Queen International School
Executive Summary
Queen International School provides an Acceptable quality of education, maintaining its rating for the 2023-2024 academic year. The school has shown improvements in teaching quality and student outcomes in several areas, particularly in the Foundation Stage and Secondary phases.
Academically, students in Secondary continue to achieve at a Very Good level in English, mathematics, and science, with outstanding IGCSE results last year. The school has adopted the Cambridge curriculum in Primary and lower Secondary, and has improved teaching and independent learning skills in the Foundation Stage.
Students' personal and social behaviour is a strength, with Very Good attitudes to learning and a clear understanding of Islamic values and Emirati heritage. Significant improvements have been made in safeguarding, with staff training and new bus purchases, and a vision for wellbeing has been established.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Queen International School Overall Rating
Acceptable for 4+ consecutive years
Dubai Focus Areas
These three pillars represent the Dubai education authority's priorities: ensuring inclusive practices, prioritizing student wellbeing, and meeting UAE National Agenda targets.
Provision and outcomes for students of determination are acceptable, with policy documentation meeting requirements and new individual education plans (IEPs) providing a strong basis for support. Staff training and external support are improving identification processes, though implementation of IEPs in lessons and consistency of identification remain areas for development. individual education plans (IEPs)staff trainingparent partnerships
The overall quality of wellbeing provision and outcome is acceptable. Leaders have developed a collaborative vision statement and action plan, and student feedback has led to positive changes. While a good start has been made, developments are still in early stages and not yet fully embedded. vision statementaction planstudent feedbackextra-curricular activities
The school's overall standards in the National Agenda Parameter are good. While PIRLS targets were not met, scores remained above the centre point, and mathematics sustained an Outstanding judgment. Reading literacy skills are very good across the whole school and for the Emirati cohort, with most students making expected progress. PIRLSNational Agenda ParameterEmirati cohortreading literacy
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Improved FS Teaching
The quality of teaching and the development of children's independent learning skills in the Foundation Stage have significantly improved.
Positive Student Attitudes
Students across all phases exhibit very positive attitudes to learning and display excellent behaviour.
Cultural Understanding
Students demonstrate a clear understanding of Islamic values and a strong appreciation for Emirati heritage and world cultures.
Academic Performance Breakdown
There are improvements to children's progress in English and attainment in mathematics in the Foundation Stage. Students in Primary made good progress in most core subjects. Students in Secondary continue to achieve at a very high level in English, mathematics, and science, with outstanding IGCSE results last year. Students in Post-16 achieved good or better results in their AS Levels.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The new senior leadership team is responsible for the school’s self-evaluation and contributes to improvements in learning. While leadership development is in early stages due to resourcing limitations, the school fosters a community feel with parents valuing regular communication. Governance needs to strengthen its oversight to effectively hold senior leaders accountable.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students show improved progress in English and attainment in mathematics in FS, with good progress in most core subjects in Primary. Secondary students achieve very highly in English, mathematics, and science, with outstanding IGCSE results, while Post-16 students achieve good or better results in AS Levels.
Personal Development
Students' personal and social behaviour is a strength, displaying very good attitudes to learning, respectful behaviour, and a clear understanding of Islamic values and Emirati heritage. Many students are involved in charitable activities and participate in school innovation events.
Teaching Quality
The quality of teaching and the development of independent learning skills in FS are much improved this year, and are at a good level in Secondary and Post-16. Assessment processes are more effective in FS and Post-16, linked to learning and external measurements, respectively.
Protection & Care
Student safety has improved with all staff trained in safeguarding and new buses purchased. A vision for wellbeing, created with stakeholders, is in place and visible in teacher-student relationships. All students of determination now have individual education plans (IEPs) to support their learning.
Areas for Development
- •Ensure that systems for the recording of assessment are secure and accurately reflect the achievement of each individual student.
- •Ensure that the Primary curriculum is fully implemented.
- •Ensure the accuracy of the school’s self-evaluations and monitor the impact of improvement planning on students’ outcomes.
- •Ensure that governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance and are in a position to hold senior leaders more fully to account.
- •Establish regular briefings schedules with the school’s owner so that she may effectively support the school’s improvement journey.
- •Ensure leaders thoroughly analyse the outcomes of the benchmark tests to inform action planning.
- •Ensure teachers use the assessment information effectively, in their planning and delivery of lessons, to meet the needs of all groups of students.
- •Ensure that all students know which adult to go to if they feel in need of support.
- •Monitor wellbeing surveys systematically and create relevant strategies for improvements.
- •Modify the curriculum and the level of challenge to meet the needs of different groups of students.
- •Improve students’ ability to support their answers and findings by using evidence from the Holy Qur’an and Hadith.
- •Ensure that all assessments of students’ knowledge and skills are accurate.
- •Ensure that lessons include greater challenge and engage students in more interesting tasks, in particular in Secondary and Post-16.
- •Improve students’ speaking, and writing skills, particularly in Secondary and Post-16.
- •Improve students’ independent reading skills and enable them to transfer the language, which they gain from reading to their speaking activities.
- •Increase opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of words and phrases in different contexts.
- •Monitor and measure the impact of the reading literacy programme on students’ reading skills.
- •Ensure students are provided with sufficient time in lessons for sustained, independent writing.
- •Improve students’ achievement, particularly in Primary, by planning lessons that challenge the students to work at depth and within each curriculum strand.
- •Provide students with more opportunities to design and conduct experiments, independently using the scientific method.
- •Improve students’ progress by ensuring that they are challenged and supported.
- •Ensure that all students develop greater, independent learning skills, particularly in Primary.
- •Enhance opportunities for students to lead their own projects both in and beyond school.
- •Improve the quality of teaching in Primary through a more consistent approach to the promotion of active student learning.
- •Provide accurate evaluations of students’ achievement in all assessments to support improvements in teaching.
- •Improve the Primary curriculum and extend the pathways for learning as students’ progress throughout the school.
- •Review the curriculum of all subjects to ensure continuity and progression of key concepts and skills.
- •Adapt the curriculum more effectively to meet the needs of all groups of students.
- •Monitor the health and safety practices across the school to ensure procedures are consistently implemented by all staff.
- •Implement a more effective system for risk assessment and ensure comprehensive records are kept.
- •Improve the systems for the identification of students of determination.
- •Implement individual education plans (IEPs) consistently in lessons to allow all students to make their best academic progress.
- •Monitor the impact of teaching to ensure that the identification of student needs happens swiftly, and staff implement inclusive practices effectively.