notable strengths in students' personal development, with Very Good ratings across all phases for personal responsibility and understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture. Academic performance is strongest in Islamic Education and English, which are rated Good across all phases, while Arabic as an Additional Language remains a significant area of concern with Weak attainment in Primary, Middle, and Secondary. The Kindergarten phase stands out as a particular strength, with Good ratings in teaching, curriculum, and student outcomes.
Leadership and governance are rated Acceptable overall, with governors and leaders providing clear direction and commitment to raising standards. The school's wellbeing provision is rated Good, underpinned by a comprehensive wellbeing culture and active student engagement. Key recommendations focus on improving middle leadership effectiveness, raising attainment in Arabic, and embedding consistent assessment practices across all subjects and phases.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Crescent English School Overall Rating
Acceptable for 4+ consecutive years
Dubai Focus Areas
These three pillars represent the Dubai education authority's priorities: ensuring inclusive practices, prioritizing student wellbeing, and meeting UAE National Agenda targets.
Provision and outcomes for students of determination are rated Acceptable. The school employs a variety of assessment tools to identify students of determination and uses interactive boards and Braille technology to support inclusivity. However, assessment of students' progress is not consistent across all phases, and improved marking and feedback do not yet sufficiently measure and support students' progress. Students of DeterminationIndividualised PlansInclusion Team
The overall quality of wellbeing provision and outcomes is rated Good. Wellbeing is a clear priority underpinning the school's ethos, with comprehensive policies effectively applied and a skilled counsellor leading the wellbeing team. Students are active participants in monitoring wellbeing concerns through worry boxes and the student council, and both students and parents report a strong sense of belonging to the school community. Student CouncilWellbeing TeamWorry Boxes
The school's overall standards in the National Agenda Parameter are rated Acceptable. The school achieved PIRLS assessment targets, with a score of 946 in the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) placing it in the acceptable range. However, interventions to address gaps identified in benchmark assessments are not consistently monitored, limiting their impact on students' progress. PIRLSNGRTPISATIMSS
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
KG Curriculum Strength
Children's secure learning and the curriculum provision in Kindergarten is a standout strength, with Good ratings across teaching, assessment, curriculum design, and student outcomes.
Positive Student Attitudes
Students demonstrate exemplary behaviour, courtesy, and self-discipline across all phases, with Very Good ratings for personal development and understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture school-wide.
Strong Parent Partnerships
The school has developed strong partnerships with parents, with a pro-active parents council whose members volunteer in classrooms and support the donation of technology for students.
Supportive Wellbeing Arrangements
The school provides a caring, nurturing environment in which concern for students' wellbeing is a priority, supported by a skilled counsellor and comprehensive wellbeing policies rated Good overall.
Improving Teaching Quality
Professional training of teachers is improving and leading to stronger student outcomes, with notable improvements in the use of technology to support learning and assessment practices in the classroom.
Academic Performance Breakdown
The school's strongest academic performance is in Islamic Education and English across all phases. Arabic as an Additional Language is a persistent area of weakness. KG is the strongest phase overall, with Good ratings across all applicable subjects.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
Leaders at all levels demonstrate commitment to the school's vision and UAE national priorities, with a growing capacity to drive school improvement through data-informed self-evaluation and professional development. Middle leaders are developing their effectiveness, and the school has achieved notable improvements in KG teaching quality, classroom assessment practices, and technology integration as a result of focused improvement planning. Governors provide continuity and ensure high-quality resources, while partnerships with parents and the community are a recognised strength of the school.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Attainment and progress in KG are Good, with strong performance in Islamic Education and English across all phases. Arabic as an Additional Language is a persistent area of weakness with Weak attainment in Primary, Middle, and Secondary. Students' personal development is a significant strength, with Very Good ratings across all phases for personal responsibility and cultural awareness.
Personal Development
Students demonstrate exemplary behaviour, self-discipline, and courtesy across the school, with Very Good ratings for personal development and understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture in all phases. Students show strong community involvement in Secondary, including membership of the governing board, though Primary students' community involvement is less evident.
Teaching Quality
Teaching for effective learning is Good in KG but only Acceptable in Primary, Middle, and Secondary, where lessons are often too teacher-led and open-ended questioning is inconsistent. Assessment practices are similarly rated Good in KG and Acceptable elsewhere, with inconsistent tracking of individual student progress and limited alignment between internal assessments and external benchmark results.
Protection & Care
The school has effective safeguarding procedures with well-trained staff, a clean and secure building, and a digital application for parents to track school transport. Health and safety is rated Very Good in KG and Good across Primary, Middle, and Secondary, while care and support is consistently Good across all phases. Students of determination receive appropriate support from the inclusion team, though alternative pathways for further education and work need development.
Areas for Development
- •Improve the effectiveness of middle leadership by raising students' attainment and progress in Arabic.
- •Ensure that in all lessons, learning activities provide an appropriate level of challenge for all groups of students.
- •Provide regular opportunity in lessons for activities that develop students' higher order thinking skills, creativity and innovation.
- •Firmly embed assessment procedures so that they are consistently applied by teachers in all subjects.
- •Ensure that benchmark assessment results are used consistently to identify gaps in learning and that improvement plans impact positively on students' progress.
- •Review systematically the impact of planned interventions intended to improve students' reading literacy skills.
- •Enhance additional subject or alternative education programme choices for students of determination in secondary education to support their wellbeing.