Dubai Modern Education School
Executive Summary
Dubai Modern Education School, offering both US and Ministry of Education (MoE) curricula, received an Acceptable overall rating for the 2023-2024 academic year. The school has recently appointed a new principal, supported by a newly established governing board, who has initiated a comprehensive review of the school's provision and outcomes.
In the US curriculum, students in Kindergarten have limited opportunities for challenging activities, and literacy levels in English, mathematics, and science are hindered by low expectations. However, students make Good progress in Islamic Education. For the MoE curriculum, students across all cycles demonstrate Good learning skills and outcomes in most subjects, with Islamic Education being a particular strength and consistent progress in English, mathematics, and science.
Students across both curricula exhibit positive behavior, high levels of self-discipline, and a deep understanding of Islamic values and UAE culture. The school maintains a Very Good standard of health and safety, with effective safeguarding policies. Wellbeing provision is rated Good, fostering a supportive environment where students feel cared for and staff morale is high.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Dubai Modern Education School Overall Rating
Acceptable for 13+ 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 provides inclusive education across all phases, ensuring that students of determination receive appropriate support. This commitment to inclusion is recognized as a key strength, fostering an environment where all students can experience learning. inclusive educationstudents of determination
Wellbeing provision and outcomes are rated Good, supported by a comprehensive policy and an experienced team. Students feel safe and cared for, with their opinions informing the wellbeing curriculum through ambassadors and surveys. A social and emotional curriculum promotes physical and mental health, and students demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. Wellbeing Ambassadorssocial and emotional curriculuminternet safety
Overall school standards in the National Agenda Parameter are Good for both US and MoE curricula. The MoE curriculum shows outstanding progression in PIRLS assessments, exceeding targets. While the US curriculum met its PIRLS target, there is a need to improve reading literacy and critical thinking skills across subjects. National Agenda ParameterPIRLS assessmentsreading literacycritical thinking
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Islamic & Arabic Commitment
Students across both curricula demonstrate a strong commitment to Islamic Education and Arabic language studies.
Positive Student Development
Students exhibit positive attitudes, behavior, and a deep appreciation for Emirati heritage and culture.
Effective Teaching (MoE)
The Ministry of Education curriculum benefits from good teaching and learning practices across all phases.
Parental Engagement
Parents are highly engaged and supportive of their children’s education, contributing positively to the school community.
Inclusive Education
The school provides inclusive education across all phases, ensuring students of determination are well-supported.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Students’ poor levels of literacy and low expectations from teachers are hindering the performance of US curriculum students in English, mathematics and science. MoE curriculum students show good outcomes across all subjects, with progress confirmed by internal and external data.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The school has recently appointed a new principal who, with the support of a newly established governing board, is undertaking an extensive review of the school's provision and outcomes. The leadership is focused on action planning that prioritizes wellbeing, transparency, high levels of accountability, and improved outcomes for all students.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students' outcomes vary across curricula and phases. In the US curriculum, KG children lack challenging activities, and literacy in English, mathematics, and science is hindered. However, Islamic Education shows good progress. MoE curriculum students demonstrate good learning skills and positive outcomes across subjects, with Islamic Education being a strength.
Personal Development
Students across both curricula display positive attitudes, self-discipline, and respect. They have a deep understanding of Islamic values and a very good appreciation of UAE heritage and culture. Behavior is positive, with exemplary conduct noted in the MoE curriculum, contributing to a positive learning environment.
Teaching Quality
In the US curriculum, teachers have sufficient subject knowledge, but lessons in KG, Elementary, and Middle are overdirected, limiting student activity. The MoE curriculum benefits from good teaching in all phases, with teachers creating positive learning environments and providing ongoing feedback that helps students improve their work.
Protection & Care
The school's premises are clean and secure, with rigorous checks and well-organized transport ensuring student safety. Effective policies for safeguarding and protecting students are in place, with leaders reacting quickly to resolve issues. Personal and academic counseling is provided, and relationships between staff and students are mutually respectful.
Areas for Development
- •Ensure that governors and leaders engage in systematic self-evaluation and prioritize levels of accountability and transparency across all areas of the school.
- •Urgently review and update the roles and responsibilities of all teaching, and operational staff so that they focus on the smooth running of the school and improving students’ outcomes.
- •Ensure that governors and leaders emphasize, in both short-and long-term planning, staff wellbeing, their appraisal and professional development.
- •Review the curriculum and improve teaching, learning and assessment as a priority of the school's strategic plan.
- •Consider re-aligning the counseling department to ensure a balance between pastoral and career guidance, including pathways to university and other workplace options.
- •Increase the opportunities in mathematics and science for teachers to promote reading literacy in their subjects, and, in all subjects, teach students to think critically, to conduct research and to solve problems (US curriculum).
- •Improve students’ reading literacy skills (US curriculum).
- •Raise the reading levels of all students by providing a better structured programme with a wider range of strategies to support the development of reading (MoE curriculum).
- •Monitor the impact of reading intervention strategies (MoE curriculum).
- •Ensure that the wellbeing development plan has specific and measurable targets.
- •Ensure that the findings from all analyzed survey data inform the goals of the wellbeing development plan.
- •Improve students’ memorization and recitation of the Holy Qur’an by providing more opportunities for them to practice (US curriculum).
- •Improve students’ knowledge and skills, especially in the lower year groups, by Improving the rigor of internal assessment and by increasing the level of challenge in lessons (US curriculum).
- •Ensure that all students develop key skills in linking their knowledge of Islam to everyday experiences (MoE curriculum).
- •Improve students’ written work by providing more accurate feedback to them on how to improve their work further (US curriculum).
- •Ensure that teachers’ expectations of students’ speaking, and writing are consistently high, particularly in Elementary and Middle (US curriculum).
- •Ensure that students pay appropriate attention to grammar in all phases (MoE curriculum).
- •Provide all students with even more opportunities to enhance their listening skills and to engage in extended conversations in Arabic, particularly in Middle (US curriculum).
- •Improve all students’ understanding and acquisition of a wider Arabic vocabulary (US curriculum).
- •Prioritize the improvement of all students’ literacy rates through focused instructional strategies (US curriculum).
- •Ensure that elementary and middle students have frequent opportunities to read and to write (US curriculum).
- •Improve the writing skills of students even further throughout the school (MoE curriculum).