Global Indian International School
Executive Summary
The Global Indian International School in Abu Dhabi has maintained its overall ADEK Irtiqa rating of Good in the 2024-2025 academic year inspection. The school, which follows the CBSE curriculum, continues to provide a satisfactory educational experience for its students.
Key strengths include the effective implementation of health and safety procedures, strong student understanding and application of Islamic values, and an appreciation for UAE culture and heritage. The school also fosters students' personal development and benefits from a successful partnership with parents. Students' attainment in English on external assessments is a notable academic highlight.
While the overall judgment remained consistent, the inspection noted improvements in Science attainment and progress in phases 1, 2, and 3, and in English attainment in phase 4. However, assessment quality has regressed to acceptable across all phases, and care, guidance, and support have also declined. New leadership initiatives are in place, but their impact on student outcomes is yet to be fully realized.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Global Indian International School Overall Rating
Good
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement is rated Good overall, with variations across subjects and phases. While internal data often indicates attainment above curriculum standards, this is not always consistent with observed lessons. Notable improvements were seen in Science and English, and strong attainment in Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies. Islamic EducationUAE Social StudiesEnglish
Students' personal and social development, including their innovation skills, is rated Acceptable across all phases. Students enjoy school and demonstrate responsible attitudes, showing developing self-reliance and confidence. They understand Islamic values and appreciate UAE culture, but their social responsibility and innovation skills require further development. Islamic valuesUAE culturepersonal development
Teaching for effective learning is generally Good, with some phases achieving Very Good, though consistency varies across subjects. However, assessment practices have regressed to Acceptable across all phases. There is a need to improve the use of open questioning, critical thinking opportunities, and consistent application of marking and feedback policies. teaching qualityassessment practicesdifferentiation
The curriculum design and implementation are rated Good across all phases. The curriculum is well-designed and adapted to meet student needs, with strong links to real-life contexts and UAE culture. However, opportunities for problem-solving, creativity, and independent research need to be enhanced. curriculum designcurriculum adaptationCBSE curriculum
Health and safety procedures, including child protection, are a strong feature of the school and remain Very Good. However, the overall care, guidance, and support for students have regressed to an Acceptable level. There is a need to provide more personalized assistance, especially for students of determination. Health and safetychild protectioncare and support
The effectiveness of leadership is rated Very Good, with strong engagement from parents and the community, and effective management of staffing, facilities, and resources. School self-evaluation and governance are rated Good. New initiatives have been introduced, but their impact on student outcomes is not yet fully evident, and self-evaluation needs to be more evaluative. leadership effectivenessparent partnershipself-evaluation
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Health & Safety Excellence
The school effectively implements health and safety procedures, ensuring the safety and well-being of all students.
Islamic & UAE Values
Students demonstrate a strong understanding and application of Islamic values and an appreciation for UAE culture and heritage.
Personal Development Focus
The school actively fosters students' personal development, supporting their growth as responsible individuals.
Strong Parent Partnership
A successful partnership between the school and parents positively contributes to students' overall educational experience.
English Attainment
Students' attainment in English on external assessments reflects the school’s commitment to high academic standards in this area.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Attainment and progress in Arabic as a Second Language remain acceptable across all phases. In Mathematics, attainment and progress declined to acceptable in Phase 4, while progress improved in Phases 1 and 2. Science attainment and progress improved in Phases 1, 2, and 3. English attainment increased to Very Good in Phase 4, and progress improved in Phases 2, 3, and 4. Islamic Education progress improved across all phases, and Social Studies progress and attainment improved across all phases.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team, including a newly appointed principal and head of middle school, has introduced numerous new initiatives in the current academic year. While these efforts are commendable, there has not been adequate time to fully assess their impact on student outcomes. The school's self-evaluation process is currently descriptive rather than evaluative, indicating a need for further development in strategic planning and accountability.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students' achievement varies across subjects and phases. While internal data often suggests high attainment, this is not consistently observed in lessons. There are strengths in Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies, and improvements in English and Science. However, Mathematics attainment and progress in Phase 4 have declined, and there is a general need to enhance problem-solving, creativity, and independent research skills.
Personal & Social Development
Students generally enjoy school and exhibit responsible attitudes, with developing self-reliance and confidence. They demonstrate a secure understanding of Islamic values and an appreciation for Emirati and world cultures. However, their social responsibility and innovation skills require further development, and engagement in learning can be inconsistent.
Teaching & Assessment
The quality of teaching is generally good, with some phases showing very good practice, but consistency across subjects and phases is variable. Assessment practices have regressed to acceptable, indicating a need for improvement in using assessments to inform planning, provide effective feedback, and consistently track data to address learning gaps. More open questioning and opportunities for critical thinking are also required.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
The curriculum design and adaptation are good, with the school effectively modifying the CBSE curriculum to ensure students cover necessary skills for international assessments. The curriculum makes strong connections to real-life contexts and UAE culture. However, there is a need to provide more opportunities for students to problem-solve, be creative, and independently research within the curriculum.
Protection, Care & Support
Health and safety procedures, including child protection, are very good and effectively implemented. However, the overall provision for care, guidance, and support has regressed to an acceptable level. The school needs to improve personalized assistance for all students, particularly for students of determination, and ensure student attendance improves.
Areas for Development
- •Raise the standards of achievement of students in all subjects and across all phases by strengthening lesson planning, ensuring differentiated activities for all students (especially higher attainers), providing more opportunities for problem-solving, creativity, and independent research, and more effectively utilizing additional adults to facilitate learning.
- •Improve the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment by using more open questioning techniques, providing more opportunities for critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation skills, improving the use of assessments to inform planning and within lessons, ensuring consistent application of marking and feedback policy, and consistently tracking data to identify and address learning gaps.
- •Strengthen leadership and management by further developing middle leaders in best practices for teaching, learning, and assessment, ensuring leaders are familiar with the inspection framework and self-evaluation is evaluative, ensuring the school improvement plan contains SMART targets, and ensuring governors have a focused program of visits to hold the school accountable.
- •Improve the school’s care and support to provide more personalized assistance for all students across all phases, especially for students of determination, and ensure that student attendance improves to be at least good.