Oxford School

The Oxford School is led by Principal Daspo Yiappos, who was appointed on 30 June 2021 and has presided over the most significant period of improvement in the school's history. Under his leadership, the school achieved its first-ever KHDA Good rating in 2023–2024, ending a run of eleven consecutive Acceptable ratings stretching back to 2012. That trajectory — from Weak in 2008–2009 to Good today — represents a genuine institutional turnaround, and inspectors credited the principal directly, noting that leaders had addressed most issues raised in the previous inspection and developed a more strategic approach to school improvement. This is a school with clear upward momentum, though parents should note that the journey is not yet complete.

The school is operated by LEAMS Education, a UAE-based group with over 40 years in the sector. Governance is handled by a named board chaired by Mrs. Sandhya D'Mello, with members including Mr. Sreejith Chandran as Governor of Health and Safety, Ms. Hajera Lahir Hassan as Director of LEAMS Education, and Ms. Sumbal Imran as Secondary Staff Representative. Notably, students are represented on the governing board — an inclusive structure that inspectors viewed positively. Governance was rated Good in the 2023–2024 inspection, as were leadership effectiveness, school self-evaluation, and management, staffing, facilities and resources.

The school employs 150 teachers supported by 20 teaching assistants, serving 2,217 students. This produces a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:13, which sits marginally below the Dubai private school average of 1:13.6 — a broadly comparable figure among British curriculum schools in the city. Inspectors found that most teachers have secure subject knowledge, plan lessons carefully, and use ongoing assessment well. However, differentiation remains uneven across subjects and year groups, and expectations around student punctuality and classroom routines are not yet consistently high — areas the inspection flagged for improvement. [MISSING: staff qualification percentage data — percentage holding Masters or equivalent not available in sources]

On staff wellbeing and retention, inspectors noted that school leaders show a high degree of care and concern for staff, supporting new teachers through a structured induction programme and recognising the wider team through a range of initiatives. While no explicit turnover data was published, the positive framing of staff support in the inspection report suggests a stable working environment. Parents and the community were rated Good, with parents actively enlisted as partners in their children's education, parent surveys conducted, and parent voice formally represented on the governing body. The principal's stated vision — to empower each individual with creativity and values to become compassionate lifelong learners — is reflected in the school's wellbeing curriculum, delivered three times weekly, and its happiness and wellbeing centres on campus. One notable external achievement: a Year 11 student claimed the UAE Topper award in Enterprise at the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards for June 2023, signalling that academic ambition is beginning to translate into recognised results.