Ryan International School
Executive Summary
Ryan International School, following the CBSE curriculum, has maintained an Acceptable overall rating in the AY 2023-2024 ADEK inspection. The school, located in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, continues to demonstrate strengths in student personal development and robust health and safety protocols.
Academically, attainment and progress in English medium subjects, Islamic Education, and Social Studies have remained acceptable across all phases. However, achievement in Arabic as a second language continues to be Weak. The school is actively working to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly in English medium subjects, in alignment with international assessment benchmarks.
Key areas for development include improving achievement in core subjects, enhancing teaching and assessment practices, refining curriculum design for continuity and experiential learning, and strengthening leadership's focus on student outcomes and accurate self-evaluation. The school has seen significant student growth and has restored various clubs and partnerships to support student development.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Ryan International School Overall Rating
Acceptable
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
The school's internal assessment data often indicates attainment above curriculum standards, but this does not consistently align with observed student knowledge and skills in lessons. While progress is generally expected, it remains variable across grades and subjects, with particular weaknesses noted in Arabic as a second language and inconsistencies in applying skills in mathematics and science. CBSE curriculum standardsinternal assessment dataobserved skills
Students consistently demonstrate good personal development, exhibiting positive attitudes towards learning and school life, and showing courtesy and respect. Their understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures is also well developed, contributing to a safe and productive environment. positive attitudesIslamic valuesEmirati cultures
Teaching and assessment practices are rated acceptable overall. While teachers plan lessons, there is a need to improve the pace, support, and challenge, especially for higher-ability students. Assessment data is not always accurately aligned to curriculum standards, and feedback to students requires more clarity and consistency. purposeful lessonsfeedbackassessment data
The curriculum design and implementation are acceptable, but there is a need to review for better continuity across phases and to incorporate more experiential and inquiry-based learning opportunities. Enhancing the adaptability of the curriculum to cater to diverse learning styles, including gifted and talented students, is also an area for development. curriculum designexperiential learninginnovation skills
The school maintains very good health and safety protocols, including stringent child protection arrangements, ensuring a safe environment for all students. Care and support for students are rated good across all phases, with effective systems in place for wellbeing. health and safetychild protectioncare and support
Leadership and management are acceptable, with strengths in partnerships with parents and governance. However, leaders at all levels need to enhance their focus on increasing student achievement and ensure self-evaluation is based on multiple reliable evidence sources to provide more accurate judgments. leadership effectivenessself-evaluationparent partnerships
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Positive Personal Growth
Students demonstrate strong personal development, positive attitudes, and a good understanding of Islamic and Emirati cultures.
Robust Safeguarding
The school maintains rigorous protocols and stringent arrangements for health and safety, including comprehensive child protection systems across all phases.
Efficient Management
The day-to-day management of the school is well organized, efficient, and effective, contributing to a smooth operational environment.
Strong Parent Partnerships
The school benefits from continued strengths in its partnerships with parents and effective governance, fostering community engagement.
Enhanced Student Activities
Many clubs, partnerships, and events have been restored to actively support and enhance students' personal and social development skills.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team, including new subject heads and a SENCO, maintains an acceptable overall quality of leadership and management. They demonstrate strengths in fostering partnerships with parents and effective governance. However, there is a need for all leaders to enhance their focus on increasing student achievement and ensure self-evaluation is based on reliable evidence for accurate judgments.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students' attainment and progress are acceptable across most subjects, including English, Mathematics, Science, Islamic Education, and Social Studies. However, achievement in Arabic as a second language remains weak. There is an inconsistency between high internal assessment data and observed classroom performance, and students' application of skills in mathematics and scientific inquiry needs development.
Personal & Social Development
Students exhibit good personal development, displaying positive attitudes, respect, and courtesy. They show a good understanding of Islamic values, Emirati, and world cultures. While students are increasingly self-reliant, there is room to promote greater initiative in learning and improve understanding of healthy eating choices.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching and assessment practices are acceptable. Lessons sometimes lack appropriate pace and challenge for higher-ability students, and there is an over-reliance on textbooks. Feedback to students is not always clear or consistent, and assessment data is not consistently used to inform progress or align with curriculum standards.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
The curriculum design and implementation are acceptable, but improvements are needed to ensure continuity across phases and to incorporate more experiential and inquiry-based learning. The curriculum also needs to be more adaptable to cater to diverse learning styles and to foster students' innovation, creativity, and enterprise skills.
Protection, Care & Support
The school demonstrates very good health and safety protocols, including robust child protection arrangements. Care and support for students are good, with effective systems for wellbeing. Students of determination generally make expected progress, but lower and higher-attaining students do not always reach their full potential.
Areas for Development
- •Improve achievement in all core subjects and learning skills across the school by: enhancing writing, reading, and speaking skills for students where Arabic is an additional language; extending independent English writing skills across all phases; ensuring that students across all phases can apply skills and can successfully analyze findings in mathematics; ensuring that students in science across all phases have more opportunities to develop scientific thinking, inquiry, and investigation skills by undertaking practical experiments; ensuring that children in KG are actively involved in age-appropriate learning tasks; ensuring that students can effectively access and use technology across all phases and subjects for research and independent learning activities.
- •Improve the impact of teaching and assessment by: ensuring that teachers plan purposeful lessons that provide appropriate pace, support, and challenge especially for higher-ability students and those identified as gifted and talented; improving the use of resources across all phases, including the use of specialist laboratories in mathematics and science in the middle and secondary phases to enable students to develop subject specific skills; reducing the reliance on textbooks and worksheets and incorporating more interactive and technology-based learning activities; providing all students with clear and consistent feedback in their workbooks so that they know where their strengths are and what they need to do to get better; strengthening teacher's use of assessment across all phases and subjects to challenge and support students’ progress and meet their needs; ensuring assessment data is accurately aligned to curriculum standards.
- •Improve curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation by: reviewing the curriculum so that there is continuity between and across phases to ensure it develops the relevant skills and knowledge that students need as they progress through the school; incorporating experiential and inquiry-based learning opportunities in subjects, particularly in the foundational, elementary, and middle phases, to enhance student engagement and understanding; improving children’s and student's innovation, creativity and enterprise skills in lessons as well as outside of classrooms; enhancing the adaptability of the curriculum to address the needs of students with different learning styles and abilities, including gifted and talented students.
- •Improve the impact of leadership and management by: ensuring that all leaders at all levels are focused on increasing student achievement and demonstrating secure knowledge of best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment; ensuring self-evaluation is based on multiple reliable evidence to provide a more realistic and accurate judgment and identify the strengths and areas for improvement; aligning the monitoring of teaching in lessons and the quality of achievements with the UAE School Inspection Framework; seeking the views of parents on key improvement priorities; ensuring sufficient learning resources in all subjects, including the use of technology; strengthening self-evaluation so that evaluations are accurate and reliable and take account of stakeholder’s views.