Queen International SchoolPrincipal & Leadership Team

Principal Peter Kenneth Gutteridge took the helm at Queen International School on 1 June 2023, bringing with him a career spanning international leadership roles in Yemen, Spain, Pakistan and Oman. A UK-qualified educator holding a B.A. in Business Studies and an M.A. in Educational Leadership and Management, Gutteridge first arrived in Dubai in 2007 as a Senior Leader, giving him direct experience of the DSIB inspection framework from its earliest days. His appointment is recent, and the 2023–24 DSIB inspection — conducted just seven months into his tenure — reflects a school still in the early stages of a leadership transition rather than one with an embedded, stable team.

The DSIB rated the effectiveness of leadership as Acceptable in 2023–24, a rating the school has held in every inspection cycle since 2018–19, having previously achieved Good in 2016–17 and 2017–18. More concerning for prospective parents are three sub-ratings that sit below Acceptable: school self-evaluation and improvement planning rated Weak, governance rated Weak, and management, staffing, facilities and resources rated Weak. Inspectors specifically noted that governors need a more accurate understanding of school performance to hold senior leaders to account, and that the school owner, Mrs Malak, requires regular briefings to support the improvement journey effectively. The governing body has been reconstituted to include two parent governors, which is a positive step, but governance remains a material weakness at this stage.

On teaching quality, the picture is mixed but contains genuine strengths. Teaching for effective learning was rated Good in Foundation Stage, Secondary and Post-16, with inspectors noting improvements in FS this year and commending Secondary and Post-16 teachers for developing students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Primary teaching was rated Acceptable, with inspectors finding that teachers too often engage in excessive talk, limiting student independence. Assessment was rated Weak in both Primary and Secondary — a significant concern, as internal records were found not to accurately reflect individual student achievement. With 50 teachers serving 689 students, QIS operates at a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:14, slightly above the Dubai private school average of 1:13.6 — a modest but measurable difference. Staff turnover was reported at 8%, which is a relatively low figure and suggests reasonable retention despite the school's challenges.

Where QIS leadership has clearly succeeded is in shaping school culture and student character. Personal development was rated Very Good across all four phases — Foundation Stage, Primary, Secondary and Post-16 — as was students' understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures. Parents are described by inspectors as viewing the school as a community, with regular communication on school events and children's learning. A wellbeing vision was developed collaboratively with staff and parents, and student feedback has directly influenced canteen menus, the reintroduction of a water fountain, a prayer room, and additional field trips. These are tangible signs of a leadership team that listens, even if the formal governance and self-evaluation structures remain underdeveloped. The school holds no external accreditation at this time, which is a gap relative to many comparable British curriculum schools in Dubai.