Safa Community School, Dubai
KHDA Inspection Report & Ratings 2018
Last updated
Executive Summary
The overall quality of education provided by Safa Community School is Outstanding. The school is known for its inspirational and highly committed leaders, including governors, who ensure high-quality teaching and assessments, fostering a culture of collective responsibility and mutual support.
Students demonstrate Outstanding attainment and progress in mathematics and science across all phases, with English showing Very Good attainment and Outstanding progress. The curriculum is broad, balanced, ambitious, and frequently reviewed to be rich, relevant, and purposeful, preparing students for smooth transitions within and beyond the school.
The school fosters professional, supportive, and compassionate relationships, significantly enhancing students' welfare and wellbeing. Child protection and safeguarding procedures are securely established, with meticulously maintained facilities and exceptional supervision, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all learners.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Safa Community School Overall Rating
Outstanding
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.
Safa Community School demonstrates an Outstanding inclusive ethos, actively supported by leaders, governors, and senior staff. The school effectively identifies students' needs, provides tailored support through individual education plans, and ensures almost all students of determination make very good personal and academic progress. Outstandingstudents of determinationindividual education plans
Wellbeing is central to the school's vision, with a skilled team actively promoting the wellbeing of students, families, and staff. Governors and leaders are highly responsive to stakeholders, creating a family-like environment where students, including those of determination, flourish academically and personally due to exceptional support and a broad wellbeing curriculum. Outstandingwellbeing curriculumexceptional support
The school has achieved Outstanding outcomes in the National Agenda Parameter tests for English, mathematics, and science across primary and secondary phases, exceeding PIRLS targets. Leaders effectively use data to inform improvement plans, and the school fosters a strong culture of reading, significantly improving reading literacy for all students, including Emirati cohorts. OutstandingNational Agenda ParameterPIRLSreading literacyEmirati cohorts
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Inspirational Leadership
Inspirational and highly committed leaders, including governors, ensure staff receive professional training to extend high-quality teaching and assessments.
Supportive Relationships
Professional, supportive, and compassionate relationships enhance students’ welfare, wellbeing, and enrich their personal and social development.
Inclusive Curriculum
An inclusive curriculum promotes academic success and encourages students to be kind, creative, independent, and entrepreneurial.
Strong Partnerships & Facilities
Strong partnerships with parents and the community, safe and secure premises, well-maintained facilities, and high-quality resources are key strengths.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Students demonstrate outstanding attainment and progress in Mathematics and Science across all phases. English attainment is very good with outstanding progress. While Islamic Education and Arabic show good to acceptable attainment and progress, there are areas identified for further enhancement.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
Leaders are highly effective, inspirational, and committed, fostering an inclusive culture of collective responsibility and mutual support. They are highly effective in sustaining outcomes and making improvements, with ongoing professional training enhancing staff skills and cultivating professional, compassionate relationships.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Students demonstrate Outstanding attainment and progress in mathematics and science across all phases, with English showing Very Good attainment and Outstanding progress. They are keen and enthusiastic learners, exhibiting exceptional behavior and attitudes, and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
Personal Development
Students exhibit exceptional behavior and attitudes, characterized by kindness, consideration, and respect. They show excellent appreciation of Islamic values, comprehensive awareness of Emirati culture, and a strong understanding of diverse cultures, alongside a high commitment to environmental sustainability.
Teaching Quality
Teachers possess very good subject knowledge, plan comprehensively, and facilitate well-paced lessons that admirably foster students' independence. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation are skillfully promoted, supported by effective assessment procedures that meet the needs of all student groups.
Protection & Care
Child protection and safeguarding procedures are securely established and fully understood by all staff. The school maintains meticulously clean and safe facilities, with rigorous risk checks and exceptionally well-organized bus supervision, while actively promoting students' physical and mental health throughout the curriculum.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students’ attainment by enhancing their progress in Islamic Education and Arabic.
- •Set measurable literacy improvement goals and identify students who would benefit from additional support, then provide it.
- •Develop students' resilience so that they become more confident at adapting to adverse circumstances.
- •Ensure the very best teaching practices in Islamic Education and Arabic lessons.
- •Strengthen teachers’ understanding of strategies that best suit students of determination.