Merryland International SchoolPrincipal & Leadership Team

Merryland International School is led by Principal Subha Clifford, operating under the strategic oversight of Chairman and Chief Operations Officer Aaron Grandon. The school was founded in 1978 by Mrs. Susheela George, who remains an active presence and the driving force behind the institution's identity and values. This continuity of founding vision — spanning more than four decades — provides a rare degree of institutional stability that is evident in the school's consistent inspection performance. Principal tenure and background details beyond the current appointment are not publicly disclosed, though the inspection record suggests settled, effective leadership at the helm. [MISSING: principal tenure start date]

ADEK's most recent Irtiqa inspection, conducted in October 2025, awarded MIS an overall rating of Outstanding — a distinction held across three consecutive inspection cycles: 2017–18, 2022–23, and 2025–26. Among British curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, only 18 of 105 hold an Outstanding rating, placing Merryland in a select group of the city's highest-performing institutions. The inspection rated leadership effectiveness as Outstanding, governance as Outstanding, and management, staffing, facilities and resources as Outstanding. School self-evaluation and improvement planning was rated Very Good, with inspectors noting that the self-evaluation form does not yet fully reflect the quality of teaching and learning observed — an area the school is expected to sharpen.

Teaching quality is a clear strength. Inspectors found that teaching for effective learning is Outstanding in Cycles 1 and 2 and Very Good in KG and Cycle 3, with teachers demonstrating strong subject knowledge and effective use of inquiry-based approaches, particularly in the middle phases. The school employs 162 teachers supported by 9 teaching assistants, serving 2,528 students — producing a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:16. This is notably higher than the Abu Dhabi city average of 1:13.6 across all private schools, a point worth weighing when comparing classroom contact time. [MISSING: staff qualification percentage — proportion holding Masters or higher not disclosed in available sources]

Staff retention signals are positive. The inspection notes no disruption to leadership continuity since the previous cycle, and the school's sustained Outstanding rating across multiple years implies a stable, experienced workforce. Teachers receive structured continuous professional development, including training aligned to TIMSS, PISA, and PIRLS benchmarks, Cambridge Reading and Collins Reading programmes, and Letters and Sounds phonics induction for KG staff. The school is designated a Cambridge Brand Ambassador and pilot school for outstanding performance in the Middle East — a recognition that reflects both teaching quality and institutional credibility.

Parent engagement is actively cultivated. The school runs orientation sessions for new families on international assessments, teacher–parent meetings, an annual Book Fair, and Literacy Planet induction for parents of new students. The inspection rated partnerships with parents and the community as Outstanding. Beyond the school gates, MIS has demonstrated a broader social conscience — most notably through Founder Mrs. Susheela George's initiative to donate 20 interactive whiteboards and LCD projectors to the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Pakistan Arab School, a gesture that reflects the leadership culture the school seeks to model for its students. The school's most recent accolade, the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2025 in the Global Schools Category, further underscores a leadership team that looks outward as well as inward.