
Sharjah International Private School (British) branch Sharjah - Al Qarain 5
Principal & Leadership Team
Last updated
Leadership & Governance
Sharjah International Private School (British) is led by Acting Principal Ms Lana Koyi, appointed following the passing of the school's previous principal, who had guided the institution for over 25 years. This is a moment of genuine transition for SIPS, and parents should understand it as such — the school is navigating a significant leadership change while working to preserve the continuity of a long-established vision. Ms Koyi has stated a clear commitment to consolidating her predecessor's legacy by restructuring and strengthening the leadership team, with a focus on the direct impact of teaching on student achievement. The Board of Governors, chaired by Dr. Anwar Qeray, provides the governance framework within which this transition is being managed.
The 2023 SPEA School Performance Review rated the school's overall effectiveness as Good — a meaningful step up from its Acceptable rating in 2018. Leadership was specifically credited with driving improved protection, care, and wellbeing of students, and the care and safety standard was elevated to Very Good. The review was conducted by a team of 7 reviewers over 4 days, encompassing 215 lesson observations, 69 of which were carried out jointly with school leaders — a rigorous process that lends weight to its findings. Among British curriculum schools in Sharjah, where ratings range from Acceptable to Outstanding across 105 schools, a Good rating places SIPS in the solid mid-tier, ahead of the 15 British schools rated only Acceptable.
On staffing, the data is notably positive. SIPS employs 137 teachers supported by 7 teaching assistants, serving a student body of 2,597. The student-teacher ratio stands at 1:13, which is marginally more favourable than the Sharjah city average of 1:13.6 across all private schools — a broadly comparable position. The school's teacher turnover rate is just 1%, an exceptionally low figure that signals strong staff retention and institutional stability even amid the leadership transition. The predominant teacher nationality is Egyptian. Staff qualification data is not published [MISSING: percentage of staff holding postgraduate qualifications], which limits a fuller assessment of teaching depth.
Parent engagement is referenced in the inspection process — surveys were conducted as part of the SPEA School Performance Review — but detailed commentary on the quality or outcomes of parent partnerships is not available from published sources [MISSING: specific parent satisfaction scores or engagement rating]. The inspection did note that the school's dual curriculum structure provides an appropriate balance for its diverse student community, which includes 695 Emirati students among the 2,597 enrolled. Areas identified for leadership to address include broadening curricular choices for senior students, deepening the use of assessment to guide student progress, and fostering greater independent learning and innovation skills — priorities that will test the new leadership team in the years ahead.