Star International SchoolPrincipal & Leadership Team

Star International School Al Twar is operated by International Schools Partnership (ISP), a global network spanning 109 schools across 25+ countries. The school's current principal is Lisa Passante, who was appointed in March 2024 following the retirement of Durriya Gorawal, who had led the school for an exceptional 17 years from 2007 to 2024. Passante brings extensive international leadership experience from China, Hong Kong, and the UAE, having previously held senior roles at Al Shohub School Abu Dhabi and Kings Education. While the transition marks a significant change after nearly two decades of continuity, her credentials suggest a considered appointment. She is supported by Laura Dobbs as Head of EYFS and Primary and Agata Hartley as Assistant Head – Primary, who also serves as Primary Designated Safeguarding Lead.

The most recent KHDA inspection, conducted in 2023–2024, rated the school's overall effectiveness as Good — a rating Star Al Twar has held consistently since 2019–2020, having recovered from two consecutive Acceptable ratings in 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. Among British curriculum schools in Dubai, Good is the most common rating, held by 29 of 105 British curriculum schools, placing Star Al Twar in the solid mainstream of its peer group. Leadership effectiveness was rated Good, with inspectors noting that leaders are strongly committed to inclusion and UAE national priorities. Governance was also rated Good, though inspectors flagged that governors, while supportive, lack formal roles — a structural gap that parents should be aware of. Management, staffing, facilities and resources were rated Very Good, a notable strength.

On teaching quality, inspectors found that teaching is most effective in Secondary, where it was rated Very Good, while Foundation Stage, Primary, and Post-16 were rated Good. A key area for improvement is greater consistency in teaching quality and the use of assessment across FS, Primary, and Post-16 phases. The inspection also identified a need to improve the effectiveness of middle leaders, who currently lack the monitoring skills needed to drive improvement in their areas. The school employs 57 teachers and 15 teaching assistants, with the largest nationality group of teachers being British — appropriate for a UK curriculum school. The school's student-teacher ratio stands at 1:11, meaningfully better than the Dubai private school average of 1:13.6 across 204 schools with ratio data, suggesting smaller class sizes and more individual attention.

Parent engagement is a genuine strength. Partnerships with parents were rated Very Good by KHDA inspectors, with an active PTA, regular progress discussions, and parent volunteers accompanying school outings. The school's wellbeing provision was rated Good overall, with inspectors noting a happy, vibrant atmosphere and strong staff-student relationships. A BSO inspection in May 2023 described leadership and management as "excellent, supporting a positive culture of cooperation and compassion." The school holds accreditations from BSO and BSME, providing external validation of its governance and educational standards beyond the KHDA framework.