Rowad Al Dhafra Private School, Abu Dhabi

Rowad Al Dhafra Private School is led by Principal Mr Ayman Okasha, supported by Mr Ayman Salah in the role of Administrative Manager. The school is independently operated and serves the Al Dhafra community in Zayed City. Leadership context is important here: the 2024/25 ADEK inspection confirmed a new principal and a new board are in place, and the school has undergone significant disruption — including relocation to new facilities and the loss of seven teachers since the previous inspection — all of which have constrained the pace of improvement. A SENCO has not yet been appointed, which remains a formal inspection requirement.

The inspection rated overall leadership effectiveness as Acceptable, but issued a notably sharper judgment on self-evaluation and improvement planning, which was rated Weak — the only sub-domain to fall below Acceptable across the entire inspection framework. Inspectors found that self-evaluation lacks accuracy and depth, and that improvement planning has not been sufficiently updated to reflect current priorities. Governance was rated Acceptable, with the new board described as showing early signs of improvement but not yet demonstrating consistent impact. Parents and the community were also rated Acceptable, with the school maintaining regular communication and running initiatives such as the 'honesty committee' to promote stakeholder involvement.

On staffing, the school employs 40 teachers across 639 students, producing a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:16. This is notably higher than the Abu Dhabi private school average of 1:13.6, suggesting classrooms carry a heavier load than is typical across the city's private sector. Staff qualifications and retention data are not published [MISSING: staff qualification percentages; individual teacher experience levels], though the inspection noted that the arrival of seven new teachers this cycle has contributed to variability in teaching quality across phases and subjects. Among MoE curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, 10 of 17 hold only an Acceptable rating, placing Rowad Al Dhafra in the majority tier for its curriculum type rather than an outlier.

Teaching quality across all cycles and phases was rated Acceptable, with inspectors observing that at least a large minority of teachers struggle with classroom management, partly due to limited use of hands-on learning. Assessment practice was also rated Acceptable, with data availability improving but not yet consistently used to challenge higher-attaining students. On the positive side, teachers are noted for maintaining respectful and supportive relationships with students and for offering routine verbal feedback during lessons — a genuine strength acknowledged by inspectors. The school's integration of Islamic values and Emirati culture was rated Good across all cycles, reflecting a clear area of leadership vision that is consistently delivered in practice.