Dar Al Uloom Private School - BaniyasIndian Curriculum, Subjects & QualificationsLast Updated: April 7, 2026

Dar Al Uloom Private School - Baniyas follows the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum from KG1 through Grade 12, covering Kindergarten, Cycle 1, Cycle 2, and Cycle 3. Instruction is delivered in both Arabic and English, with Arabic as the primary medium for Islamic Education, Arabic language, and UAE Social Studies, and English used for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science. The school is one of 17 MoE-curriculum private schools in Abu Dhabi, a relatively small cohort within a city dominated by British and American curriculum providers.

Academic performance presents a deeply concerning picture. The school's most recent ADEK Irtiqaa inspection, conducted in May 2025, rated the school Weak — a significant decline from its Good rating in 2022. This places Dar Al Uloom Baniyas among the lower-performing tier of Abu Dhabi's private schools at a time when, across the city's MoE-curriculum sector, no MoE school holds an Outstanding rating and 10 of 17 are rated only Acceptable. Inspectors found attainment and progress in English, Mathematics, and Science to be Acceptable at best across all cycles, with IBT standardized assessment results for AY2023/24 recording Weak attainment in Mathematics across Cycles 1 and 2, and Very Weak in Cycle 3. Science results mirrored this pattern. International benchmarking data compounds the concern: in PISA 2022, students scored 391 in Reading, 404 in Mathematics, and 397 in Science — all substantially below the international averages of 476, 472, and 485 respectively, and below the school's own improvement targets in every domain. TIMSS 2023 results showed Grade 4 Mathematics at 482 and Grade 8 Mathematics at 422, against international averages of 503 and 478.

The school's strongest academic outcomes are concentrated in Arabic-medium subjects. MoE external exam results for AY2023/24 rated Arabic (Grade 12) as Outstanding, and Social Studies attainment was rated Outstanding in Cycles 1 and 3. Islamic Education external results reached Outstanding in Cycle 1. These results reflect a genuine strength in cultural and national identity subjects, and inspectors confirmed that attainment and progress in UAE Social Studies are Good across all cycles — the only subject to achieve this consistently. Teaching in KG and Cycle 3 was also rated Good, particularly in Arabic-medium lessons.

Specialist provision is limited. The school offers SEN/Inclusion support through a newly appointed SENCO, but inspectors noted that only 2 students of determination have been formally identified across a school of 865 — a figure that raises serious questions about the rigour of identification processes. Gifted and talented students have recently been identified, but no structured support plans are in place. There is no bilingual track, no vocational pathway, and no external qualification framework such as IGCSE or A-Level. The school participates in the PISA Ambassador program, assigning Grade 10 students as peer motivators ahead of international assessments, but inspectors found the integration of PISA and TIMSS-style questions into daily lessons to be inconsistent.

Inspectors flagged several areas requiring urgent attention. Health and safety was rated Weak across all cycles, with the school building classified as high risk by Civil Defense due to structural damage, poor ventilation, electrical hazards, and deteriorating infrastructure — issues first identified in 2022 that remain unresolved. More than 60% staff turnover since the previous inspection, including a new principal, vice principal, and SENCO within 18 months, has destabilised teaching quality and continuity. The school library holds only 280 English books for a school of 865 students, and technology access is described by inspectors as inadequate. Compared to peer MoE schools in Abu Dhabi, Dar Al Uloom Baniyas currently underperforms on nearly every measurable academic indicator, and the gap between its Arabic-medium strengths and English-medium outcomes represents the most pressing curriculum challenge facing the school's leadership.