Maple Wood International School
Executive Summary
Maplewood Canadian International School has maintained an overall Good rating in its latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2024-2025 academic year. The school, which follows the Canadian curriculum, demonstrates consistent performance across many key areas, building on its previous inspection findings.
The school shows particular strength in English-medium subjects, where achievement has remained Good or improved to Very Good in science and mathematics in some phases. Students have also met or exceeded targets in international assessments such as PISA and TIMSS, reflecting a strong emphasis on benchmarking student performance against global standards. Learning skills have also improved due to increased student engagement and independence.
Students' personal and social development, alongside their innovation skills, are consistently rated Good, evidenced by respectful behavior, empathy, and active participation in community initiatives. The school also excels in providing a safe and secure environment with rigorous safeguarding policies and effective support for students of determination. However, areas for development include strengthening governance, addressing staffing shortages, and improving the consistent provision for gifted and talented students.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Maplewood Canadian International School Overall Rating
Good for 2+ consecutive years
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 notable improvements in English, Mathematics, and Science across several phases, reaching Very Good in some. While students met or exceeded targets in PISA and TIMSS, attainment in Arabic-medium subjects, particularly in upper phases, shows varied performance and areas for further development in fluency, expression, and extended writing. PISATIMSSEnglish-medium subjectsArabic-medium subjects
Students consistently demonstrate Good personal development, understanding of Islamic values, awareness of Emirati and world cultures, and social responsibility. This is reflected in their respectful behavior, growing empathy, and active participation in community initiatives and extracurricular activities, fostering a strong sense of responsibility and teamwork. respectful behaviorIslamic valuesEmirati and world culturessocial responsibility
Teaching and assessment are rated Good, with teachers demonstrating strong subject knowledge and enthusiasm. However, the effective use of assessment data to plan differentiated lessons, particularly for high attainers and gifted students, needs improvement. There is also a need to reduce teacher talk and increase opportunities for active, independent, and collaborative learning. subject knowledgeassessment datadifferentiationactive learning
The curriculum is rated Good, characterized by the coherent application of the Alberta Curriculum and MoE standards, offering a breadth of subject options and effective planning for progression and cultural integration. Cross-curricular links and cultural themes are well embedded, but consistency is needed in balancing skill development with knowledge acquisition across subjects. Alberta CurriculumMoE standardscultural integrationcross-curricular links
The school provides Very Good protection, care, guidance, and support. It maintains a clean, safe, and secure learning environment with rigorous procedures for identifying and supporting students of determination. However, the provision for gifted and talented students is not consistently effective across all phases. health and safetychild protectionstudents of determinationgifted and talented students
Leadership and management are rated Good in effectiveness, self-evaluation, and parent partnerships. However, governance has regressed to Weak due to the absence of an active governing board, and management, staffing, facilities, and resources have declined to Acceptable due to persistent staffing shortages and insufficient science resources. effectiveness of leadershipgovernancestaffing shortagesresources
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Exceeding International Benchmarks
Students consistently met or exceeded school targets in PISA international assessments for reading, mathematics, and science, demonstrating strong academic performance.
Positive Student Development
Students exhibit positive behavior, respectful relationships, and a clear understanding of Islamic values, UAE culture, and their community responsibilities.
Robust Safeguarding & Care
The school implements a clear behavior management system and rigorous safeguarding policies, ensuring a safe, secure, and orderly learning environment.
Effective SEN Support
Well-established and effective processes are in place for identifying and supporting students with additional learning needs, including students of determination.
Strong Parent Partnership
The school has fostered a positive partnership with parents, maintaining consistently effective communication and reporting practices.
Curriculum Coherence
The coherent application of the Alberta Curriculum and MoE standards ensures breadth of subject options and effective planning for progression and cultural integration.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Overall achievement in English-medium subjects has remained Good with improvements in several phases, while Arabic-medium subjects show mixed results, with some areas needing further development.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team demonstrates good effectiveness in guiding the school and fostering parent partnerships. However, the absence of an active governing board and challenges with staffing and resources have impacted overall management, highlighting a need for strengthened governance and strategic resource deployment.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students demonstrate good attainment and progress in English-medium subjects, with some phases achieving Very Good. Performance in Arabic-medium subjects is more varied, with specific areas identified for improvement in fluency, extended writing, and application of Islamic knowledge. Students consistently meet or exceed international assessment targets.
Personal & Social Development
Students exhibit good personal development, strong understanding of Islamic values, and awareness of Emirati and world cultures. Their social responsibility and innovation skills are also good, reflected in respectful behavior, empathy, and active participation in community and extracurricular activities.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching for effective learning and assessment is good, with teachers showing strong subject knowledge. However, there is a need to improve the consistent use of assessment data for differentiation, particularly for high attainers and gifted students, and to increase opportunities for active, independent, and collaborative learning.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
Curriculum design and implementation, along with adaptation, are good. The school effectively applies the Alberta Curriculum and MoE standards, offering a broad range of subjects with good progression and cultural integration. Further consistency is required in balancing skill development with knowledge acquisition across subjects.
Protection, Care & Support
The school provides very good protection, care, guidance, and support for students, maintaining a safe and secure environment. Rigorous procedures are in place for identifying and supporting students of determination. However, provision for gifted and talented students is not consistently effective.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students’ achievement across all subjects by enhancing understanding and application of Islamic knowledge, strengthening phonics and decoding skills in Arabic, and developing extended writing skills in both Arabic and English.
- •Improve the effectiveness of teaching and assessment by reducing teacher talk, increasing opportunities for active and independent learning, and providing consistent levels of challenge for high attainers and gifted students.
- •Improve the effectiveness of school leadership by establishing a functioning board of governors, improving recruitment timelines to address staffing shortages, and reviewing the adequacy of learning resources, especially for science.
- •Improve results in international assessments (TIMSS, PISA, PIRLS) by refining preparation strategies, analyzing past data, enhancing teachers’ understanding of frameworks, and integrating higher-order thinking tasks and mock assessments.