GEMS World Academy, Dubai
KHDA Inspection Report & Ratings 2019
Last updated
Executive Summary
GEMS World Academy provides a Very Good quality of education, fostering a respectful and inclusive learning community where students' behaviour is Outstanding. The school is effectively managing the challenges presented by its increasing student enrollment.
Students demonstrate stronger achievement in English and science, with outstanding progress in the Kindergarten (KG) phase. Mathematics achievement is consistently good, while Arabic achievement varies. The school implements an effective and robust International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, closely aligned with IB philosophy and values, promoting enterprise, innovation, and UAE culture.
The school places high priority on safeguarding and child protection through thorough staff training and robust policies, creating a caring community with exemplary staff-student relationships. Leaders effectively support inclusive learning and wellbeing for all, although consistent care and support for all groups of students is still developing.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
GEMS World Academy Overall Rating
Very Good 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.
School leaders value and enable an inclusive ethos, utilizing well-designed premises and resources to meet the needs of most students. Comprehensive assessment procedures identify a wide range of needs, with carefully planned interventions and external specialist support successfully implemented in most classrooms. Parents express delight with the excellent communication, care, and support provided for their children. students of determinationinclusive ethosexternal specialistsadditional learning pathways
Wellbeing is a guiding principle for the entire school community, driving the school's ethos and culture based on its Community, Ambition, Respect and Endeavour (CARE) principles. Students are comfortable approaching trusted adults with concerns, and the whole school community is alert to everyone's wellbeing. Staff report strong support and recognition, contributing to high morale and a positive atmosphere. CARE principlestrusted adultshigh moralepositive atmosphere
The school exceeded its target in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021, though benchmark assessment improvement was not consistent across all subjects over two years. Emirati students' progression in benchmark assessments remains weak. Leaders understand how subject skills align to international assessment proficiency levels and implement action plans to address identified gaps. PIRLS 2021National Agenda ParameterEmirati studentsPISATIMSS
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
KG Achievement
Children in Kindergarten demonstrate high achievement due to outstanding teaching practices that effectively support their learning.
Personal Development & Innovation
Students excel in their personal and social development, displaying strong innovation skills across various activities and initiatives.
Student Protection & Care
The school prioritizes the protection, care, guidance, and pastoral support of its students, fostering a safe and nurturing environment.
Parental Engagement
Parents are actively involved and supportive, significantly contributing to the continuous raising of educational standards within the school community.
Efficient Management & Resources
The school benefits from efficient daily management, appropriate staffing levels, and high-quality resources that support effective learning.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Students' achievement is strongest in English and science, with outstanding progress in KG. Arabic achievement is good in PYP but acceptable elsewhere, with attainment in Arabic as an additional language remaining weak in MYP. Students' learning skills are very strong across the school.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The principal and senior leaders are fully supportive of inclusive learning and wellbeing, providing a clear strategic direction aligned with national priorities. They utilize internal and external data for self-evaluation and benefit from coaching to enhance effective practices. Communication systems are smooth, and leaders are improving their management and support for new students joining the school.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students' achievement is stronger in English and science across the school, with outstanding progress in KG. Mathematics achievement is at least good, while Arabic achievement varies. Students' learning skills are very strong, though attainment in Arabic as an additional language remains weak in MYP.
Personal Development
Students' behaviour is outstanding, fostering a respectful and inclusive learning community. They excel in understanding Islamic values, Emirati heritage, and world cultures, actively engaging in leadership, charity drives, and sustainability initiatives. Most students display a strong work ethic, creativity, and awareness of global issues.
Teaching Quality
The quality of teaching is strongest in KG, English, and science, but more variable in Islamic Education, Arabic, and mathematics. Assessment processes align well with curriculum standards, though the use of assessment data to support individual needs, especially for EAL students, is inconsistent. Teachers' written feedback is sometimes unclear.
Protection & Care
The school places high priority on safeguarding and child protection through thorough staff training and robust policies. It actively promotes healthy lifestyles and maintains exemplary staff-student relationships, creating a caring community. However, ensuring consistent care and support for all groups of students is an area for continued development.
Areas for Development
- •Utilise internal and external assessment information more effectively to deliver lessons that cater to the diverse needs of all learners, including EAL students and newcomers, so that all achieve well.
- •Ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality teaching, adhering to best practices, so that all students, particularly in Islamic Education, Arabic, and mathematics, can reach their full potential.
- •Ensure that the curriculum adaptations that the school implements have clear reference to the reports from international benchmark and English reading assessments.
- •Establish systems to monitor and measure the impact of the curriculum adaptations.
- •Improve the level of students’ English reading literacy skills.
- •Improve all students’ ability to take responsibility for their own and others wellbeing through a greater promotion of the school’s CARE values.
- •Ensure self-evaluation and improvement planning is clearly linked to the wellbeing inspection framework.
- •Plan for more independent learning time for students in Islamic Education lessons.
- •Improve students’ ability to use evidence from the Holy Qur’an and Hadith in supporting their learning in Islamic Education.
- •Provide students with more opportunities to improve speaking and writing skills by creating a more stimulating learning environment, particularly in MYP and PYP Arabic as a First Language.
- •Ensure teaching strategies and learning activities are appropriate for students’ years of studying Arabic as an Additional Language.
- •Improve MYP students’ language proficiency skills to accelerate their progress in learning Arabic as an Additional Language.
- •Provide targeted support to EAL students to minimise the progress and attainment gaps between their classmates in English.
- •Monitor and evaluate the impact of the reading literacy programmes in English.
- •Improve students’ attainment on external assessments in PYP and DP Mathematics.
- •Increase opportunities for students to develop their research and critical thinking skills during the Mathematics lessons.
- •Ensure that students are exposed to regular investigative practical work at all levels in Science.
- •Provide all students with regular practice in writing, drawing, graphing and calculating at speed, to ensure that they are fully prepared for written papers at DP level in Science.
- •Ensure learning tasks in lessons provide for critical thinking and problem-solving for all groups of students in Learning Skills.
- •Ensure that all students behave consistently.
- •Ensure that teaching strategies meet the needs of all groups of students.
- •Use assessment information more skilfully to optimise students’ progress during lessons.
- •Ensure that written feedback to students provides clear guidance on how they can improve their work.
- •Ensure that curriculum modification is applied more consistently across the phases and particularly for EAL students, and students new to the school.
- •Improve inter-disciplinary links in all subject areas.
- •Ensure greater consistency in the care and support provided for all students of determination in all lessons, subjects, and phases.
- •Ensure that targeted and skilfully delivered interventions improve the progress of all students of determination in all subjects and phases.