Philippine Emirates Private School, Abu Dhabi
ADEK Inspection Report & Ratings
Last updated
Executive Summary
Philippine Emirates Private School received an overall Acceptable rating in its latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2023-2024 academic year. The school, which follows the Philippine curriculum, demonstrates strengths in KG children's progress in core subjects and maintains high attendance levels.
Academic performance shows mixed results, with English, Mathematics, and Science generally rated Acceptable across phases. However, Islamic Education, Arabic as a Second Language, and UAE Social Studies are rated Weak in attainment and progress. Standardized IBT assessments indicate attainment levels above international benchmarks in Arabic ASL and Science for most grades, and in line with standards for Mathematics and some English grades.
The school benefits from courteous relationships between staff and students, and parents' involvement makes a positive contribution. Leadership is committed to improving students' reading skills, with an action plan in place. However, several areas, including teaching quality, assessment practices, curriculum adaptation, and care and support for students of determination, require significant improvement.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Philippine Emirates Private School Overall Rating
Acceptable
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement is acceptable overall, with KG children making expected progress in English, mathematics, and science. However, attainment and progress in Islamic Education, Arabic as a Second Language, and UAE Social Studies are weak across cycles. Learning skills are acceptable, but critical thinking and problem-solving are underdeveloped. KGEnglishMathematicsScienceWeakIslamic EducationArabic as a Second LanguageUAE Social Studies
Students demonstrate acceptable personal development, showing responsible attitudes, respect, and courtesy. Their understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures is also acceptable. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are weak, with limited opportunities for leadership and community involvement. responsible attitudesrespectcourtesyWeaksocial responsibilityinnovation skills
Teaching for effective learning and assessment practices are both rated acceptable. However, the quality of teaching needs improvement, with a call for more active learning, varied resources, and differentiated instruction. Assessment processes lack robustness, and data is not rigorously used to inform and personalize learning. active learningdifferentiated instructionassessment data
Curriculum design and implementation are acceptable, but curriculum adaptation is weak. The KG curriculum needs more play-based and inquiry-led opportunities. There is a need to strengthen curriculum review, adaptation to meet diverse needs, purposeful cross-curricular links, and opportunities for understanding UAE history and heritage. curriculum adaptationWeakplay-based learningcross-curricular linksUAE history and heritage
Health and safety, including child protection arrangements, are acceptable. However, care and support for students are weak. Procedures for child protection need strengthening, buildings and equipment require better maintenance, and a female nurse must be appointed without delay. Guidance and support for students, especially those of determination, need significant improvement. Weakcare and supportchild protection policyfemale nursestudents of determination
The effectiveness of leadership, school self-evaluation, and management of staffing, facilities, and resources are all weak. Parents and community engagement, along with governance, are acceptable. Leaders need to establish a clear strategic direction, define roles, improve self-evaluation, and ensure adequate staffing and professional development. Weakeffectiveness of leadershipself-evaluationstaffingresources
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
KG Progress in Core Subjects
Children in KG make at least the expected progress in English, mathematics, and science, demonstrating a strong foundation.
High Attendance & Punctuality
Attendance levels are consistently high (97%), and students are punctual in arriving at school, reflecting a positive school culture.
Courteous Relationships
Relationships between staff and students are consistently courteous, contributing to a positive and respectful learning environment.
Positive Parental Involvement
Parents' involvement in the school makes a positive contribution, indicating strong home-school partnerships.
Commitment to Reading Skills
Leaders are committed to improving students' reading skills across all three languages, supported by an active action plan.
Academic Performance Breakdown
While internal assessment data often indicates attainment above curriculum standards, inspection observations frequently do not align with these levels. Students' progress is inconsistent across subjects and grades, with higher-attaining students often not sufficiently challenged.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team is committed to improvement, particularly in reading skills, and fosters positive relationships with parents. However, the overall effectiveness of leadership is weak, lacking a clear strategic direction, robust self-evaluation, and effective delegation of responsibilities. There is a need to improve staffing, facilities, and professional development to support student achievement.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Attainment and progress are acceptable in English, Mathematics, and Science, especially in KG. However, Islamic Education, Arabic as a Second Language, and UAE Social Studies show weak attainment and progress. Students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning skills are underdeveloped across subjects.
Personal & Social Development
Students exhibit acceptable personal development, including responsible attitudes, respect, and understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture. However, social responsibility and innovation skills are weak, with limited opportunities for student leadership and community engagement.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching for effective learning and assessment are acceptable, but the quality of teaching needs significant improvement. Lessons often feature extended teacher-led delivery, lack varied resources, and do not consistently differentiate for diverse student needs. Assessment data is not rigorously used to personalize learning or track progress effectively.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
Curriculum design and implementation are acceptable, but adaptation is weak. The KG curriculum needs more opportunities for play and inquiry-based learning. There is a need to strengthen curriculum review, ensure purposeful cross-curricular links, and provide sufficient opportunities for students to understand UAE history and heritage.
Protection, Care & Support
Health and safety arrangements are acceptable, but care and support for students are weak. Child protection policy implementation needs strengthening, and the school environment, particularly outdoor areas and science labs, requires better maintenance. The appointment of a female nurse is a priority, and support for students of determination needs to align with ADEK's inclusion policy.
Areas for Development
- •Improve students’ attainment and progress to a consistently good or better level in all subjects and phases, focusing on literacy skills (reading, extended writing, inference, spoken language), scientific inquiry, mathematics knowledge (mental math, problem-solving), and collaboration skills.
- •Improve the quality of teaching to reach at least a good level by enhancing lesson planning, dedicating more time to student active learning, using varied resources, ensuring engaging interactions, providing age-appropriate strategies in KG, and differentiating work effectively.
- •Improve the quality of assessment to reach at least a good level by ensuring robust internal processes, rigorously using data to inform and adapt lessons, monitoring and tracking student progress, implementing self and peer assessment, and providing constructive written feedback.
- •Improve the curriculum to meet the needs of all groups of students by including play-based learning in KG, strengthening review and adaptation, ensuring purposeful cross-curricular links, providing sufficient extracurricular choices, and enhancing understanding of UAE history and heritage.
- •Improve the protection, care, guidance, and support of students without delay and as a priority by strengthening child protection procedures, maintaining buildings and equipment, promoting healthy lifestyles, appointing a female nurse, and providing effective personal and academic guidance.
- •Strengthen the care and support for students by appointing a specialist inclusion coordinator, strengthening identification and support processes for students of determination, and aligning with ADEK's inclusion policy.
- •Improve the effectiveness of leadership to reach at least a good level by setting a clear strategic direction, defining roles, ensuring accurate self-evaluation, adequately staffing the school, providing professional development, and ensuring specialist facilities and resources.