Wales International School
Executive Summary
Wales International School, a British curriculum school in Al Shamkhah, Abu Dhabi, has maintained its overall Good rating in the latest ADEK Irtiqa inspection for the 2024-2025 academic year. This stability reflects the strong commitment and clear direction provided by the school's leadership, despite significant growth in student enrollment since the previous inspection.
The school demonstrates particular strengths in students' progress across all subjects in Phase 1, and in Arabic as a second language and Islamic Education in Phase 2. Students exhibit positive attitudes to learning, interact well with peers and teachers, and show a clear appreciation of Islamic values and UAE heritage and culture. The curriculum is broad and balanced, effectively integrating UAE values and societal understanding.
While teaching quality has improved to Very Good in Phase 1 and remains Good elsewhere, and health and safety are Very Good, areas for development include strengthening care and support for students, addressing high staff turnover, and enhancing middle leadership capacity. The school is actively working on initiatives like High-Performance Learning (HPL) and a stronger assessment framework to drive further improvements.
Overall School Performance
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Weak
Very Weak
Wales International School Overall Rating
Good
ADEK Performance Standards
The six Irtiqa inspection standards used by ADEK to evaluate school performance across Abu Dhabi.
Students' achievement is rated Good overall. Progress is very good in Phase 1 across all subjects, and in Arabic as a second language and Islamic Education in Phase 2. However, attainment and progress show mixed results, with some improvements in Arabic and English, but regressions noted in Mathematics and Science in Phases 2 and 3, and Social Studies in Phase 3. Phase 1 progressArabic as a first languageEnglish attainment
Students demonstrate a good understanding of Islamic values and an appreciation of UAE heritage and culture. They exhibit positive attitudes to learning and interact well with peers. However, personal development, social responsibility, and innovation skills are rated as Acceptable across all phases. Islamic valuesUAE heritageinnovation skills
Teaching for effective learning is Very Good in KG and Good across other phases, supported by teachers' secure subject knowledge. Assessment practices are generally Good. However, higher-attaining students, including the gifted and talented, are not consistently challenged to reach their full potential. teaching qualityassessment practiceshigher-attaining students
The curriculum is rated Good for both design and adaptation. It offers breadth and balance, providing learning experiences that effectively develop students' understanding of UAE values, culture, and society. The school is working to embed a school-wide focus on reading and literacy skills. curriculum breadthUAE values and culturereading and literacy
Health and safety, including child protection and safeguarding arrangements, are Very Good. However, care and support for students, particularly for those with additional learning needs and higher-attaining students, have regressed to an Acceptable level. Attendance rates are also a concern. health and safetycare and supportadditional learning needs
Leadership and management are rated Good. The newly established senior leadership team provides clear direction, and governance is effective in ensuring resources. However, challenges remain in staff retention, succession planning, and strengthening middle leadership to ensure sustained improvement. new principalgovernancemiddle leadership
Key Highlights
Standout achievements identified by the inspection team that distinguish this school.
Strong Phase 1 Progress
Students demonstrate very good progress across all subjects taught in Phase 1.
Positive Student Attitudes
Students show positive attitudes to learning, interacting well with teachers and peers, and working with little supervision.
UAE Values & Culture
Students across all phases have a clear appreciation of Islamic values and demonstrate pride in UAE heritage and culture.
Broad & Balanced Curriculum
The school's curriculum offers breadth and balance, effectively developing students' understanding of UAE values, culture, and society.
Effective Safeguarding
The school maintains thorough processes for record keeping, hazard identification, and pastoral care, ensuring student protection.
Clear Leadership Direction
The newly established senior leadership team provides clear direction and implements initiatives to improve the school.
Academic Performance Breakdown
The school has maintained its overall Good judgment. While there have been improvements in some subjects and phases (e.g., Arabic First Language and English in Phase 1), regressions have been noted in Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science in other phases, attributed to high staff turnover and an influx of students with lower English and Arabic proficiency.
Leadership & Management
Effectiveness of school governance, strategic planning, and leadership capacity to drive continuous improvement.
Leadership Approach
The leadership team, led by the new principal, provides a clear direction for school improvement, particularly in student achievement. Governance is effective in resource provision, though there is a recognized need to strengthen middle leadership, improve staff retention, and enhance succession planning to ensure stability and sustained development.
Inspection Findings
Students' Achievement
Students' progress is very good in Phase 1 and in specific Arabic and Islamic Education subjects in other phases. However, attainment and progress in English, Mathematics, and Science show mixed results, with some regressions attributed to staff turnover and diverse student entry levels. Higher-attaining students are not consistently challenged.
Personal & Social Development
Students demonstrate a strong appreciation for Islamic values and UAE culture, and generally exhibit positive attitudes to learning. However, personal development, social responsibility, and innovation skills are rated as Acceptable across all phases, indicating areas for further growth.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching quality is good across most phases, with Very Good teaching in KG, supported by teachers' secure subject knowledge. Assessment practices are good. However, there is a need to raise teacher expectations for higher-attaining students and extend questioning skills to promote higher-order thinking.
Curriculum Design & Adaptation
The curriculum is well-designed and implemented, offering breadth and balance that fosters students' understanding of UAE values and society. There is a growing emphasis on reading across the curriculum, but consistency in embedding this and adapting the curriculum for diverse learning needs requires further development.
Protection, Care & Support
Health and safety provisions are very good, including robust safeguarding arrangements. However, care and support for students, particularly those with additional learning needs, have regressed to an Acceptable level. Systems for identifying and supporting diverse learning needs are not as rigorous as before, and attendance is a concern.
Areas for Development
- •Raise achievement in all subjects to a very good level by improving students’ attainment, especially in the lower phases in English, mathematics and science in phases 2 and 3, and by embedding the high-performance learning (HPL) project more consistently.
- •Embed strategies for effective teaching, learning, and support for groups, to accelerate students’ progress in lessons to very good across all subjects by raising teacher expectations and extending curriculum adaptations for identified groups.
- •Improve the impact of school leadership to a very good level by using data more rigorously to inform self-evaluation, strengthening community links, and investigating staffing retention and succession planning strategies.