Al Najah Private School in Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, has maintained an overall Good rating in its latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2024-2025 academic year. The school, which offers both British and International Baccalaureate curricula, serves a large student body and demonstrates a clear commitment to providing a safe and orderly learning environment.
The school's strengths include high attainment in science and mathematics for students in the International A-Level and IB programs, and a strong appreciation for Islamic values and Emirati culture across all phases. It provides older students with a broad range of core and elective subjects through its dual pathways of IGCSE and International A-Level or IB Diploma. The school also shows a dedicated focus on improving outcomes in international benchmark assessments such as TIMSS, PISA, and PIRLS.
While maintaining a Good overall performance, the inspection highlighted areas for development, particularly in raising achievement across all subjects and phases, improving the quality of teaching and assessment, and enhancing the effectiveness of school leadership. These recommendations aim to ensure more consistent student progress, especially for higher attainers and gifted students, and to strengthen curriculum alignment with international assessment demands.
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Al Najah Private School Overall Rating
Good for 2+ consecutive years
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement in Arabic medium subjects has declined to Acceptable, with varied performance in English-medium subjects. While some phases show improvement, others have declined due to low teacher expectations and ineffective use of assessment data to personalize learning for higher attainers and gifted students. Learning skills are generally Good, but critical thinking and problem-solving are inconsistent. Arabic medium subjectsEnglish-medium subjectslow teacher expectations
Students' personal development is rated Good across all phases, demonstrating positive attitudes and responsible behavior. Their understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture is also Good. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are rated Acceptable due to inconsistencies in innovation and enterprise. Islamic valuesEmirati cultureinnovation skills
The quality of teaching for effective learning is Good, with teachers demonstrating secure subject knowledge. However, they do not consistently engage students in discussions or hands-on activities to develop higher-order learning skills. Assessment practices are Good in KG but have declined to Good in other phases, with inconsistent implementation of assessment information for effective learning experiences. subject knowledgehigher-order learning skillsassessment information
Curriculum design and implementation is rated Good, providing well-planned continuity and progression across phases and subjects. However, curriculum adaptation is Acceptable, as modifications to meet the needs of all student groups, particularly higher attainers and gifted and talented students, remain an area for improvement. curriculum designcurriculum adaptationhigher attainers
Health and safety, including child protection, is Very Good, with rigorous safeguarding procedures maintained. However, Care and Support has declined to Good, as systems for identifying and supporting students with additional learning needs, including students of determination and gifted and talented, lack rigor. child protectionsafeguardingadditional learning needs
The effectiveness of leadership, partnerships with parents, and governance are Good. However, self-evaluation and improvement planning, management, staffing, facilities, and resources have declined to Acceptable. While the school maintains stability and positive staff morale, self-evaluation is not consistently aligned with the inspection framework, and resources in some areas are insufficient. self-evaluationimprovement planningresources
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Students in the International A-Level and International Baccalaureate programs consistently achieve high levels of attainment in science and mathematics.
Students throughout the school demonstrate a clear understanding and appreciation of Islamic values and the culture and heritage of the UAE.
The school offers older students a broad range of core and elective subjects through its dual pathways of IGCSE and International A-Level or IB Diploma.
Clear and consistently applied behaviour management, combined with rigorous safeguarding policies, provides a safe, secure, and orderly school environment.
Senior leadership and the governing board demonstrate a strong commitment to UAE national priorities and have successfully raised international assessment performance, particularly in TIMSS.
Overall, students’ achievement in English-medium subjects has varied, with some phases sustaining the same performance, others experiencing a decline, and others showing improvement. The primary reason for the declines is teachers’ low expectations. The wider range of both summative and formative assessment information now available to teachers is not used effectively to personalize learning to identify and meet the needs of individuals and groups, especially to extend the higher attainers and the gifted and talented students.
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
The leadership team maintains stability and positive staff morale, with recent appointments aimed at establishing a distributive leadership model. While strong home-school communication and a committed governing board support the school's strategic planning and UAE priorities, self-evaluation and improvement planning require better alignment with inspection frameworks and more effective use of assessment data. Challenges include developing middle leadership capacity, addressing inclusion team vacancies, and improving resource provision.
Attainment and progress in Islamic Education and Arabic medium subjects have declined or remained Acceptable in several phases. English medium subjects show varied performance, with some declines attributed to low teacher expectations and insufficient use of assessment data for personalized learning. High attainers and gifted students are not consistently challenged.
Students demonstrate Good personal development, positive attitudes, and responsible behavior. Their understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture is also Good. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, indicating inconsistency in developing enterprise and innovation.
Teaching for effective learning is Good, with teachers possessing secure subject knowledge. However, engagement in discussions and hands-on activities to foster higher-order thinking is inconsistent. Assessment practices are Good in KG but have declined in other phases, with varied implementation of assessment information to plan effective learning experiences.
Curriculum design and implementation are Good, ensuring continuity and progression. However, curriculum adaptation is Acceptable, as modifications to effectively meet the diverse needs of all student groups, particularly higher attainers and gifted students, require improvement.
Health and safety, including child protection, is Very Good due to rigorous safeguarding procedures. Care and support, however, has declined to Good, as systems for identifying and supporting students with additional learning needs, including students of determination and gifted and talented, lack sufficient rigor.