Lycée Français International branch dubai - Oud Metha

Proviseur Sylvain Jacques Lunetta leads Lycée Français International branch dubai - Oud Metha, having taken up his post on 1 September 2023 — relatively recently appointed, though he joined the governing AFLEC network in September 2022. His background spans international postings in Saudi Arabia, Finland and China, as well as a senior role as Chef de File for the French Ministry of Education in France. The KHDA inspection conducted in early 2024 describes him as an "inspiring principal" whose strong senior leadership team has established a purposeful learning community, sustaining the trust of students, parents and staff. For a school of this scale — 3,014 students across a French curriculum spanning ages 3 to 18 — that kind of settled, purposeful tone at the top matters considerably.

The inspection's verdict on leadership is unambiguous: leadership rated Outstanding, governance rated Outstanding, and management, staffing, facilities and resources rated Outstanding — a clean sweep across all leadership and management domains. This places LFI Dubai in rare company: only 23 of Dubai's 233 private schools hold an Outstanding KHDA rating overall, and LFI Dubai is the only French curriculum school in Dubai to have achieved this distinction. Among the eight French curriculum schools in Dubai, the remainder are rated Very Good or are new schools without a substantive rating. The school's trajectory reinforces confidence: it has progressed from Good (2013–2016) through Very Good (2016–2023) to Outstanding in 2023–2024, a decade of consistent upward movement.

Governance is a particular strength. The school is operated by AFLEC (Association Franco-Libanaise pour l'Education et la Culture), in partnership with Mir Hashem Khoory LLC, and is accredited by the French Ministry of Education via the AEFE network. Inspectors note that governors have an "extremely positive impact" on school performance and ensure all stakeholders have ample access to offer feedback. Parent and community engagement is also rated Outstanding by KHDA — parents are described as genuine partners in their children's education, with weekly school visits every Monday, a Pronote parent portal, and a solidarity fund commission supporting families in need.

On teaching quality, the inspection is largely positive. Almost all teachers have excellent subject knowledge and use effective strategies to ensure active participation. Teaching for effective learning is rated Outstanding in Maternelle, Primaire and Lycée, with Very Good in Collège — the one phase where inspectors note that a minority of teachers are less attuned to how students learn best. Assessment is rated Very Good across all phases, with inspectors flagging that assessment data is not yet used consistently enough to tailor teaching to all groups, including students of determination. A moderated teacher self-evaluation system has been recommended as a next step. The school's student-to-teacher ratio stands at 1:15, slightly above the Dubai private school average of 1:13.6 — a modest gap, though the school supplements its 192 teachers with 10 teaching assistants and 4 guidance counsellors, providing meaningful additional pastoral and learning support across a large and diverse student body of 71 nationalities.

Staff satisfaction signals are positive: inspectors report that members of staff describe a high level of satisfaction, enjoying a supportive and collaborative atmosphere where contributions are valued and opinions are heard. No concerns about staff turnover are raised in the inspection report. The school's inclusive culture — with 246 students of determination enrolled and an inclusion team recently strengthened by two newly appointed qualified teachers — reflects a leadership vision that extends well beyond academic outcomes to encompass genuine community and wellbeing. Areas for continued development include embedding wellbeing themes more consistently into lesson planning, raising attainment in Islamic Education and Arabic, and more fully involving parents in wellbeing activities.