Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Arab Pakistani School, Abu Dhabi
ADEK Inspection Report & Ratings
Last updated
Executive Summary
The Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Arab Pakistani School, following the Pakistan curriculum, received an overall Acceptable rating in its latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2024-2025 academic year. This rating has remained consistent since the previous inspection in 2021. The school demonstrates a commitment to benchmarking student attainment against international standards such as PISA and TIMSS.
While student achievement in English and social studies in Phase 1 and Phase 4 is above expectations, and targets were met in international assessments for English and Grade 4 Science, overall progress has stagnated. This is largely attributed to a failure to recruit sufficient qualified teachers. Learning skills have shown improvement in Phase 1, but remain Acceptable in other phases, with students often relying on teacher direction.
Students' personal development is Acceptable due to low attendance, though their understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures is Good. Leadership and self-evaluation remain Acceptable, but governance, management, staffing, facilities, and resources have declined to a Weak rating, indicating significant areas for development in school operations and accountability.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Arab Pakistani School Overall Rating
Acceptable
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Student achievement has remained broadly unchanged across all phases since the last inspection, largely due to a lack of qualified teachers. While attainment in English and social studies in Phase 1 and Phase 4 is above expectations, and science has improved in phases 2 and 4, overall progress remains stagnant. International assessment targets were met in English and Grade 4 Science, but results fell below international averages in all subjects. student achievementinternational assessmentsqualified teachers
Personal development is rated Acceptable across all phases, primarily due to low attendance levels. However, students demonstrate a Good understanding of Islamic values and a strong awareness of Emirati and world cultures. Social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, with students showing a basic understanding but irregular community involvement. Islamic valuesEmirati and world cultureslow attendance
Teaching for effective learning is Good in Phase 1 but Acceptable in phases 2, 3, and 4, with inconsistent implementation despite improved lesson planning. Assessment practices are Good in Phase 1 and Acceptable elsewhere, hindered by a lack of moderation and rigor in internal assessments. This inconsistency limits overall improvements in student learning. lesson planningassessment practicesmoderation and rigor
Curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation are judged Acceptable across all phases. The school provides a reasonably well-structured curriculum, but it is narrow in some subjects, particularly science in phases 3 and 4. This narrowness is partly attributed to the quality of the science laboratories, which require significant maintenance. curriculum designcurriculum adaptationscience laboratories
The health and safety of students have declined to Acceptable, with ineffective safety checks and many areas of the school requiring significant maintenance. Care and support for students have also declined to Acceptable, marked by ineffective systems for identifying students with additional learning needs and a lack of internal capacity to meet diverse student requirements. Attendance promotion systems have not been successful. health and safetycare and supportadditional learning needsattendance promotion
The effectiveness of leadership and self-evaluation remain Acceptable, while partnerships with parents and the community are Good. However, governance, management, staffing, facilities, and resources have declined to Weak. School leaders have not been adequately held accountable, the building is not fit for purpose, and sufficient qualified staff have not been recruited, impacting overall school performance. effectiveness of leadershipself-evaluationgovernancestaffingfacilities and resourcesaccountability
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Strong English & Social Studies
Students in Phase 1 and Phase 4 demonstrate achievement in English and social studies that is above expectations.
International Assessment Success
The school successfully met its targets in international assessments for English and Grade 4 Science.
Positive Student Attitudes
Students exhibit positive attitudes towards learning, showing courtesy and support for their peers and teachers.
UAE Identity & Islamic Values
Leaders have fostered an environment where students show a strong appreciation for the UAE's national identity and Islamic values.
Parental Engagement
Parents actively contribute to their children's education and are involved in the life of the school community.
Improved Science Achievement
Attainment and progress in science have improved from Acceptable to Good in phases 2 and 4 since the previous inspection.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Overall student achievement in both Arabic-medium and English-medium subjects has remained broadly unchanged across all phases since the previous inspection. Stagnation is largely attributed to the failure to recruit sufficient qualified teachers. While some subjects and phases show strengths or improvements, others have regressed or remained at acceptable levels.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
School leaders are committed to benchmarking student attainment against international standards and have developed structured plans for improvement. However, the overall effectiveness of leadership and self-evaluation remains Acceptable, with significant weaknesses identified in governance, staffing, and facilities. Leaders need to enhance accountability and improve systems for monitoring school quality and attendance.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Student achievement has largely stagnated across phases, with some improvements in science (phases 2 & 4) and learning skills (Phase 1), but a regression in Islamic Education (Phase 4). While internal data often indicates attainment above curriculum standards, this does not always align with observed classroom performance. International assessment targets were met in English and Grade 4 Science, but overall results are below international averages.
Personal & Social Development
Personal development is Acceptable across all phases, primarily due to low attendance. Students demonstrate a Good understanding of Islamic values and awareness of Emirati and world cultures. Social responsibility and innovation skills are Acceptable, with students showing basic understanding but inconsistent community involvement.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching for effective learning is Good in Phase 1 but Acceptable in other phases, hindered by inconsistent implementation despite improved lesson planning. Assessment is Good in Phase 1 and Acceptable elsewhere, lacking moderation and rigor in internal assessments, which limits effective differentiation and progress tracking.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
Curriculum design and adaptation are Acceptable across all phases. The curriculum is reasonably structured but narrow in some subjects, particularly science in phases 3 and 4, partly due to the quality of the science laboratories. This limits the breadth of learning experiences for students.
Protection, Care & Support
Health and safety, along with care and support, have declined to Acceptable. Safety checks are ineffective in rectifying issues, and many areas of the school are in disrepair. Systems for identifying and supporting students with additional learning needs are ineffective, and attendance promotion strategies have not been successful, impacting student wellbeing and progress.
Areas for Development
- •Raise students’ attainment and progress to a consistently very good or better level in all core subjects and phases, focusing on improving attainment to at least a good level in phases 2 and 3 across all subjects, and in Islamic education, Arabic as a second language, mathematics, and science in Phase 4.
- •Improve students' investigation and practical laboratory skills, ensuring they can apply appropriate scientific methods in their experiments.
- •Improve students’ extended writing by more rigorous teaching of effective language structures and grammar rules across phases 2 and 3.
- •Ensure all students know their own strengths and weaknesses and can use that knowledge to improve their own learning, while also developing students’ enterprise, research, and inquiry skills.
- •Improve strategies and provision for effective teaching, assessment, and curriculum by raising teacher's expectations to provide a more appropriate level of challenge for all groups of learners, particularly in phases 2 and 3, and in Arabic-medium subjects.
- •Improve the impact of school leadership further by reviewing and improving the system for monitoring the quality of school buildings and maintenance to ensure that learning environments are safe and conducive to effective learning.
- •Review and enhance school governance to ensure critical support is provided, allowing for adequate succession planning so that the school is correctly staffed with the appropriate number of teachers.
- •Improve student outcomes in PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS international assessments by aligning teaching and learning practices with the skills and competencies measured in these assessments, with a particular emphasis on mathematics in phases 3 and 4.