Victoria International School Sharjah - Khorfakkan

Victoria International School Sharjah - Khorfakkan is led by Principal James Stearns, who brings considerable institutional knowledge to the role — having spent eight years at the VISS Sharjah campus before becoming Founding Principal of the Khorfakkan campus when it opened in August 2022. That continuity of leadership from within the VISS network is a meaningful signal of stability for a school still in its early years. The school is operated as a not-for-profit entity under the Victoria International School of Sharjah group, founded in partnership with the Ruler of Sharjah and the Victorian Government of Australia.

The 2024–2025 SPEA inspection — the school's first-ever review — rated overall effectiveness as Good, with the senior leadership team specifically described as strong and effective. Governance is provided by a School Governing Board (SGB) chaired by Gregor Cameron, comprised of volunteer members including parent representatives. The SGB provides strategic oversight and accountability without involvement in day-to-day operations — a structure inspectors noted positively, with both the governing body and parents recognised for strong communication and collaboration. Parent engagement channels include direct access to the board via a dedicated governance email address.

The leadership structure beneath Principal Stearns is notably deep for a campus of this size. Deputy Principal Laura Robertson (Head of Primary) brings more than 20 years of teaching experience and holds a Graduate Certificate in School Leadership. Deputy Principal Robert Jenkins (Head of Middle School) holds both an Executive MBA from RMIT University and a Master of School Leadership from Monash University. Deputy Principal Chelsie Bulman (Head of Senior School) has 17 years of leadership experience and has been part of the VISS community since 2010. This depth of qualified, experienced leadership is a genuine strength of the school.

On staffing, the school employs 57 teachers and 14 teaching assistants across a student body of 735, producing a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:13 — broadly in line with the Sharjah-wide average of 1:13.6 across all curriculum types. However, one staffing concern stands out: the inspection recorded a teacher turnover rate of 26%, which is a notable figure for a young campus and one that warrants monitoring. The inspection also identified the capacity of middle leadership as underdeveloped — a recognised area for improvement that the senior team will need to address systematically. [MISSING: staff qualification percentages — no data on proportion holding postgraduate degrees]

The High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) framework is embedded across all classrooms, supported by regular lesson observation — 111 lessons were observed during the inspection, 22 jointly with school leaders — and structured professional development. Teaching quality was rated Good overall, though inspectors noted that teachers' use of assessment data to stretch higher attainers and gifted and talented students requires improvement. The school's inquiry-based approach and its effective MultiLit literacy intervention programme were highlighted as particular strengths of classroom practice.