Dubai British School -dubai - Emirates Hills
KHDA Inspection Report & Ratings 2019
Last updated
Executive Summary
The Dubai British School provides an Outstanding quality of education, maintaining its strong reputation within the Emirates Hills community. This reflects the school's consistent commitment to high standards across all aspects of provision.
Students demonstrate Outstanding achievement in English, Mathematics, and Science across most phases, supported by exceptional learning skills. While attainment in Islamic Education and Arabic is generally Good in Primary and Acceptable in Secondary/Post-16, progress in these subjects is noted as Good.
The school excels in fostering Outstanding personal and social development among students, who exhibit exemplary behavior and strong relationships. High-quality teaching, effective assessment, and a broad curriculum, including robust support for Students of Determination and a high priority on Wellbeing, contribute significantly to these positive outcomes.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Dubai British School -dubai - Emirates Hills Overall Rating
Outstanding for 5+ 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.
The school demonstrates an Outstanding commitment to inclusive education, ensuring high-quality provision for Students of Determination. Robust systems are in place for early identification, with targeted interventions and strong parental engagement to support individual learning goals. Students of Determinationearly identificationinterventions
Wellbeing provision and outcomes are rated Very good, with wellbeing underpinning the school's ethos and culture. A skilled team of teachers and counsellors actively supports students, fostering a strong sense of belonging and promoting digital diligence and maturity. wellbeing practiceskilled teamMental Health Ambassadors
The school's overall standards in the National Agenda Parameter are Outstanding, exceeding targets in international assessments like PIRLS with an exceptional score. Outcomes in English, mathematics and science NAP tests are also Outstanding across all phases, driven by thorough leadership analysis and effective reading literacy action plans. National Agenda ParameterPIRLS assessmentNAP testsreading literacy
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
High Aspirations
Leaders and governors demonstrate high aspirations and provide full support, contributing to sustained school performance at the highest levels.
Inclusive Environment
The school is fully inclusive, offering excellent support and opportunities for all students, particularly those of determination, ensuring their full involvement in school life.
Quality Teaching
High-quality teaching, effective use of assessment, and a well-designed curriculum are principal reasons for students' high achievement and engagement.
Dynamic Community
A vibrant and dynamic learning community has been established, fostering strong relationships and promoting active student participation.
Student Development
Students exhibit outstanding personal and social development, demonstrating exemplary behavior, strong relationships, and a deep understanding of cultural values.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Students' achievement in English, mathematics, and science is outstanding across most phases. Achievement in Islamic Education and Arabic as a first and additional language is good in Primary, and acceptable in Secondary and Post-16, with good progress. Students demonstrate outstanding learning skills across all phases.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of best educational practices, establishing an inclusive school where all student needs are met. Leadership is effectively distributed with clear accountability, fostering a culture of professional growth and high morale. Systematic self-evaluation and well-targeted improvement plans ensure sustained high performance.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students demonstrate Outstanding achievement in English, mathematics, and science across most phases, with strong learning skills. Achievement in Islamic Education and Arabic is good in Primary and acceptable in Secondary/Post-16, with good progress. Students' personal and social development is outstanding across all phases.
Personal Development
Students' personal and social development is Outstanding across all phases, characterized by exemplary behavior, strong relationships, and a positive outlook. Their understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati culture have improved and are now outstanding, alongside a strong sense of social responsibility and innovation.
Teaching Quality
High-quality teaching and effective use of assessment are key drivers for students' high achievement. Teachers possess strong subject knowledge, planning engaging lessons well-matched to student abilities. Assessment procedures are coherent, providing comprehensive overviews of attainment and progress, with personal learning logs assisting student self-tracking.
Protection & Care
Safeguarding and child protection are extremely high priorities, with a large team ensuring immediate response to concerns. The school maintains a safe and well-maintained environment, with highly effective behavior management systems. Robust procedures identify and support Students of Determination, promoting their full involvement and independence.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students’ attainment in Islamic Education and Arabic to match that in other subjects.
- •Increase expectations and levels of challenge, in particular, for Arab Muslim students.
- •Provide opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of Islamic rules and laws through discussions and debates.
- •Enhance the vocabulary of secondary and post-16 students.
- •Improve the reading fluency in upper Primary.
- •Provide students with more opportunities to write on different topics, emphasising accurate sentence structures in their compositions.
- •Enhance students writing skills, by strengthening the quality of sentence construction and the correct application of Arabic grammar.
- •Improve the literary skills of the few lower attaining students.
- •Consolidate strategies underpinning Post-16 students’ improved attainment.
- •Ensure secondary and post-16 students regularly access activities that develop their higher order thinking skills.
- •Improve further students' independent learning, research and innovation skills in Islamic Education and Arabic.
- •Provide students with more opportunities to undertake volunteering roles in the wider community.
- •Embed the developing teaching approaches in Islamic Education and Arabic.
- •Fully embed opportunities to explore Emirati heritage and culture in all subjects.
- •Ensure that teachers’ marking of students’ workbooks provides guidance on how to improve their work further.
- •Ensure that all staff with leadership roles have the capacity to fulfil their responsibilities.
- •Use the reading literacy profile to identify where further improvements can and should be made.
- •Consolidate the school's overall wellbeing objectives in the curriculum.