The Cambridge High SchoolPrincipal & Leadership Team

The Cambridge High School is operated by GEMS Education, one of the world's largest private education groups, and has been serving families in Mohammed Bin Zayed City since its founding in 1988 — making it one of Abu Dhabi's longest-established British curriculum schools. The school's principal is listed as Kim Teakle-May (Principal/CEO) in school communications, though the 2024–2025 ADEK inspection report names the principal as Kuki Tyagi Girish Chandra Chaudhary at the time of inspection. [MISSING: principal tenure start date and background for either named individual]. This discrepancy warrants clarification directly with the school, and parents should confirm current leadership on enquiry.

ADEK's most recent inspection, conducted in May 2025, rated the school's overall performance as Very Good — a rating it has now held across two consecutive inspection cycles (2022 and 2024–2025), signalling meaningful stability rather than a one-off result. Among British curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, this places CHS in a strong position: of the 105 British curriculum schools in the city, only a minority hold a Very Good or Outstanding rating. The effectiveness of leadership was rated Very Good, with inspectors noting that school leaders set a clear vision aligned with UAE priorities and maintain a collaborative, inclusive culture with high staff morale. Critically, governance improved from Acceptable to Good in the latest cycle — a meaningful step forward, though still below the Very Good standard achieved in other leadership domains, and an area the school itself acknowledges requires continued investment.

Teaching quality is a clear strength at the upper school. Teaching for effective learning was rated Outstanding in Cycle 3 (secondary) and Very Good in the Foundation Stage and Cycle 2, though inspectors found teaching in Cycle 1 (primary) rated only Good, with concerns about inconsistent differentiation and insufficient meaningful feedback to students. Parents of younger children should weigh this finding carefully. The school employs 99 teachers across a student body of 1,769, producing a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:18 — notably higher than the Abu Dhabi private school average of 1:13.6, meaning CHS classes are, on average, larger than the city norm. With 29 teaching assistants also in post, some of this gap is partially offset in the lower phases.

Staff retention signals are positive. The school's own documentation states that the majority of staff have been with the school for over 18 years — an exceptional retention figure that, if accurate, speaks to a stable and committed workforce. [MISSING: independently verified staff qualification percentage, e.g. proportion holding Masters or above]. ADEK inspectors confirmed that self-evaluation and school development, and staffing and management, both improved from Good to Very Good in the latest cycle, reflecting well on the operational leadership of the school. Professional development is described as ongoing and structured, with GEMS Education's group-wide training infrastructure providing a further layer of support.

Parent engagement is rated Very Good by ADEK, with inspectors highlighting strong parental partnerships, active involvement in school life and decision-making, and effective use of an online platform for home reading challenges. The school's community credentials are further underlined by its recognition as 'Top UAE School for Reading' in the previous academic year — an award that reflects both leadership vision and the sustained effort of teaching staff across all phases.