Dubai school ratings offer hope for all to improve further, principals say
The latest private schools inspection report offers hope that an “outstanding” rating is attainable for all, principals in Dubai have said.
Inspections by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority rated 20 schools as outstanding – the highest rating, above very good, good, acceptable and unacceptable.
The results, released on April 3, showed 25 schools in the emirate improved their performance from the previous round of inspections.
It was the first in-person inspection since 2019, when the coronavirus pandemic led to a halt in school visits.
The authority, Dubai’s private schools regulator, inspected 199 schools in the latest round – 23 more than in 2019.
Seeing schools move up the rankings was a cause for optimism, said Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal of Delhi Private School Dubai.
“There is hope for everybody to do better, and I take this as a positive sign,” she said. “We are now looking around the corner for the next inspection.”
The Indian curriculum Central Board of Secondary Education school was rated “very good” by the authority.
Ms Nandkeolyar said the rankings helped to ensure pupils receives a holistic and comprehensive education.
The regulator has made reading a focus for the next year, when pupils will be encouraged to read across all subjects, including science and maths.
Education authorities have said pupils benefitted when teachers were asked to continually research, learn and refine their methods.
Glen Radojkovich, deputy director at education provider Taaleem, said the inspections provided schools across the emirate with opportunities to reflect on their performance and find ways to improve.
“Our focus on ensuring all our schools offer the best education possible for our students remains at the centre of all we do,” he said.
“We are particularly proud of Greenfield International School, which moved from ‘good’ to ‘very good’, and also the significant improvement in Arabic and Islamic education across the Taaleem portfolio.”
The reports provided by inspectors are vital to planning.
“Feedback is woven into our school improvement plans,” Mr Radojkovich said.
Schools said regular evaluations helped teachers to understand where adjustments were needed and how to improve their facilities.
“It has given us some very realistic improvement points, which we will look forward to being able to show in the next inspection,” said Rebecca Coulter, principal at Dubai British School, Jumeirah Park.
“We had a huge number of uplifts in many areas. Our Arabic and Islamic studies has improved, as have our outcomes in English, maths and science.
“One of our big priorities is to make sure students can articulate their learning.
“There are successes individually and collectively and they reinforce that we are moving in the right direction.”
Dubai’s private school regulator has made reading a focus for the next year, including in science and maths