Our Own English High School - Girls - Sharjah - Industrial Area 6

Our Own English High School - Girls - Sharjah - Industrial Area 6 is operated by GEMS Education, one of the UAE's largest and most established school operators. The school is governed by a Board of Governors chaired by Michael Guzder, with oversight from the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA).

At the helm is Principal Asma Gilani, who has led the school for over 15 years — a tenure that stands as a powerful signal of stability in a sector where leadership turnover can significantly disrupt school culture. Her long-term stewardship has been formally recognised: she was named GEMS Principal of the Year (May 2025), and was previously identified as a 2017 WSA Educational Influencer and a top-five finalist in the 2018 GEMS Exceptional Head of School Awards. The SPEA inspection explicitly cited "the principal and senior leaders' impact on continuous school improvement" as a key strength — a finding that directly reflects the dividends of sustained, experienced leadership.

The school's most recent SPEA inspection, conducted in November 2022, awarded an overall effectiveness rating of Very Good — an improvement on the Good rating received in 2019. Inspectors rated leadership and management Very Good, with partnership with parents and the community singled out as a particular strength. Parent satisfaction is measurably high: the SPEA survey recorded 93% parent satisfaction, while 100% of teachers reported satisfaction — a figure that speaks to a positive internal school culture and, indirectly, to staff retention. The inspection recorded a staff turnover rate of 12%, a figure parents should weigh when assessing continuity of teaching relationships.

The school employs 279 teachers supported by 30 teaching assistants, serving a student body of 5,677. This produces a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:20 — notably higher than the Sharjah-wide average across all private schools of 1:13.6, and a figure parents of children with additional needs should consider carefully given that 801 students are registered with special educational needs. The inspection highlighted the impact of professional development on improved teaching and learning as a key strength, suggesting that staff quality and ongoing training are actively managed priorities. [MISSING: percentage of staff holding postgraduate qualifications]

Student leadership is embedded across the school through a Senior Prefectorial Body (Grades 8–12), a Student Council, a Junior School Parliament (Grades 1–8), and Primary Ambassadors (Grades 1–5) — structures that reflect a leadership culture extending well beyond the senior team. The school's 91% student satisfaction rate in the SPEA survey, combined with an attendance rate of 96.8%, points to a community that is engaged and committed. For parents evaluating governance quality and leadership vision, OOEHSS presents one of the more stable and decorated leadership profiles among Indian curriculum schools in Sharjah.