GEMS Albarsha National School
Executive Summary
GEMS Al Barsha National School - Dubai Branch is a co-educational UK curriculum school located in Al Barsha 2, serving students from FS1 to Year 13. Established in 2017 and accredited by BSO, the school was rated Acceptable by DSIB in its 2023-2024 inspection, a rating it has maintained across three consecutive inspection cycles.
Students' attainment is mostly Acceptable across core subjects, with notable strengths in Islamic Education and Arabic in the primary phase, and in Post-16 English. Progress in Islamic Education is Good across all three phases, and primary students make Very Good progress in Arabic as an additional language. The school's Foundation Stage provision is described as rich and vibrant, with effective dual curriculum integration.
The newly appointed principal and vice principals are driving purposeful improvement, supported by a strong local advisory board. The school's most outstanding feature is students' excellent understanding of Islamic values and Emirati heritage, recognised by both KHDA and the Ministry of Culture. Key areas for development include improving attainment and progress across all subjects and phases, strengthening the identification and support of students of determination, and enhancing middle leadership accountability.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
GEMS Al Barsha National School - Dubai Branch Overall Rating
Acceptable for 3+ 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. Rigorous systems to accurately identify the needs of students of determination are not yet well established, and individualised learning plans lack focus and clarity. While parent partnerships are positive and alternative educational pathways have been introduced, differentiated support remains variable across all phases. Students of DeterminationIEPsDifferentiated Support
The overall quality of wellbeing provision and outcomes is rated Good. Leaders consistently promote wellbeing across all phases, and an experienced wellbeing team ensures stakeholder voices are heard, including through innovative use of artificial intelligence technology. Wellbeing is gaining momentum but is not yet fully embedded, and students have yet to play a leading role in relevant initiatives. Wellbeing TeamPerform BetterAI Technology
Overall school standards in the National Agenda Parameter are rated Good, with whole school international and benchmark achievement rated Good and the Emirati cohort rated Acceptable. Benchmark assessments showed improvement in mathematics from weak to very good and in science from acceptable to good. The school implements a comprehensive National Agenda action plan with subject-specific literacy strategies including DEAR sessions and science literacy mats. PIRLSNGRTDEAR SessionsNational Agenda
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Focused New Leadership
The newly appointed principal and vice principals are spearheading improvements with a clear direction focused on students' performance levels and strong professional relationships across the school.
Islamic & Emirati Values
Students demonstrate an outstanding understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati heritage and culture, recognised by both KHDA and the Ministry of Culture.
Vibrant Foundation Stage
The Foundation Stage offers rich and vibrant provision with effective dual curriculum integration of EYFS and MoE curricula, strong outdoor learning, and excellent early progress.
Arabic Primary Improvement
Improved outcomes in Arabic in the primary phase, with students making very good progress in Arabic as an additional language and good progress in Arabic as a first language.
Strong Safeguarding
The school's procedures and training for child protection and safeguarding are significant strengths, with Very Good ratings across all phases for health, safety, and child protection.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Students' attainment is mostly Acceptable across all core subjects and phases. Strengths are concentrated in Islamic Education and Arabic in Primary, and English at Post-16. Progress is generally stronger than attainment, with Good progress in Mathematics across all phases.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The recently appointed principal and vice principals have established strong professional relationships and a sense of shared responsibility across the school, with a clear focus on improving students' performance levels. The local advisory board has acted purposefully to build capacity, and leaders are determined to drive improvement. However, middle leadership accountability and the rigour of monitoring and evaluation processes require further development.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students' attainment is mostly Acceptable across core subjects, with strengths in Islamic Education and Arabic in Primary and Post-16 English. Progress is generally stronger than attainment, particularly in Mathematics where Good progress is achieved across all phases. Students demonstrate excellent understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture, recognised by KHDA and the Ministry of Culture.
Personal Development
Personal development is rated Very Good in Foundation Stage, Primary and Post-16, and Good in Secondary. Students' understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture is Outstanding in Foundation Stage, Primary and Post-16. Students generally demonstrate positive attitudes, self-discipline and a healthy lifestyle, though a small minority of secondary boys present behavioural challenges.
Teaching Quality
Teaching for effective learning is rated Good in Foundation Stage, Primary and Post-16, and Acceptable in Secondary. Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge and build positive relationships, but the use of questioning to promote deeper thinking remains variable in Secondary. The use of assessment data to personalise learning and provide appropriate challenge is inconsistent across phases.
Protection & Care
Health, safety and safeguarding arrangements are rated Very Good across all phases, representing a significant strength of the school. Care and support is rated Very Good in Foundation Stage and Primary, and Good in Secondary and Post-16. The accurate identification and targeted support of students of determination requires improvement across all phases.
Areas for Development
- •Improve students' attainment and progress in all subjects and in all phases.
- •Ensure that teachers make full use of assessment information in lesson planning to match learning activities to the needs and abilities of students.
- •Establish an accurate and rigorous identification process so that teaching strategies fully meet the needs of students of determination.
- •Ensure that middle leaders have an accurate oversight of their subject areas and are held fully accountable for driving improvement.
- •Improve leaders' monitoring and evaluation processes.