The Arbor School, Dubai
KHDA Inspection Report & Ratings
Last updated
Executive Summary
The Arbor School L.L.C. provides a Good quality of education, as affirmed by its 2023-2024 KHDA inspection. The school is recognized for its innovative UK curriculum, catering to students from FS1 to Year 11, with plans to extend to Post-16. It maintains a strong focus on environmental sustainability and student wellbeing.
Academic achievements are particularly strong in the Foundation Stage, where children consistently demonstrate very high attainment. Improvements in mathematics are noted across phases, with students in Primary showing good or better progress in most core subjects. The curriculum is exceptionally well-designed and continuously adapted to meet diverse student needs.
The school fosters an exemplary environment with outstanding personal development and strong relationships. Leadership is effective, with a clear mission aligned to national priorities, and management ensures high-quality learning environments and resources. The school excels in inclusive education and wellbeing provision, both rated Very Good.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
The Arbor School Overall Rating
Good for 3+ consecutive years
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.
The school is a caring and very inclusive environment, committed to providing high-quality provision for a wide range of students of determination. Needs are accurately assessed, and effective strategies are developed to overcome individual learning barriers. Students of determination make very good progress from their starting points. students of determinationThrive centrespersonalised curriculum pathways
The overall quality of wellbeing provision and outcomes is very good, with significant resources dedicated to enhancing students' personal and social development. Student influence is fostered through School Councils, and staff morale is high due to strong relationships and work/life balance reviews. Students feel valued and safe, actively promoting healthy lifestyle choices. Thrive teamSchool Councilshealthy lifestyle choices
The school's overall standards in the National Agenda Parameter are very good, with achievements in line with International Benchmarks. Students showed outstanding progress in science and very good improvement in English and mathematics over two years. Leaders effectively target performance gaps, and teachers use assessment data to devise purposeful interventions for reading literacy. International Benchmarkreading literacyPIRLS
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Student Attitudes & Ecology
Students demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning, exemplary behavior, and a strong desire to promote ecological awareness and conservation.
Innovative Curriculum Design
The school is highlighted for its innovative approach to curriculum design, which is comprehensive, enhanced, and continuously developed.
Wellbeing & Inclusion Focus
A strong focus on wellbeing and the inclusive nature of the school ensures a supportive and welcoming community for all learners.
Resources & Facilities
The Executive Board provides excellent staff, facilities, and resources, ensuring high-quality learning environments.
Clarity of Purpose
The school operates with a clear sense of purpose that effectively drives every aspect of school life and decision-making.
Academic Performance Breakdown
Children's achievements in the Foundation Stage remain very high, with improved achievement in mathematics. The progress of students in Primary is good or better in most core subjects, with improvements in English, mathematics, science, and Arabic progress. Attainment and progress in Secondary are good or better in the majority of core subjects, with improvements in mathematics.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
Leaders at all levels demonstrate a clear understanding of best educational practice, aligning the school's mission with national priorities to drive decision-making. They have been innovative in strengthening performance, ensuring inclusivity and compliance. Effective self-evaluation and improvement planning processes are in place, supported by strong governance and efficient management that provides high-quality resources.
Inspection Findings
Students' Outcomes
Children in the Foundation Stage achieve at a very high level, with improved mathematics achievements across all phases. Students in Primary show good or better progress in most core subjects, while Secondary students achieve good or better attainment and progress in the majority of core subjects. Overall, students demonstrate good academic outcomes.
Personal Development
Students across all phases exhibit improved and exemplary behavior and attitudes towards learning, showing a strong desire to promote ecological awareness. They demonstrate outstanding personal development, social responsibility, and innovation skills, with a very good understanding of Islamic values and Emirati culture in FS.
Teaching Quality
Teaching, learning skills development, and assessment are very strong in the Foundation Stage and Primary phases, with notable improvements. While Secondary teaching shows progress, consistency across subjects and year groups is still developing as new practices become embedded, and data is not always effectively used to modify teaching.
Protection & Care
The school maintains rigorous child protection and safeguarding procedures, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all students. It is a caring and highly inclusive school, providing very good support for students of determination and high-quality care and guidance across all phases, fostering exemplary relationships and effective behavior management.
Areas for Development
- •Improve achievement in all subjects in the secondary phase.
- •Improve attainment in Islamic Education and Arabic.
- •Make greater reference to the skills gaps identified from tests in National Agenda plans, and effectively monitor the interventions for impact.
- •Continuously review and monitor the impact of plans to improve reading literacy skills to ensure strong and rapid improvement.
- •Ensure the extension of extra-curricular choices as the school develops its post-16 phase.
- •Ensure that students reference their answers with quotes from either the Holy Qur’an or Sunnah.
- •Improve students’ recitation of the Holy Qur’an by creating further opportunities in lessons.
- •Provide students with a higher level of challenge in oral communication and encourage the use of standard Arabic.
- •Improve students’ speaking skills and their independent writing.
- •Improve students' writing skills, particularly in writing at greater length.
- •Ensure that students in the lower primary and secondary phases have more opportunities for problem-solving and independent investigations.
- •Ensure that all students have secure recall of numerical facts.
- •Ensure that experimentation and investigation, following the appropriate scientific method, are more consistently implemented in Secondary.
- •Provide opportunities to explore and discover information independently, especially in the Secondary phase.
- •Improve older students’ knowledge and awareness of Islamic values, Emirati culture and heritage, and of world cultures.
- •Use assessment information, particularly in Secondary, in a more consistent way to support teaching and curriculum adaptation, and to address the needs of all groups of students.
- •Define and match success criteria to meet the differing needs of students and to provide appropriate challenge.
- •Increase the use of enquiry-based learning in the Secondary curriculum, while maintaining academic rigour.
- •Ensure that the curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of high attaining students.
- •Match tasks to individual needs, in all lessons.
- •Ensure that all lesson planning takes clear account of identified learning goals.
- •Provide additional activities for students who have gifts and talents.