The Philippine SchoolPhilippines Curriculum, Subjects & Qualifications

The Philippine School delivers the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) curriculum across four structured phases — Phase 1 (KG1–KG2), Phase 2 (Grades 1–6), Phase 3 (Grades 7–10), and Phase 4 (Grades 11–12 Senior High School) — making it one of only 2 Philippine-curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi according to ADEK data. For Filipino expatriate families weighing a potential return to the Philippines, this curricular continuity is a meaningful practical advantage that no British, American, or IB school in the city can replicate. The Senior High School program is particularly comprehensive, delivering 15 core subjects and 16 track subjects in full compliance with DepEd's Senior High School mandate, supplemented by UAE-required subjects including Moral Education, Arabic for Non-Arabs, and Islamic Education for Muslim students.

The school's academic program is augmented by a range of diagnostic and enrichment tools. The i-Ready diagnostic platform and myON digital library support personalised learning and reading development, while Robotics is embedded from KG2 onwards — an early-years technology integration that is notable at this fee level. External benchmarking is conducted through International Benchmark Tests (IBT), TIMSS, CAT4, and NGRT, providing internationally referenced data on student performance. Co-curricular engagement includes participation in the World Scholars Cup and Philippine School Overseas (PSO)-sponsored competitions, with students earning both local and international recognition. Virtual reality learning experiences through Pixoul at Al Qana have also been introduced for secondary students.

The most recent ADEK inspection, conducted in May 2022, awarded TPS an overall Acceptable rating — the same rating it has held since 2016–17, and a clear step up from the Weak rating recorded in its first inspection in 2014–15. The trajectory is measurably positive: 24% of evaluated standards were rated Good in 2021–22, up from 12% in 2018–19, while the proportion rated Acceptable fell from 59% to 47% over the same period. Inspectors rated English attainment and progress Good across all four phases, and Science attainment and progress Good across all phases — two of the curriculum's most critical academic pillars. Social Studies attainment and progress was rated Good in Phases 2, 3, and 4. Care, support, health and safety, parent partnerships, and governance were all rated Good. Contextually, both Philippine-curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi hold an Acceptable rating, meaning TPS performs in line with its only direct peer.

However, parents should weigh several areas of concern honestly. Arabic Second Language attainment and progress were rated Weak in Phases 2 and 3 — a significant gap given the UAE context and ADEK's expectations. Mathematics attainment was rated Acceptable across all phases, with no phase reaching Good, which represents a meaningful underperformance relative to the school's stronger results in English and Science. Leadership effectiveness, self-evaluation, and management were all rated Acceptable, suggesting that the school's improvement journey, while real, has not yet been driven by the kind of sharp internal accountability that characterises higher-rated institutions. The student-to-teacher ratio of 1:23 is also notably higher than the Abu Dhabi private school average of 1:13.6, which may constrain the individualised attention available to students. University destination data is [MISSING: no university placement statistics available], limiting any assessment of post-18 outcomes.