Sunrise International School

Curriculum
CBSE
ADEK
Acceptable
Location
Abu Dhabi, Al Mushrif
Fees
AED 9K - 13K

Executive Summary

Sunrise International School, located in Abu Dhabi Island, operates under the CBSE curriculum and has received an overall Acceptable rating from ADEK for the 2023-2024 academic year. The school is commended for fostering a caring and safe learning environment that is inclusive of all students.

While students demonstrate adequate engagement and positive behavior, academic achievement in core subjects like Mathematics and Arabic as a second language shows areas of weakness, particularly in elementary and secondary phases. Standardized assessments like ASSET also indicate weak attainment in English, Mathematics, and Science. The school's internal assessment data often does not align with observed student knowledge and skills.

Key strengths include robust safety procedures, effective behavior management, and students' keen participation in school and community activities. However, there is a need to improve teaching quality, assessment practices, and provision for students with additional learning needs, as well as to strengthen leadership effectiveness and self-evaluation processes.

Overall School Performance

Inspection Year 2023-2024

Outstanding

Very Good

Good

Acceptable

Weak

Very Weak

Sunrise International School Overall Rating

Acceptable

ADEK Performance Standards

The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.

Students' Achievement
Acceptable

Students' attainment and progress are generally acceptable, though standardized assessments indicate weak performance in English, Mathematics, and Science. Internal assessment data often overestimates student achievement compared to classroom observations, and progress for students of determination and higher-attaining students is inconsistent. weak attainmentinconsistent progress

Students' Personal & Social Development
Acceptable

Students exhibit positive attitudes, responsible behavior, and a clear understanding of Islamic values and UAE culture. They participate actively in school and community initiatives. However, their knowledge of other world cultures and opportunities for developing innovation and entrepreneurship skills are basic and inconsistent. positive attitudesUAE cultureinnovation skills

Teaching & Assessment
Acceptable

Teaching for effective learning is acceptable across all phases, but assessment practices are weak. Teachers' questions often lack complexity, and there are insufficient opportunities for student-centered learning, research, and collaborative activities. Assessment data is not effectively used to meet diverse learning needs, and accuracy in assessing attainment and progress is inconsistent. weak assessment practicesstudent-centered learning

Curriculum
Acceptable

Curriculum design, implementation, and adaptation are acceptable across all phases. The curriculum supports students' learning, but there is a need to review it to ensure sufficient opportunities for gifted and talented students to develop innovation and enterprise skills, both within and outside the classroom. curriculum designcurriculum adaptation

Protection, Care, Guidance & Support
Acceptable

Health and safety arrangements, including child protection, are good, with robust safety procedures and effective behavior management. However, the overall care and support for students are weak, particularly concerning the identification and provision for students with additional learning needs, including students of determination and gifted and talented students. good health and safetyweak care and supportstudents of determination

Leadership & Management
Acceptable

The effectiveness of leadership, self-evaluation, community engagement, governance, and management are all acceptable. The principal and senior leadership team have created a caring and safe environment. However, there is a need to accelerate the appointment of a Head of Inclusion, implement quantifiable indicators for governors, and improve the use of assessment data for self-evaluation and professional development. effective leadershipself-evaluationHead of Inclusion

Key Highlights

Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.

Caring & Safe Environment

The principal and senior leadership team have successfully developed a caring and safe learning environment that is fully inclusive of students from diverse backgrounds.

Positive Student Behavior

The school's systems for managing student behavior are very effective, leading to well-behaved students who are respectful to adults and peers in lessons and around the school.

Robust Safety Procedures

The school maintains regular and robust safety procedures, ensuring students are very well supervised throughout the school premises and during transportation.

Community Participation

Students are keen to participate in activities that positively impact the school and the wider community, demonstrating a sense of social responsibility.

Academic Performance Breakdown

KGKG1-KG2
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Acceptable
KG Note
Children in KG demonstrate acceptable attainment and progress in core subjects, but their inquiry, investigation, creativity, and independent learning skills require further development.
PrimaryGrades 1-5
Islamic Education
Acceptable
Arabic as a second language
Weak
UAE Social Studies
Acceptable
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Weak
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Acceptable
Primary Note
Primary students show acceptable performance in most subjects, but Arabic as a second language and Mathematics are weak. Progress for higher-attaining students and those with additional learning needs is inconsistent.
MiddleGrades 6-8
Islamic Education
Acceptable
Arabic as a second language
Acceptable
UAE Social Studies
Acceptable
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Acceptable
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Acceptable
Middle Note
Middle school students generally achieve acceptable attainment and progress, though specific areas like Arabic writing, English extensive writing, and application of social studies knowledge need improvement. Innovation and critical thinking skills are underdeveloped.
SecondaryGrades 9-11
Islamic Education
Acceptable
Arabic as a second language
Acceptable
UAE Social Studies
Acceptable
English
Acceptable
Mathematics
Weak
Science
Acceptable
Learning Skills
Acceptable
Secondary Note
Secondary students show acceptable attainment in most subjects, but Mathematics is weak, and higher-order reading, extensive writing, and scientific inquiry skills require significant improvement. Progress for high achievers is not always what they are capable of.

The school's internal assessment data often does not align with observed student performance, and standardized test results indicate weaknesses across core subjects. Progress for students of determination and higher-attaining students is inconsistent across all phases.

Leadership & Management

Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.

The effectiveness of leadership
Leadership is effective in creating a caring and safe environment, but needs to improve in self-evaluation and accountability.
Acceptable
School self-evaluation and improvement planning
Self-evaluation needs to be based on multiple sources of evidence, and monitoring of teaching should focus on student-centered learning.
Acceptable
Parents and the community
Engagement with parents and the community is acceptable.
Acceptable
Governance
Governors need more explicit and quantifiable indicators to monitor school performance and hold leadership accountable.
Acceptable
Management, staffing, facilities and resources
Management of staffing, facilities, and resources is acceptable, but needs improvement in providing subject-specific resources and optimizing learning environments.
Acceptable

Leadership Approach

The leadership team, led by the principal, is committed to fostering a caring and safe learning environment that is inclusive for all students. They have established robust safety procedures and effective behavior management systems. However, there is a recognized need to enhance self-evaluation processes, strengthen accountability measures, and improve resource provision and professional development for staff.

Inspection Findings

Students' Achievement

Attainment and progress are acceptable overall, but standardized assessments reveal weaknesses in core subjects. Internal data often overstates achievement, and progress for students of determination and higher-attaining students is inconsistent across phases.

Personal & Social Development

Students demonstrate positive attitudes, responsible behavior, and a good understanding of Islamic values and UAE culture. However, their knowledge of other world cultures and opportunities for developing innovation and entrepreneurship skills are limited.

Teaching & Assessment

Teaching for effective learning is acceptable, but assessment practices are weak. There is insufficient focus on student-centered learning, higher-order questioning, and effective use of assessment data to meet diverse learning needs.

Curriculum Design & Adaptation

Curriculum design and adaptation are acceptable, but the curriculum needs to be reviewed to ensure it offers sufficient opportunities for gifted and talented students to pursue their interests and develop innovation skills.

Protection, Care & Support

Health and safety provisions are good, with robust procedures and effective behavior management. However, care and support are weak, particularly in identifying and providing for students with additional learning needs, including students of determination and gifted and talented.

Areas for Development

  • Raise students’ attainment and progress to a consistently good or better level in all core subjects and phases by improving knowledge and understanding of the Holy Qur’an, Hadeeth, Islamic law, etiquette, and Seerah, enhancing Arabic speaking, writing, and reading skills, improving understanding of world cultures and UAE governance, increasing knowledge of different genres and writing types, enhancing conceptual understanding and skills in basic mathematical operations, and improving scientific skills.
  • Improve the quality and impact of teaching and assessment by ensuring teaching is focused on student-centered learning, providing stretch and challenge for all students, raising the levels of teacher questions, reducing teacher talk time, increasing opportunities for research and collaboration, using assessment data more effectively, assessing attainment and progress more accurately, and providing more opportunities for higher-order learning skills.
  • Improve the provision for students with learning needs, including students of determination and the gifted and talented, by improving identification procedures, reviewing individual educational plans (IEPs) for SMART targets, providing challenging tasks and resources, reviewing the curriculum for sufficient opportunities, improving support protocols, and providing sufficient specific resources.
  • Improve the effectiveness of senior and middle leaders by accelerating the appointment of a Head of Inclusion, implementing explicit and quantifiable indicators for governors, ensuring self-evaluation is based on multiple sources of evidence, focusing monitoring on student-centered learning and skills development, providing professional development on assessment data analysis, providing a wider range of relevant subject and technology resources, and reviewing curriculum delivery arrangements to improve the learning environment.