KHDA annual report 2013_english

The performance of private
schools in Dubai
Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau
Annual
Report

In the name of Allah,
Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The Performance of Private
Schools in Dubai
Annual Report
2013

Annual Report 2013
© 2013 Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai, UAE. All rights reserved.
In the interests of enhancing the value of the information contained in this report, you may download,
print, reproduce and distribute any material contained in the report so long as KHDA is acknowledged
as the source.

Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau Annual Report 2013
8
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam
Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Knowledge and Human Development Authority
This year marks the fifth year that KHDA has been inspecting schools in Dubai. In that time, the city
has seen many changes. It has emerged as a more dynamic, robust economy which is once again
going through great growth.
Since 2008, the private education sector has grown not just in size, but in quality. Results from
international assessments such as PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS have corroborated inspections findings
that student outcomes are improving across the sector.
Partnerships with international accreditation and quality assurance bodies such as British Schools
Overseas and New England Associations of Schools and Colleges are also ensuring that the quality
of education offered by Dubai’s schools is comparable to the best in the world.
In the past five years of inspections, we have identified many strengths in Dubai’s schools sector,
ranging from teaching and learning, to leadership and student wellbeing, to name just a few. We
are committed to concentrating on these strengths and encouraging schools to share them with
each other, so that all students have access to high quality education.
We believe we will continue to transform education in Dubai through collaboration, greater
engagement with parents, teachers and students, and reinforcing the strengths and positive
practices of every school in Dubai.

9
Jameela Al Muhairi
Chief of the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau
Knowledge and Human Development Authority
I am proud to welcome you to the fifth Annual Report of the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau
(DSIB). We have continued to carry out our annual inspections of all the private schools in Dubai and
to gather vital information about the progress of the schools since inspection began. We have been
able to generate a comprehensive picture of school performance which directly influences parents,
school leaders and government policy.
Our information shows an improving picture over time, not perhaps as dramatic this year as in the
earlier years, but nonetheless steady and assured. In 2008-9, fewer than a third of students attended
good or better schools. This year, the number has improved yet again and now almost exactly half
of our students now go to schools that are judged to be good or better. Consequently, there are
fewer students in acceptable or unsatisfactory schools. DSIB continues to focus its energies and
resources to raise standards in the less effective schools. We value the partnerships that we have
created with all schools and acknowledge the commitment and hard work of staff and leaders.
It is our custom to develop and refine our approaches to inspection and expectations of schools,
as well as addressing particular issues. In 2012-13, there have been distinct focuses on students’
personal development and the provision for students with special educational needs. We have
also looked closely at how well Emirati students perform. In addition, we have established self-
evaluation procedures as a fundamental part of inspection, so that schools can play a full part in the
process and be more responsible for their own improvement.
In the coming year, we will continue to focus on students with special educational needs and
Emirati students. Following a current emphasis on the provision for Arabic as a first language, each
inspection this year will gather key information. Inspection reports will feature short sections on all
of these three themes. As an added dimension, inspectors will be checking how well schools use
international assessment data to influence their performance.
We remain very grateful for all the support and input from everyone involved in school inspection.
We are heartened by the continuing successes in Dubai schools and we will continue to do our best
to champion excellent practice and minimise poor provision so that all students in Dubai can benefit
from good quality schools. We look forward to working alongside all stakeholders to promote and
ensure further successes.
My colleagues and I wish you every success for the coming year.

10

11
Contents
Introduction 12
Part One: Inspection Findings 2008-2013
Chapter 1: Trends in the performance of schools over five years
- Overview 18
- Overall performance 20
- Performance against the quality indicators 30
- The overall performance of schools offering different curricula 82
Chapter 2: Tackling unsatisfactory performance
Chapter 3: Early years learning
Chapter 4: The views of parents, teachers and students
Chapter 5: Thematic investigations
- Developing provision for students with special educational needs 146
- US schools in Dubai 186
Chapter 6: Challenges for the next five years
Part Two: The Development of DSIB’s Organisation and Methods
Chapter 7: The framework for inspection
Chapter 8: The role of self-evaluation in school inspection
Chapter 9: Collaboration with other organisations and local partnerships
Chapter 10: DSIB in the media
Part Three: School Performance Tables

12
Introduction
The close of the academic year 2012-13 marks the end of the fifth year of private school inspections
in Dubai. The initial quality inspections in 2008-09 followed several months of preparation, involving
research into best practices and working with schools and external agencies to create an inspection
framework and method to meet the needs of Dubai. Since then, Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau’s
(DSIB) core team of international staff, together with several hundred associate inspectors from
around the world, have enabled DSIB to fulfil its mission “to contribute to the improvement of
educational outcomes and parental choice by providing independent, comprehensive, authoritative
assessment of education quality in Dubai”. Inspectors have carried out approaching 10,000 separate
analyses of data and documents, have conducted around 20,000 interviews with school staff and
students, and observed in excess of 60,000 lessons.
The framework for inspection in 2008-09 was useful for the initial quality inspections. It informed
schools and other stakeholders of the basics of the school inspection process, the Key Questions
and the Quality Indicators that were used to evaluate provision and outcomes. In subsequent
years we have continued to ask the same seven Key Questions but in greater depth and with more
rigour. The precision and clarity of the quality indicators have been developed considerably; and the
quality descriptors are now much more detailed so that there is little room for ambiguity.
The story of school inspection from the autumn of 2008 to the present day – the evolution of the
framework, the response of schools to inspection, DSIB’s involvement with other organisations, and
the reaction of parents, other stakeholders and the media – is the subject of this review of the first
five years of DSIB.

13
The structure of this report
Part One presents a detailed analysis of the findings resulting from inspection activity over the five
years since 2008.
Chapter 1 describes trends in the performance of private schools, first generally in relation to each
of the quality indicators employed by inspection teams; and then with regard to each group of
schools that offer the different curricula available in Dubai.
Chapter 2 is concerned with how KHDA has encouraged improvement in schools whose performance
has been rated unsatisfactory in inspections.
Chapter 3 describes DSIB’s findings about Early Years learning.
Chapter 4 presents a summary of the views expressed by parents, teachers and students in the
surveys of opinion that have become part of the inspection process.
Besides inspecting and reporting on individual schools, DSIB is mandated to investigate how well
Dubai schools are performing in terms of key educational themes, in order to inform policy decisions.
Reports of three of these thematic investigations appear in Chapter 5.
Chapter 6 presents a discussion of the main challenges facing private schools in Dubai over the
coming period, based on the evidence gained from the experience of five years of inspection and
reporting on education quality.
Part Two describes how some of DSIB’s essential practices have evolved and developed over the
last five years in the light of continuing experience of inspecting schools.
Chapter 7 records how the inspection framework has altered in response to changing priorities, while
maintaining its original emphasis on producing authoritative evaluations of school effectiveness.
Chapter 8 is concerned with the developing role of school self-evaluation in the inspection process,
as well as with its demonstrable importance in the effective leadership and management of schools.
Chapter 9 outlines DSIB’s work in partnership with other organisations and Chapter 10 recalls some
examples of how school inspection activity has been reported in the media.
Part Three contains a table of the overall performance over the period of the report 2008-2013

14
Part
One:
Part

15
Inspection
Findings
2008-2013

1Chapter:
Part One: Inspection Findings 2008-2013

Trends in the
performance of
schools over five years1

18
Overview
The numbers of private schools and students in Dubai have increased over the five years. There are
now thirty four more schools providing for around 107,000 more students. Compared with 2008-09,
there are three times the number of outstanding schools, fifty per cent more good schools and fewer
unsatisfactory schools. However, analysis of findings from year to year shows that improvement has
not been equal across all types of school, nor has the rate of improvement been steady from year
to year. Schools that have improved the most are those offering a UK-based curriculum. The group of
schools that has been slowest to improve offer the MoE curriculum.
The greatest period of change was seen over the two years following the initial quality inspections.
After that, improvement has slowed; the proportions of schools in the “acceptable” and “good”
categories have remained broadly the same although the number of outstanding schools has
continued to increase. Nevertheless, taken overall, there has been an upward trend in the quality of
education provided and in students’ academic and personal development.
Improvements in students’ achievements in the individual key subjects have differed. Greatest
improvement has been seen in English, mathematics and science.There has also been improvement in
Islamic Education, although overall attainment levels still lag behind those in the other three subjects.
In Arabic, however, there has been no improvement over the last three inspection cycles and even a
decline in attainment and progress in Arabic as a first language. Attainment and progress in Arabic as
both a first and an additional language are at much lower levels than in the other key subjects.
Students’ personal and social development has improved throughout the five years. It is important
to note, however, that the aspects of personal and social development inspected and the inspection
method have both been revised significantly since the first inspections.
Improvements have been seen in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. However, there
have been significant variations in the rates and types of improvement between the age phases and
between schools offering different types of curricula. Improvements have been most notable in all
phases of UK-style schools. There have also been noteworthy improvements in phase 4 of schools
offering MoE and Indian curricula but phases 1 and 2 of these schools have been slowest to respond.
The quality of the curriculum has improved most in UK, US, IB and French schools. There has been no
overall improvement of the curriculum in private MoE schools.
Provision for the health and safety of students improved rapidly in the two years following the first
inspections. It has remained static since then, with most schools providing a good or outstanding
level of care. Similarly the quality of support got better in the same early period but then appeared
to decline slightly. However, that decline coincided with a revision of this quality indicator which now
places a greater emphasis on the identification of, and provision for, students with special educational
needs.
All aspects of leadership and management were better in the last round of inspections when compared
to the first. In keeping with trends in other quality indicators, the quality of leadership, self-evaluation
and improvement planning, governance and management improved until 2010-11 then levelled out.
In contrast, partnerships with parents and the community have continued to improve year on year.
Most schools now have good and better partnerships, and in a third of all schools partnerships are
outstanding.

19
After five years of inspections, KHDA and DSIB now have a reliable and detailed view of the strengths,
trends and aspects for improvement in private schools in Dubai. This information is guiding DSIB in
its plans and strategies for the next five years.
What has changed for the better
There are now more good and outstanding schools and more students attend these schools
Students’ attainment and progress have improved in most key subjects
Students are consistently well behaved and demonstrate strong personal and social development
There is good quality teaching, learning and assessment in more schools
Far more schools fulfil the MOE statutory requirements
There are better arrangements for the health and safety of students
More schools are led well
More schools have effective governance arrangements
More schools have created effective partnerships with parents
Where improvement has been less pronounced
A persistently high proportion of schools are rated no better than acceptable overall
There has been very little improvement in students’ attainment and progress in Arabic
Students’ investigative skills in mathematics and science are still insufficiently developed
A persistently high proportion of teaching is rated no better than of acceptable quality
Weak teaching and learning is common in kindergarten classes
Students have too few opportunities to use ICT to help them learn
Some schools still deny their students opportunities to gain internationally recognised qualifications
Provision for students with special educational needs remains weak in half the schools
There are persistent weaknesses in leadership in too many schools
Too many schools have weak self-evaluation and improvement planning processes
International Assessments
Thequalityofeducationisoneofthemostfundamentalprioritiesforacountry’spresentandfuture
and the implementation of international assessments alongside the inspection process has been
a significant development in helping Dubai evaluate the quality of schools. These assessments
provide an international comparison of what Dubai can do compared with international peers.
The first international assessment Dubai students participated in was TIMMS in 2007. Two years
later, Dubai participated in PISA 2009. In 2011, Dubai participated in the joint cycle of TIMMS and
PIRLS. This cycle allowed Dubai to benchmark achievement trends. In Chapter 1, international
assessments and student attainment and progress are discussed and linked.

20
Overall performance
Context
Most private schools have been inspected five times. Indian and Pakistani curriculum schools were
inspected for the first time in 2009-2010.
The number of private schools in Dubai has grown from 109 to 143 since 2008-2009, a 31 per cent
increase.
The number of students attending private schools inspected by DSIB has almost doubled over the
same period.
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
114,111
177,013
187,905
199,394
221,332
Students in inspected private schools
The fact that Indian and Pakistani schools were not inspected in 2008-2009 accounts only partly for
this increase: the number of students has risen in private schools offering all types of curriculum.

21
Numbers of students in private schools inspected in 2012-2013
69,666
Others*
French
IB
MOE
US
Indian
UK (51 schools)
67,579
46,790
(23 schools)
(32 schools)
16,085 (13 schools)
5,574 (6 schools)
3,762 (4 schools)
11,876 (14 schools)
* The title ‘Others’ refers to six schools which follow an Iranian curriculum, three schools following the
Pakistani National Curriculum, two schools which follow a Philippine curriculum and three further schools
which provide German, Russian and Japanese curricula

22
UK
US
Private-MOE
IB
French
Other*
UK
US
Indian
Private-MOE
IB
French
Other*
UK
US
Indian
Private-MOE
IB
French
Other*
UK
US
Indian
Private-MOE
IB
French
Other*
UK
US
Indian
Private-MOE
IB
French
Other*
2008-20092009-20102010-20112011-20122012-2013
49
30
16
644
49
30
20
15
64
7
51
31
21
15
64
8
50
30
21
14
64
14
51
32
23
13
64
14
Inspectedprivateschoolsovertheﬁveinspectionyears-bycurriculum
139
privateschoolsinspected
in2011-2012
143
in2012-2013
109
in2008-2009
131
in2009-2010
136
in2010-2011

23
Overall quality ratings
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
UnsatisfactoryAcceptable
Overallratingofschools
GoodOutstanding
Studentsinprivateschoolsbetween2008-09and2012-13
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Morestudentsattend
'outstanding'schools
Morestudents
attend'good'schools
Fewerstudentsattend
'unsatisfactory'schools
Fewerstudentsattend
'acceptable'schools
2011-2012
Percentage of students
Lower proportions of the student population now attend unsatisfactory and acceptable schools than
in 2008-09. Higher proportions of students now attend good and outstanding schools.

24
Numbers of private schools achieving different quality ratings 2008-09 to
20012-13
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Unsatisfactory Acceptable Good Outstanding
17 17 16
13 13
54
69
65 65 67
34
43
49 49 51
4 2
6
11 12
Quality of Private Schools Inspected
Note: Indian and Pakistani schools were not inspected in 2008-2009
Fifty-one private schools in Dubai now offer a good quality of education, compared with 34 in
2008-2009. The number of unsatisfactory schools has fallen from 17 in 2008-9 to 13 in 2012-
2013. The number of schools rated acceptable has changed very little: between 65 and 69 in
each of the last four inspection cycles. Schools of all the major curriculum types are amongst this
group. Nevertheless, three times as many private schools in Dubai now provide education of an
outstanding quality than they did in 2008-09.

25
Proportions of students in private schools with different quality ratings
2008-09 to 20012-13
14%
8% 5% 6% 6%
56%
56%
51% 47% 45%
27% 35%
41%
38% 40%
3% 1% 3% 9% 9%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Students in private schools over inspection years
49%
47%44%36%30%
The student population now attending private schools is almost twice the number it was in 2008-
09. Almost half of the current students are receiving a good or outstanding quality of education
compared with less than a third in 2008-09.

26
Numbers of students in private schools with different quality ratings 2008-
09 to 20012-13
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
15,757
13,243
9,983
10,988
14,049
64,069
99,171
95,562
95,249
99,185
31,187
62,394
76,183
77,176
87,663
3,098
2,205
6,177
18,546
20,435
Numbers of students in inspected private schools
Note: Indian and Pakistani schools were not inspected in 2008-2009
The number of students attending unsatisfactory schools has fallen from 15,757 (14 per cent) in
2008-2009 to 14,049 (6 per cent) in 2012-2013.
The number of students attending outstanding schools has risen from 3,098 in 2008-2009 (under 3
per cent) to 20,435 (9 per cent) in 2012-2013.

27
Changes in schools’ overall ratings
Changes in the overall rating of schools between
their ﬁrst inspection and 2012-2013
45
18 Declined
Improved
During each of the past five years, the ratings of more schools have improved than declined.
However, the movement toward higher overall ratings has slowed in the past year, after increasing
steadily for the first four years.
Although the schools whose overall ratings have altered from one inspection round to the next have
been relatively few in number, inspectors have recorded changes in the quality of different aspects
of the work of many more. These changes in ratings have mostly been in an upward direction.
It is also important to note that the criteria against which school provision and outcomes are judged
have evolved over the five years of inspections. DSIB has increased the levels of expectation in
several ways over the five years in response to inspection findings. It has consequently become, in
some important respects, increasingly demanding for schools to achieve each quality rating.

28
The importance of leadership
The significant role of effective school leadership and management is widely acknowledged in
education research. The quality of leaders and leadership is critical if schools are to produce the best
possible outcomes for their students. Inspection results have shown that not only do schools need
skilful teachers to improve students’outcomes, they also need leaders who are able to plan and use
resources to assist teachers and the rest of the school in making improvements.
Inspections over the five years have shown that leadership and management are important factors
that affect schools’ overall improvement. Inspection ratings for leadership, self-evaluation and
teaching are closely inter-related. The charts which follow demonstrate the impact of improved
leadership on:
• The quality of the teaching in schools;
• The attainment and progress of students.
Improved leadership and improved overall performance
The quality of leadership is a key indicator in the inspection framework for determining the overall
performance of schools. Schools that have good or outstanding leadership are likely to be rated
good or outstanding overall. Chart 1, below, illustrates how improving leadership over time is
matched to the improving overall performance of 45 schools since 2008-09. The graph indicates
that it takes more than one year for the overall rating to improve in line with the grade given for
leadership. This link between leadership and overall performance is also shown in Chart 2 with
schools that declined in their overall performance rating since 2008-09.
Chart 1
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Inspection year
Leadership in schools that have improved their overall performance since
their ﬁrst inspection (45 schools)
Leadership
Overall rating
Percentageof'good'and'outstanding'ratings

29
Chart 2
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Inspection year
Leadership in schools in which the overall performance has declined since
their ﬁrst inspection (18 schools)
Leadership
Overall ratings
In addition to leadership, the quality of teaching and its subsequent effect on students’ progress are
other factors. Good leadership results in good teaching, which leads to good progress.
Chart 3 shows how leadership, teaching and students’ progress have improved in parallel in the
schools where leadership (QI 6.1) was rated good or outstanding in 2012-2013.
Chart 3
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Inspection year
Teaching and students' progress in schools in which leadership is
'good' or 'outstanding' in 2012-2013
Leadership
Teaching
Progress

30
Performance against the Quality Indicators
Students’ attainment and progress in five key subjects
Islamic Education
Islamic Education is a statutory requirement for all schools in Dubai. It is one of the five key subjects
inspected and reported on in private schools regardless of the curriculum offered. Inspectors
evaluate Islamic Education against the curriculum standards and expectations set by the UAE MoE
in the National Curriculum Document for Islamic Education (updated in 2011). Inspectors make
judgements on students’ attainment and progress in seven main areas of the subject: Holy Qur’an,
Seerah, Principles of Faith, Islamic Rulings & Forms of Worship, Islamic Values, Islamic Culture &
Identity, and Universal Values and Concepts from an Islamic Perspective. The curriculum depth and
detail, as well as expectations for the memorisation of Holy Qur’an are taken into account when
making evaluations of the attainment and progress of non-Arab Muslim students.
20%
12% 8% 7% 5%
51%
57%
48% 53% 54%
28% 30%
43% 39% 40%
1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Islamic Education - Attainment
29% 31%
44% 40% 41%

31
22 19
9
2 1
19
13 12 10 8
2 4
10
5
12
25
43
14 14 12
100
18
11
33
40
45
58
57 74
72
52
55
51
50 54 68
36 29
42
65
46
27
36
29
71
62
55 57
50
37
28
43 43
38
64
56
58
50
31
22
31
22
24 28 32
37 40 38
30
64 67
58
25
50
70
57
68
29
38
45 43
38 38
29
43 43
50
18
33
9 10
2 1 3 2 3 1 4 3 2 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
UK US Indian Private MOE IB French Others
Islamic Education - Attainment - by curriculum
Islamic Education - Progress
22%
13%
6% 6% 4%
49%
56%
42% 45%
44%
28% 30%
50% 47% 51%
1% 1% 2% 2% 1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
29 31%
52% 49% 52%

32
25
15
7
2 1
19
14 11 11 8 8
2
12
7 8 7 6
25
43
14
100
36
25
40
47 64
52
56
51
49
54
37
43 47
53
30 33
41
60
50
30
36
24
71
61
64
36
44
37
28
43
57
50
37
67
67
30
26
19
38 39
47
31 32
52
45 45
40
70 65
56
28
46
67
55
74
29 31
36
57
50
38
29
43 43
50
27
33
8
30
2 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 4 3 2 2
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
Islamic Education - Progress - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
Students’ attainment and progress in Islamic Education improved in the first three years of
inspections but has remained static since then. There was a remarkable decline in unsatisfactory
attainment and progress in the subject during the first three years of inspections. Equally, there
was a significant increase in the proportion of good attainment and progress in the same period.
Approximately half the progress recorded in 2010-2011 was judged to be good or better and this
has been maintained since then. However, the proportion of good and outstanding attainment
judgements has remained at around 40%. There has been almost no change in the small amount
of outstanding attainment and progress.
Students’ understanding of the direct meaning of verses of the Holy Qur’an and of Hadeeth remains
secure. The best progress was made in the development of students’ knowledge of the Prophet’s
Seerah and key forms of worship and Islamic rulings. This, however, has been at the expense
of developing students’ ability to recognise and establish links between what they are learning
and their everyday lives. The Holy Qur’an recitation skills remain within the expected levels for
the majority of students, with the pronunciation of verses being mostly clear but not necessarily
following the appropriate recitation rules.
Most improvement has been achieved by students in the primary phase, a trend particularly
noticeable in MoE curriculum schools. Overall progress has been best in MoE schools and this has
been broadly matched by attainment. However, further progress in the subject in this group of
schools is hindered by the excessive focus on learning facts and recalling information, together with
the insuffcient opportunities for developing high-order thinking skills.
Agenerallypositive trend is also evident among UK schools.There is farless unsatisfactoryattainment

33
and progress than in 2008 and, in the primary phase, attainment and progress are appreciably
better since the first inspection cycle. Overall, progress has been good, although attainment has
yet to catch up. The proportions of good and outstanding attainment are still low in UK schools,
particularly in the primary and secondary phases.
In US curriculum schools, students’attainment and progress have steadily improved, most noticeably
in the elementary phase. However, in the middle and high school phases, there has been only a
slight improvement and this remains a significant area of attention for this group of schools for both
Arab and non-Arab Muslim students. The proportion of unsatisfactory attainment and progress has
fallen but remains too high.
Overall progress in IB and French schools has been good. Attainment has not been as good and
significant minority of judgements are still unsatisfactory. There has been little change in both
attainment and progress in the middle and secondary phases. Improvement has been evident in
the primary phase in French schools since 2008-2009.
There was initially a remarkable improvement in attainment and progress across most phases in
Indian schools although this has not been maintained in recent years.

34
Arabic
Students’ attainment and progress in Arabic as a first and as an additional language have been
evaluated separately since 2010.
DSIB has inspected Arabic since the first cycle of inspections. For the first two years of inspections,
evaluations of attainment and progress were made together for all students, Arab and non-Arab
students, and were reported in one category. Since then, DSIB has refined its inspection processes
so that separate evaluations have been made for students studying Arabic as a first language and
those studying Arabic as an additional language.
Arabic as a first language
All Arab students are required to study the subject as a first language. The purpose is to give
sufficient focus to the study of Arabic as a main element of Emirati and Arab culture and identity.
Evaluations in this subject have been made against the age-related curriculum standards and
expectations set by the UAE MoE which are published in the National Curriculum Document for
Arabic Language. Inspectors also take account of international standards and expectations for other
first language learners in similar age groups. Inspectors examine and evaluate students’ attainment
and progress in the four key aspects of the language: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Arabic as a ﬁrst language - Attainment
Note: In 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Arabic as a First Language and Arabic as an Additional Language were inspected together as one subjec.
17% 18%
6% 5% 5%
54% 54%
56% 60% 62%
27% 27%
36% 33% 31%
2% 1% 2% 2% 2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
38% 35% 33%
28%29%

35
23 25
7 7 7
15
10
6 7 6 2
23
7
14
80
54
48
54
68
72 75 61
60
55 53 57
64
42
30
41
39
46
38
70
77
80
33
43
57 57
50
20
46
100
50
26
20
22
18 15
22
30
39 40 37 36
55
67
55
58
54
39
30
23
13
67
43 43 43
50 50
100
3 1 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
UK US Private MOE IB French Others
Arabic as a ﬁrst language - Attainment - by curriculum
Notes:
- In 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Arabic as a First Language and Arabic as an Additional Language were inspected together as one subjec.
- Only one school in “Others” [The German International School] offers Arabic as a First Language.
18% 19%
6% 3% 5%
54% 50%
48% 52%
56%
26% 30%
44% 43%
38%
2% 1% 2% 2% 1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Arabic as a ﬁrst language - Progress
46% 45%
39%
31%28%

36
23 24
8
3
8
15
10
21 22
9
5 2
23
7
80
62
50
53
60
59
61
61
60
59
49
64
59
42
27
48
47
69
38
50
38
60
33
57
43
29
37
20
15
50 50
23
21
29
35
30
22
30
20
29 27
36
55
70
48
50
31
39
50
62
33
67
43
57
71
63
23
50 50
100
4 2 3 3 1 2 3 3 2 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2010-2011
2012-2013
2008-2009
2010-2011
2012-2013
UK US Private MOE IB French Others
Arabic as a ﬁrst language - Progress - by curriculum
Notes:
-In 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Arabic as a First Language and Arabic as an Additional Language were inspected together as one subjec.
-Only one school in “Others” [The German International School] offers Arabic as a First Language.
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2009-2010
2011-2012
2009-2010
2011-2012
There has been very little overall change in students’ attainment and progress in Arabic as a first
language. The proportions of outstanding and unsatisfactory attainment have remained almost
unchanged since 2010-2011 and the overall proportion of good attainment has declined.
There has been some improvement in the primary phases, where unsatisfactory attainment and
progresshavedecreasedsince2010andaroundhalftheprogressisnowgoodorbetter.Improvements
in this phase have been strongest in UK curriculum schools, where unsatisfactory attainment has
almost been eliminated and almost all students now reach acceptable or better levels. However, in
spite of this improvement, the proportion of good and outstanding attainment in the UK curriculum
schools remains around at about 20 per cent only. There are more notable improvements in schools
that offer the French curriculum or the German curriculum where attainment and progress in the
primary phase are now all at a good level.
Apart from in the primary phase, there has been no improvement overall and even some decline
in attainment and progress in some types of school. There has been hardly any improvement in
the US, private MoE or French schools in the middle phases in this subject and slight declines have
been noted in UK and IB curriculum schools in the same phase. The trend is mostly negative in the
secondary phase, with US and French schools showing no or limited improvements, while MoE, UK
and IB schools saw slight declines. In private MoE schools nearly half the attainment ratings are
currently unsatisfactory in kindergarten compared to around a quarter in 2010-11.
With the exception of the primary phase, where key language skills are steadily improving, students’
skills in reading and writing remain significant areas for improvement. While basic reading skills,

37
for example to find specific information, are secure, deeper levels of reading are not sufficiently
developed. Writing skills remain the weakest of the four key skills in the language across all school
categories. Younger students’skills in letter and word formation in the primary phase are developing
well. Their skills in writing simple, short texts to convey basic information and to summarize or re-
tell a familiar short story are within the range of expected levels. However, middle and secondary
phase students are not developing their creative writing skills to a sufficient level in a significant
proportion of schools. Insufficient attention is often given to helping students understand the
process of writing, and limited feedback from teachers and poor guidance restrict students’ abilities
to improve the quality of their writing.
The “Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study” (PIRLS) tests the reading
skills of Grade 4 students. When Dubai participated in PIRLS 2011, students in only
nine schools were tested in Arabic. All of these schools were private MoE schools where
Arabic is the language of instruction. The average score of students from only one of
these nine schools was above the international scale average (500). The average of
both female and male students in this school was above Dubai’s PIRLS average.
Arabic as an additional language
Students’attainment and progress in Arabic as an additional language were evaluated as part of the
‘collective’ evaluation for all students in the first two cycles of inspection. They have been evaluated
separately since then. Evaluations in this subject, across all curricula, are made against international
standards and expectations for Modern Foreign Languages and are related to the number of years
of study for the different groups of students. Inspectors expect schools to use the MoE resources
for Arabic as an Additional Language, although DSIB encourages schools to enrich the curriculum
with a wider range of resources to enable students to meet international expectations. Inspectors
examine and evaluate students’ attainment and progress in the four key aspects of the language:
listening, speaking, reading and writing.

38
Arabic as an additional language - Attainment
17% 18% 18% 19% 13%
54% 54%
66% 61% 70%
27% 27%
16% 20% 16%
2% 11% 1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
16% 20% 17%
28%29%
23 25
20 18
14 15
10
21 22
9 9
23
18
23
10 10 9
14
80
54
27
21 18
48
54 63
63 68
61
60
59
49
64
64
42
81
71
75
46
38
90
70
82
33
43
83 83 83
20
46
64 76
78
26
20
17 19 18
22
30
20
29 27
36
55
10
6 7
54
39
20
9
67
43
17 17 17
9
3 43 1 2 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
UK US Indian IB French Others
Arabic as an additional language - Attainment - by curriculum

39
Arabic as an additional language - Progress
18% 19%
13% 15% 11%
54% 50% 61%
52% 62%
26% 30%
26%
32%
26%
2% 1% 1% 1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
26%
33%
27%31%28%
23 24
12 9 6
12
8
16 17
8 5
12
20 20 23
10 10
80
62
27 24 21
50
53
62
48 54
60
55
56 53
64
59
42
63
51
67
69
38
60
50 73
33
57
83 83 83
20
15
55
66
68
23
21 26
41 38
26
37
28 30 28
36
55
25
29
13
31
39
30
40
27
67
43
17 17 17
23
18
10 11
4 2 2 2 2 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
UK US Indian IB French Others
Arabic as an additional language - Progress - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011

40
There have been slight improvements in attainment and progress inArabic as an additional language.
While there has been no significant change in the proportion of good or better attainment in this
subject overall, unsatisfactory attainment has reduced since 2010, although by no more than five
percentage points.
A positive trend has been noted in the primary phases of UK and US curriculum schools. In addition
to a reducing proportion of unsatisfactory attainment, there has been a slight improvement in the
proportion of good attainment in the US curriculum schools over the last three years. Improvements
were noted in students’ skills in letter and word script shaping, and in decoding and pronouncing
Arabic script. Some progress in the recognition of a limited range of spoken familiar phrases was
evident. Improvements in students’abilities to use the language to communicate simple information
in writing have been modest.
Attainment in the middle and secondary phases has remained mostly static, and in the Indian
schools the proportion of unsatisfactory attainment has increased. In the middle phase, there has
been little improvement in the progress of the majority of students who have been studying the
subject for many years. They still struggle to communicate in Arabic at a basic level.
Schools that were rated outstanding overall showed very different rates of progress made by first
and additional Arabic language learners. These schools have made genuine efforts in recent years
to improve their provision for additional language learners, which has resulted in better progress.
Nevertheless, progress among first language learners in these schools remains at a far lower level.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Inspection year
Students' progress in Arabic in schools rated good in 2012-2013
Progress in Arabic as
a ﬁrst language
Progress in Arabic as an additional
language
Note: In 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Arabic as a First Language and Arabic as an Additional Language were inspected together as one subject.

41
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Inspection year
Students' progress in Arabic in schools rated 'outstanding' in 2012-2013
Progress in Arabic as a
ﬁrst language
Progress in Arabic as an additional
language

42
English
English is the medium of communication in most private schools. When making judgements about
students’ attainment and progress, inspectors make evaluations about speaking, listening, reading
and writing. In some schools, where English is not the first language of many of the students,
inspectors take into account expectations for those learning English as an additional language.
Both attainment and progress in English improved in the two years following the first inspections.
Since then, the pace of improvement has slowed. Nevertheless, despite the combined good and
outstanding ratings appearing to dip slightly in the last two rounds of inspections, the proportions
of outstanding attainment and progress have continued to improve and the percentage of
unsatisfactory ratings has declined.
18%
7% 2% 5% 2%
38%
46%
38%
39% 41%
35% 39%
50% 41% 41%
9% 8% 10%
15% 16%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
English - Attainment
44% 47%
60% 56% 57

43
12
2 1 3
26
7 2
8 10
2 3
25
16 13 14 13
7
17
34
34
27 24
22
35
51
52
46
52
55
31
35
39
45 63
58
67 67
50
39
44 45
33
56
45
62
55
20
70
80
38
48
50
46
51
35
36 43
39
39
33
65
48
44
30
21
29
19 20
43
61
56
45
57
22
33
67
56
30
28
80
30
17
16 16
22
27 27
4 6 3
7 9
2 4
15 14
10 10
22 22
33
44
70
38
3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
English - Attainment - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
14% 7% 2% 4% 2%
42%
37%
30%
35%
34%
32%
48%
57% 46%
45%
12% 8% 11% 15% 19%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
English -Progress
44%
56%
68%
61% 64%

44
9
3 1 4 1
19
6 2 6
12
1 2
24
16
11 12 13 10
17
3
40
28
20
18
16
43
41
41
42
40
46
31 29
38
50
58
50
70 69
14
22 19 20
24
50
22
62
33
20
65
67
35
52
58
51
53
31
47 53 44
49
41
63
55
46
26 26
39
16 13
64
78
75
65
62
20
56
67 67
30
0
50
80
35 25
16 17
21
27 30
7 6 4
8 11
1 6
15 14
2 5
22
6
15 14
20 22
33 33
70
38
5
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
English - Progress - by curriculum
Students’ attainment and progress in English improved in the first three rounds of inspection.
Improvement has been slower since then, although the proportions of outstanding attainment and
progress have increased. The proportion of outstanding attainment has almost doubled since 2008-09.
There has also been a significant decrease in the proportion of unsatisfactory attainment, and these
judgements in 2012-13 were at minimal levels. Progress is now good or better in the majority of
schools and has developed at a slightly faster pace than attainment. However, attainment has tended
to follow the improvements in progress year on year.
Attainment and progress in English have improved spectacularly in French schools. Students are
articulate and expressive, using a wide range of vocabulary and, by the Secondaire phase, most are
skilled bilingual or trilingual learners.
English is generally a strong subject in the UK curriculum schools, particularly at the secondary phase.
Students in UK and US schools have improved their capacities to write well because they are now better
at individual expression, breadth of vocabulary, creating imaginative storylines. Performance in English
tends to be weaker in the US schools, particularly in the elementary phase. In half of the US schools, the
curriculum has not been sufficiently modified to meet the needs of the significant number of students
who are learning English as an additional language.
Students’ attainment and progress in English in Indian schools improved radically in the early part of
the inspection period but performance has levelled off in the last two years. In IB schools, attainment
in English has improved markedly over the last three years, mainly in the Middle Years Programme.
Students’performance in English is weakest in MoE schools. The proportion of unsatisfactory attainment
and progress has reduced onlyslightlysince 2008-2009 and there is too little that are good oroutstanding.

45
Over five inspection cycles there have been improvements in students’ attainment and progress
in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. However, development in these skills
has varied widely over time among the different kinds of schools. Most development has been in
listening and speaking and less in reading, with slowest development in writing skills. Students
make rapid progress in schools where there is a strong understanding of language development
in all phases, and of the difference between first language acquisition and additional language
acquisition.
Over time, students have shown improving capacity to listen actively and show understanding of
what they have heard. Their listening has been developed because sufficient time is allowed to
consider and respond rather than only repeat what is heard. Listening has not been well developed
when teachers talk for too long and move quickly to the next idea with few opportunities for
students to explain by themselves or in groups, what they have heard. This is less common among
older students.
Most development of speaking skills has been when students have had ample opportunity to
practise speaking for themselves, through dialogue, oral presentations, self-correction and correcting
each other. Students showing least progress are expected to answer in only one or a few words,
often only to the teacher,and have few opportunities to talk spontaneously participate with their
peers. Teachers dominate the talk and on occasion finish sentences for the student. This approach
in Kindergarten and primary has slowed development considerably.
Most progress in reading has been when it is encouraged from the first year of school, and there is
a wide choice of what to read and many opportunities to do so. Where attainment and progress are
good or better, access to reading material is an integral part of learning and is featured across all
subjects in the school. Students read for pleasure both in class and at home. Reading development
has been slowest where textbooks are the only reading available and little additional reading
material is provided. Often, older students read more widely but have not consistently developed
the habit of reading beyond the curriculum.
The skill of writing has shown least development during the five years of inspections in the majority
of schools and across all phases. In a minority of schools, writing is valued as an extremely important
element of language development. Writing is seen as an integral part of a child’s academic, social
and emotional development. Students are given opportunities to write independently and broadly
across all areas of the curriculum. However, many schools continue to provide few opportunities
for student-initiated writing. Writing is often seen as an opportunity for students to demonstrate
grammar skills and little else. There are few opportunities for students to write extended pieces of
text, for different purposes and different readers.
More than 60 per cent of Dubai’s students were tested in English in PIRLS 2011. Those in
over half of Dubai’s sampled schools achieved above the international average of PIRLS
(500) and students from 29 schools achieved at the high international benchmark or
above. These students were competent in making inferences to explain relationships
between intentions, actions, events, and feelings. A further six per cent of students
could distinguish and interpret complex information and give text-based support to
their arguments.

46
Mathematics
International curricula in mathematics include problem solving and analytical thinking as well as
competence in data handling, calculation, understanding of number, and shape and space. Students
are expected to be able to use mathematics in everyday life. Inspectors make judgements on
students’ attainment and progress and check whether or not the curriculum expectations match
international standards.
11% 6% 1% 4% 2%
45% 51%
46% 42% 42%
35% 36%
40% 41% 43%
9% 7%
13% 13% 13%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Mathematics - Attainment
44% 43%
53% 54% 56%
A largely positive overall trend in students’ attainment and progress in mathematics is evident
across private schools in Dubai. In the first year of inspections, less than half the attainment ratings
were good or better and about a tenth were unsatisfactory. This year, a clear majority of judgements
was good or better and very few judgements were unsatisfactory. This represents an average
increase of three percentage points year on year. The proportion of outstanding attainment has
also increased over the five years of inspection. Nevertheless, this strong overall picture masks
considerable variation between schools.

47
9
4 3 1
13
8
2 7 1
9
1
12
7 10 7 6
21
40
39
38 30
25
48 56
55
59
57
49
33
29
45
58
87
71
72
74
64
67 56
40
28
33
20
30
47
60
50
44
37
41
34
40
48
36
35
41
29
37
41
56
56
41
30
13
29
21
16
29
33
38
60
67
45
80
100
90
82 20
21 40
50
56
14 16
28 27 26
3 1 2 5 5 1
11
15 13
5
22
10
18
50
11
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Mathematics - Attainment - by curriculum
In the French schools all inspection ratings for mathematics have been good or better for the last
three years. In UK and IB curriculum schools a solid majority of students’ attainment is now good or
better and there is little unsatisfactory attainment. More than half the ratings for mathematics are
now good or better in Indian schools, but this represents an appreciable decline from the previous
year and has halted the upward trend. Improvement has been minimal in schools offering a US
curriculum and performance in mathematics has shown a slight decline in MoE schools, where 10
per centof ratings are unsatisfactory and most remain no better than acceptable.
Trends in progress in mathematics are broadly similar to those seen in attainment. The most marked
improvements were seen in UK, IB and French curriculum schools.

48
11% 6% 1% 4% 3%
46%
51%
42% 36% 36%
35% 37%
46%
47% 49%
8% 6%
11% 13% 12%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Mathematics - Progress
43% 43%
57% 60% 61%
Attainment and progress have improved because students’ good mathematical knowledge has
been underpinned by a strong sense of number and problem-solving skills. Where too much reliance
has been put on mechanical, routine tasks, this has limited students’ scope to be versatile in their
application of mathematics to solve problems.

49
7 6 2 1
17
5 3 5 2
9
1 4
17
12 10
21
5
41 42
33 26
19
44
54
47
52
51
48
36
26
39
68
92
74
67 74
50
61
31
25 24
44
20
30
47
67
30
33
41 39
42
47
55
35 42
48 35 42
39
56
58
46
15
8
26
21
16
50
39
69
75
71
45
80
100
90
82 20
21
33
65 67
11 13
25 25 25
3 2
8 5 4
8
15
11
5
11 10
18
50
11
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
Mathematics - Progress - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011

50
In 2011, the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showed that students in
Dubai were performing better in mathematics compared to those in 2007, when Dubai
students participated for the first time in TIMSS. In 2011, over 20 per cent of Grade 4
students in Dubai could apply their knowledge and understanding to solve problems,
and over 23 per cent could use their knowledge in a variety of complex situations.
Both Grade 4 and Grade 8 students in UK and Indian schools made most improvement
compared to students in other types of school.

51
Science
Internationally, scientific skills are considered to be key components of overall academic success.
The ability of students to apply their scientific knowledge and skills to real life situations is important
in preparing them for further education and employment. Inspectors make judgements about
students’ attainment and progress in science across all school phases. They also evaluate students’
scientific awareness and understanding of the global issues around them, and their abilities to
think of innovative solutions to scientific problems. Expectations of science education vary from one
curriculum to another. Inspectors check schools’ science curriculum plans and the opportunities that
schools provide for students to learn practically and use science beyond the classroom.
10% 8% 2% 4% 3%
48% 56%
50% 44% 43%
34%
30%
38%
40% 43%
8% 6% 10% 12% 11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Science -Attainment
42%
36%
48% 52% 54%

52
6 6 3 2 0
16
9
2
8
4
13
2 3 5
11
3
9
13 10
23
37 40
38
32
26
45
66
65
57 62
58
38
45
48
89
84 79
63
69
100
44
50
30
14
40
10
33
65
53
48 50
40
39
38
43
53
37
23
32
32 30
29
52 35
36
16 18
28
18
56 44
65
76
75
30
80
90 91
67
12
47
52 50
17 15
21 23 21
2 2 1 3 4
8
17
11
6 5
10
25
20
10 10 9
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Science - Attainment - by curriculum
There have been improvements in attainment and progress in science over the five years
of inspections. This has been seen across all phases in most schools. In over half the schools,
attainment and progress are now at a good or better level compared with less than half in the first
round of inspection.
12% 11% 2% 5% 4%
44% 50%
42% 38% 37%
38%
35%
49%
46% 48%
6% 4% 7% 11% 11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Science - Progress
44%
39%
56% 57% 59%

53
Most improvement in progress was seen in Phase 4 (post 16). In the lower phases in all curricula,
attainment in earth science was strong, whereas attainment in physical and biological sciences
tended to be less securely developed. In the higher phases in most curricula students’attainment in
chemistry was the strongest element while attainment in biology, physics and earth science varied
between curriculum types.
8 9
2 2
15 12
1
8
4
21
3
16
10 10
23
40 38
30 28
22
39
54
52
46 51
16
2 3
8
79
81
74
47 59
75
33
25
10
14
40
10
33
59
53
60
50
40 43
51
48
53
43
33
45 43 41
55
38
41
41
16
26
37
31
25
67
69
85 76
100
30
80
90 91
67
18
47
40
50
12 10
17
22 25
3 1 2 3 4
29
54
39 40
6 5
10
20
10 10 9
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
Science - Progress - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
Different trends have become apparent across the five years of inspections in schools offering
different curricula. Attainment and progress have remained consistently good in French schools.
In UK and IB schools there has been a steady improvement. Schools offering a US curriculum have
remained somewhat static over the five years in terms of tends in science attainment and progress.
Nevertheless their students are now making better progress in science in KG and the secondary
phase than they did five years ago. Most students in schools offering the MoE curriculum continued
to make only acceptable progress and the proportion of students making unsatisfactory progress
increased in the last two years. Students in Indian curriculum schools made much better progress in
2010-11 inspections than was found in their first inspections. However, since then, the proportions
of good and outstanding progress have declined. This has been particularly notable in Kindergarten
and the primary phase where the quality of teaching and learning has also weakened.
In general, improvement has been strongest where critical thinking and enquiry skills are routinely
developed in science lessons, as in many UK curriculum schools and in most IB programmes.
Attainment and progress remain at only acceptable levels in schools that have yet to adopt a strong
focus on conceptual understanding and investigation across all aspects of the science curriculum.

54
InTIMSS2011,studentsinUKandIBschoolsperformedabovetheinternationalaveragein
science. Approximately six per cent of the Grade 4 students in Dubai displayed advanced
skills in applying knowledge. They understood scientific processes and relationships,
and the method of scientific inquiry. A similar proportion of Grade 8 students had a
good understanding of concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science. They
understood the basics of scientific investigation and could combine information from
different sources to solve problems and draw conclusions.

55
Students’ personal and social development
Attitudes and behaviour
This quality indicator takes into account students’ self-discipline, their attendance and punctuality,
relationships with other students and school staff and the extent to which they adopt a healthy life
style. These features of attitudes and behaviour have strengthened throughout this five year period.
Most ratings were good or better in 2008-2009; now almost all are. Unsatisfactory attitudes and
behaviour have all but disappeared.
4% 1% 1%
19%
15%
10%
14%
8%
45% 62%
59% 47%
50%
32%
22%
31%
38% 42%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Attitudes and behaviour
77%
84%
90%
85%
92%
7
1 2 2 7
3
33
16
11 8
4
8
3
29
31
21
26
14 16
2
9
32
8
13
33
18
6
17
27
10 8
37
56
51
37
38
44
56
64
58
69 65
54 48
40
57
92
87
58
77
71
78
75
40
29
67
80
20
60
50
40
52 58
52
36
45
55
59
20
12 15 14 17 19
46
50 51
9
2 2
29
22 19
60
71
20
80
100100
40
17
33
38
34
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
Attitudes and behaviour - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011

56
Inspectors have noted the mature and sensible behaviour and attitudes towards learning shown
by most students in the great majority of schools. Students’ relationships with their peers and with
teachers remain overwhelmingly respectful and positive. Students, especially the older ones, are
showing more responsibility in schools and are less reliant on adults to take the lead in all matters.
More students are making wise choices about their overall health and well-being although this
remains an area for improvement. Food preferences remain something of an issue and not enough
students take regular exercise. Attendance has generally improved and this has had a discernible
influence on attainment and progress.
Attitudes and behaviour have improved and have been outstanding for the past two years in French
schools. There have also been clear improvements in US, IB and Indian schools. Outstanding attitudes
and behaviour are now evident in most IB schools. In the majority of UK schools, attitudes and
behaviour have remained outstanding. In MoE schools, these attributes have remained consistently
good but there is little outstanding behaviour among students. Attitudes toward work have also
been noticeably below those of students in other schools. Attendance has also not shown sufficient
improvement.
Understanding of Islamic values and local and global culture
This quality indicator and the method used to evaluate the key aspects have been revised over the
five years of inspections. Inspectors evaluate how well students appreciate the role and values of
Islam in the modern society of Dubai. In addition, they judge the students’respect and understanding
of the UAE heritage and culture, and of wider world cultures.
4% 1% 1%
31%
26%
15% 14% 13%
46% 63%
66% 63% 64%
19%
10%
19% 22% 23%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Students' understanding of Islamic values and their local, cultural and global awareness
65%
73%
85% 85% 87%

57
4 3 1 2 3 1 6 1
10
5
34
25
10 7 5
38
31
21 19 24 16
10
18 15
19
34
21
21
15
7
16
6
20 20
30
50
20 20
28
40 66
66
66
66
38
62
69
65 57
58
46
36
48
71 58
68
65
82
64
67
75
75
81
100
80 80
80 82
70
50
73
77
67
22
9
24 27 29
21
6 8
13
18 20
44 46
36
8 11 9
3
29
17 19
25
19 20 18
7
3 5
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
Students' understanding of Islamic values and their local, cultural and
global awareness-by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
Students’understandingofIslamicvaluesandtheirlocal,culturalandglobalawarenesshaveimproved
significantly over the five years of inspection in all categories of schools. Most understanding is now
good or better and there is very little that is unsatisfactory. Increasing numbers of students have
developed an appreciation of the impact of Islamic values on society in Dubai. Their knowledge of
UAE culture and heritage has been frequently evident in their independently researched project
work. Ratings for students’ understanding and appreciation of other cultures across the world have
improved appreciably over the period of inspections, although further development in this area is
still needed in a small minority of schools.
Students have made the best progress in their understanding of Islamic values and local and global
culture in IB, Indian and UK curriculum schools. Almost all the ratings have become good or better,
notably in the IB and UK schools. Indian school students have the most outstanding understanding
of culture. Ratings in US and MoE schools have improved, although only a relatively small proportion
are outstanding. The same is true of French students but, in these schools, all ratings are good or
better. In schools with other curricula, there has been little change in the ratings over the past five
years. Students’ understanding has been good but very little has been outstanding.

58
Community and environmental responsibility
Over the five years of inspection, this quality indicator has been modified to take closer account
of the work ethic of students and their personal involvements in community and environmental
activities.
11%
4% 1% 2%
36%
33%
22% 22% 30%
35%
46%
54% 50%
46%
18% 17%
23% 26% 24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Community and environmental responsibility
53%
63%
77% 76%
70%
11
2
9
4 2 4 1 6
22
5 5
17
7
25
19
9 10 10
48
49
37
27
44
19
15 15
27
52
63
58
67
61
21
39
30
20
60
33
13 30
55
43
58
58
52
60
25 34
47
52
37
52
48
41
35
26
24 42
28
36
72
44
81
75
67
22
40
80
30
55
40
50
73
67
42
21 21
33
38
30
18
13 14 17 18
23
37
44
38
8
3 7
17 19
25
33
78
30
20
50
45
7 3 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2011-2012
2012-2013
Community and environmental responsibility - by curriculum
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011
2010-2011

59
The quality of students’ community and environmental responsibility has been less well developed
than other aspects of students’ personal and social development in most schools. The proportion of
good or better rose at first but then levelled out in the last three years. This has been due in part to
higher inspection expectations of students’ practical engagement in community and environmental
activities. Students have been increasingly taking the initiative and making independent decisions
via students’councils in many schools but this is still an area for improvement in some schools. Other
aspects for improvement include the practical involvement of students in their local communities
and in conservation activities.
Improvement has been consistent in most categories of schools but not quite so evident in US, MoE
and ‘other curricula’ schools. Many of their students do not take enough personal responsibility or
show commitment socially and environmentally. By contrast, at least a third of students in Indian,
French, UK and IB schools have an outstanding sense of responsibility.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching and learning did not improve immediatelyfollowing the initial qualityinspections. However,
in the third round of inspections, approximately half the teaching and learning was rated good and
outstanding. In the two years since then, the proportions of outstanding ratings have increased.
Similarly, after the second round of inspections the quality of assessment steadily improved.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching for effective learning
10% 11%
1% 7% 3%
41%
51%
49%
42%
42%
43%
35%
45% 44%
46%
6% 3% 5% 7% 9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
49%
38%
50% 51% 55%

60
10 10
1 4
11 8
3
7 2
19
2 2 7 10
21 18
39
10
40 40
37
26
23
47 54
59 50
54
55
38
47
46
57
95
89
65
62
7
28 31
25 24
11
30 30
50
73
67
72
37
42
51
53
56
41
38 38
40 39
26
58
48
44
33
5
11 14
20
93
72 63
70 71
89
70
100 100
91
70
11
27
23
28
13
8 11
17
21
1 3 5 2 3 3 6 5 5
9
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Teaching for effective learning-by curriculum
12% 9%
1% 5% 2%
47% 52%
48%
45%
43%
35% 34%
46% 42%
45%
6% 5% 5% 8% 10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Quality of students' learning
41% 39%
51% 50%
55%

61
11 8
1 4
17
8
3 5 2
12
2 7
14 16 13
39
10
42
41
36 29
25
55
56
61
52
54
59
35
50
47
59
95
89
70
67
14 17 19 20
24
11
30 30
44
73
70
75
37
39
51
49
54
25
36 36
40 39
29
63
42
43
27
5
11 14
20
79
78 75 75
71
89
70
100 100
82
50
17
27
20
25
10 12 12
18 21
3 3 5 2 6 3
7 5 6 5 5
18 20
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Quality of students' learning-by curriculum
The quality of teaching and learning in private schools has improved since the first cycle of
inspections. Very little of it is now unsatisfactory. Well over half of the ratings for teaching and
learning are good and better and the proportion of teaching rated outstanding has increased to
approximately 10 per cent.
The most significant improvement in teaching has been a sharper focus by teachers on what
students learn. This has meant that teachers have increasingly made better use of assessment
information to plan work that meets the different needs of all students. In doing this, teachers
have realised just how much they can expect from their students. Teachers have also been linking
learning between subjects and to real life situations so that students can understand new concepts
more clearly. Consequently, the rate of students’ learning has increased.
Nevertheless, the proportion of teaching and learning rated no better than acceptable has remained
at more than 40 per cent overall throughout the five year period. Further improvement in teaching
and learning is clearly required if students’ attainment in key subjects is to improve appreciably.
Limitations to improvement stem mainly from the fact that too many teachers have little
understanding of the features of high quality teaching and learning. They still employ too narrow
a range of teaching strategies and do not understand how to structure lessons to meet the needs
of students of different ages, interests and abilities. Many school leaders have a similarly limited
appreciation of international best practice and are consequently unable to bring about improvements
through effective monitoring and well targeted training.

62
The very limited use of information and communications technology (ICT) by students to help them
learn is another persistent weakness in many schools. There are, on the other hand, examples of
excellent practice in the use of ICT in a few schools, which contribute strongly to the outstanding
progress the students make.
These weaknesses in teaching and learning apply in some schools of all types, and particularly to
those offering Indian and MoE curricula, where there has been something of a decline in quality
overall.
In UK curriculum schools, the overall trend is one of improvement in teaching and learning in all
phases with increases in the proportions of outstanding and good ratings. In US curriculum schools
teaching and learning have remained mainly static in phases 1 and 2 and have improved slightly in
phase 3. Nevertheless, more than half remains no better than acceptable. In phase 4, teaching and
learning have remained better than in the other phases in US curriculum schools. In MoE and Indian
curriculum schools, the proportions of good teaching and learning have declined in phases 1 and 2.
In the majority of schools, teaching and learning in these phases are now no better than acceptable.
In MoE curriculum schools, in phase 3, teaching and learning have improved slightly but there are
still some unsatisfactory ratings. Teaching and learning in Indian schools are best in phase 3 with
about half the ratings good and better. In phase 4, in both these two types of schools, teaching and
learning have improved over the five years. This is because the style of teaching favoured in these
schools is more appropriate to the learning needs of older students.
Most teachers in Indian curriculum schools still have only a limited understanding of how students
learn best. They use only a narrow range of teaching strategies and rarely plan to meet the needs
of learners of all abilities and interests. In lessons, inspectors reported that few resources are used
other than text books. Often kindergarten children, especially, spend long periods of time listening
to the teachers rather than learning through more appropriate activities.
It is clear from inspection evidence that despite generally enthusiastic, motivated and engaged
students there has been a continued decline in the quality of learning from good to acceptable in
Indian schools. In the weakest lessons, students lack independence and rarely take responsibility
for their own learning. This means that they mostly make passive responses. Also clear is that
students still only make limited use of ICT to support and develop their learning. In too many
lessons, learning continues to be dominated by excessive teacher talk and passive unengaged
students.
The quality of teaching and learning in MoE curriculum schools requires urgent improvement. In
these schools, the incidence of good quality teaching is currently around 20 per cent. Inspectors did
not report any phase of any school as having outstanding teaching. The majority of the teaching
in these schools is of only acceptable quality and nearly one in five lessons are still unsatisfactory.
Teachers in these schools, typically, do not promote active learning based on students’investigative
and problem-solving capacities.

63
Assessment
This quality indicator takes into account the range of assessment systems and processes that
schools use, the accuracy of the data and information gained about the students’ attainments and
progress, the use of this knowledge to modify the curriculum and teaching to support students in
their learning, and the quality of teachers’ feedback to students.
26%
15%
3%
11%
5%
50%
62%
57%
49%
49%
18% 18%
33% 31%
34%
6% 5% 7% 9% 12%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Assessment
24% 23%
40% 40%
46%
32
14
3
9
1
19
15
4
12
2
27
8
14
35
23 23
7
19
11
30
39
17
37
57
42
34
29
66
57
68
59
68
61
60
51
47
60
100 97
77
69
29
56
31
25 24
89
90
10
33
60
70
86
22 16
40
39
44
8
28
24
22 23
12
38
33
5 3
8
64
33 44
70 71
10
90
100
91
70
28
40
13 14
9
13 15 18
26
7 4 7 7 2
8 5
11
6 5 5
9
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Assessment-by curriculum

64
The overall quality of assessment in private schools has improved over the five years. The data
show a generally positive and encouraging trend. In the first cycle of inspections, over a quarter
of the ratings were unsatisfactory and equal proportion was good or better. Over the ensuing four
years, good assessment practices have become more common, while unsatisfactory assessment
has declined to a small proportion. However, the overall improvement to assessment has been
much less distinct in the past three years and, in the majority of schools, the ratings are still only
acceptable or lower.
Assessment, therefore, remains a key area for improvement. In too many schools, the collection
of assessment data has not been routine or efficient enough. Internal testing is very variable in its
quality and so the resultant data are often unreliable. In the most effective schools, assessment
is linked closely to recognised benchmarks and results are standardised by thorough monitoring.
Results are also skilfully analysed. Too often, however, schools do not have procedures that
accurately record or analyse students’ progress, which often leads to their having an inflated view
of students’ actual attainment and progress.
The most important area of development, however, is the use of assessment data. In the most
effective schools, and especially the UK, IB and French schools, teachers have increasingly made
good use of all available data to help them plan work that meets different students’ needs. This has
meant that students can make good or better progress. Often, though, in other schools, teachers
neglect to use the data in a meaningful way and give all students more or less exactly the same
work.
In addition, oral and written feedback to students is a persistent weakness in too many schools.
Teachers’support for individual students and their approach to marking books has been too variable.
Students often are unclear about how well they are doing and what they need to do next in order
to improve.
In US schools, assessment judgements have improved mainly because of improved systems for
recording assessment data. In Indian schools, assessment has not improved at all. In fact, there
has been a rise in unsatisfactory ratings and there is very little outstanding practice. Weaknesses
continue to exist in using assessment information to plan the next steps in learning. The accurate
evaluation and understanding of students’ progress in relation to international benchmarks remains
underdeveloped in almost all Indian schools.
The persistently poor quality of assessment in MoE schools is similarly worrying. In these schools,
the assessment of learning is rarely good and there has been no discernible improvement over
time. Only a few of the ratings reflected good practices and almost all were just acceptable or
unsatisfactory. In fact, assessment was evaluated as unsatisfactory in almost a quarter of the
inspection judgements. As with teaching and learning, assessment of what students learn still
requires urgent improvements in MoE schools in order to ensure that better quality assessment fully
supports students’ progress.
Schools with othercurricula have shown little improvement overtime.The unsatisfactoryassessment
has been eradicated but most ratings are no higher than acceptable.

65
Curriculum quality
Over the five years of inspections, the overall quality of schools’curricula has significantly improved.
In 2008-09, the majority of ratings were unsatisfactory or acceptable. Five years later, the majority
are good or better. Approaching a fifth of ratings are now outstanding and very few are unsatisfactory.
18% 14%
2% 6% 2%
50%
48%
46% 41%
40%
25% 33%
43%
39%
40%
7% 5% 9%
14% 18%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Curriculum quality
32%
38%
52% 53%
58%
16
12
1 4
25
17
4 4 1
17
4 1 5
25
5
21
8
39
10
47
43
35
25
21
49
46
50
41
40
54
46 55 50
65
82
82
65
79
57
22
44
20 19
11
30
60
50
60
75
86
24
36
48
49
47
22
37
45
51
53
29
42
23 26
10 13
18
14 13
43
50
25
35
43
89
70
100
90
73
40
11
40
15 1413
9
16
22
32
4 1 4 6 8
21 19
28 31
45
38
10
27
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Curriculum Quality - by Curriculum Type

66
A key strength of effective curricula has been noted where a strong basic framework is enriched
and modified to suit the particular needs of the students. Typically, teachers plan rich learning
experiences in lessons that include cross-curricular links and the use of real-life examples. A wide
range of extra-curricular activities enables students to develop their knowledge and skills. Many
schools provide work experience opportunities for older students to strengthen their learning and
life experiences. These strengths are found in most of the UK schools where the curriculum has
improved emphatically and is mostly good. A significant minority of ratings are outstanding. The
time allocated for Arabic and Islamic subjects now fulfils the MoE requirements in almost all of
them. However, a small but diminishing number of schools still do not base their work sufficiently
on the English National Curriculum.
There has been a similarly strong improvement in US schools. The majority of judgements are now
good, although only a very few are outstanding. The alignment with the US Common Core State
Standards in mathematics and English Language Arts in many schools has provided a valuable
boost. However, alignment to international standards in other subjects remains inconsistent. The
main concern continues to be the lack of opportunities for students to choose from a variety of
tasks, courses and activities inside and outside their classrooms.
The curriculum in MoE schools has shown only limited improvement over the five year inspection
period. Only about ten per cent of ratings have remained good or have improved from acceptable
to good. The curriculum in almost all MoE schools continues to be relatively narrow and provides
low levels of challenge to most students. Opportunities for the development of enquiry, research,
investigation and independent learning skills are still insufficient. Almost all schools do very little
to modify the curriculum appropriately to meet the various needs of students.
Despite an overall positive trend in IB schools, especially after the first year of inspection, ratings
have not improved quickly. However, there has been an increased number of outstanding ratings.
IB schools that offer only the IB diploma have improved transition arrangements and the most
effective schools now modify their curriculum for younger students in preparation for the diploma
programme.
The curriculum in French schools has remained consistently good. By contrast, the progress made by
Indian schools has been slow. After an initial improvement, ratings have not changed a great deal
and the majority remain only acceptable or lower, although a significant minority are outstanding.
In Indian schools, the curriculum has tended to be taught in a rigid way with little enrichment and
insufficient regard for students’individual needs. The same is true to a large extent of schools which
have other curricula. Although these schools have no unsatisfactory ratings, far too many of the
curriculum ratings continue to be no better than acceptable.

67
Protection and support for students
The evaluation of the arrangements for the protection and support of students is a very important
feature of school inspection. If they were to be found unsatisfactory, then the overall performance
of a school could be rated as unsatisfactory, irrespective of the judgements of other quality
indicators. Protection and support for students comprises two quality indicators; the provision for
the students’ health and safety, and the quality of support for all students, including those with
special educational needs.
Health and safety
Health and safety are high priorities. Inspectors check the arrangements for safety and security
in all parts of the school and on school transport. They look at the suitability and quality of the
maintenance of the premises and facilities. They also judge how well the school promotes healthy
living and the extent to which child protection procedures are known and followed by staff and
students.
18%
11%
1% 3% 4%
26%
23%
17%
18% 18%
38%
43%
51% 45%
38%
18% 23%
31% 34%
40%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Health and safety
56%
66%
82% 79% 78%

68
10 10
19
3 3 6
10
60
39
10 9
72
10
26
19
9
14
6
28
24 21
9
19
40
19
23
15
22
16
37
56
56
33
60
30
0
47
22
58
38
43
56 46
39
36
52
47
49
36
38
52 45 41
18
45
53
23
31
71
11
35
19
67
40
70
50
55
70
28
53
68
42
26 28
35
40
55
17
24
32
39 42
16
29 32 34
12 13
29
89
100
65
81
30
50
45
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Health and safety-by curriculum
There were substantial improvements in the two years following the initial quality inspections in the
arrangements to ensure students’ health and safety in private schools. After that, the position has
remained static, although the proportion of schools with outstanding provision has increased. The
DSIB inspection framework in 2009-2010 identified the need for all schools to attend to students’
health, fitness, diet and exercise. Most schools have responded positively with greater attention
given in assemblies, in the curriculum and in planning special events and activities to promote
healthy lifestyles.
Arrangements for health and safety are now good or better in more than three quarters of the
schools and there is very little unsatisfactory practice. This improvement is a consequence of
schools’ prompt responses to identified weaknesses, particularly in the arrangements for transport,
supervision and management of behaviour. Better staffing levels and training of staff have helped
to identify potential hazards at an early stage.
The arrangements for the transport of students to and from school have continued to improve. In
2009-10 the development of Road and Transport Authority (RTA) guidance and specific requirements
regarding staffing levels helped ensure better quality of facilities and safer arrangements across
all schools. In response to these requirements, most schools have developed their own effective
procedures to manage the safe collection of students.
Health and safety arrangements are a particular strength of US curriculum schools: most have
sustained or improved health and safety at good or outstanding levels.

69
Quality of support
In evaluating the quality of support, inspection teams assess how well the school promotes good
attendance and punctuality. Inspectors make judgements on the qualityof staff-student relationships
and the advice and support provided to all students. In addition, inspectors judge how well the
school identifies and provides for students with special educational needs (SEN).
14%
5% 2% 4% 2%
44%
41%
33% 33% 38%
32%
40%
45% 43% 41%
10% 14%
20% 20% 19%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Quality of support
42%
54%
65% 63% 60%

70
13
3 2 3
16
2 4 2
9
3
10
22
5 3
14
8
33
10
42
37
28 26
26
46
48
34
47
42
35
25
27
37
61
69
68
56
77
21 19
5
11
30 30
39
47 25
67
32
40
46
40
42
28
46
50
36
42 36
44
53
45
17
26 29 30
15
72
61
19 55 48
89
70
100
80
73
50
17
40
60
33
13
20
24
31 32
10
4
12 15 16
20
31
17
8 7
39
63
45 48
20
27
20
11 13
5
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
Quality of support - by curriculum
There were substantial improvements in the quality of support in the two years following the initial
quality inspections. The number of outstanding ratings doubled and there was hardly any
unsatisfactory provision. After that, the position has remained static. More schools have understood
the importance of not just supporting students academically but also attending to their personal
and emotional needs, including those of students with special educational needs. The management
of students’ behaviour has significantly improved; physical punishment has been almost totally
eradicated. Many schools have been slow to offer comprehensive careers guidance, however, and
this remains an area for development.
The quality of support is strong and has shown the greatest improvement over time in IB curriculum
schools, in more than three quarters of which provision is either good or outstanding. All the French
schools now provide at least a good level of guidance, protection and support in all phases.
Over the last two years of inspection, there has been an increasing emphasis placed on identifying
and meeting the needs of students with special educational needs. The framework was modified to
reflect these requirements, which are the weakest elements of the support provided in most schools.
The downturn in quality of support over the last two years is a reflection of these expectations.
The quality of support in schools offering a MoE curriculum remains a concern. Around one in ten
schools still provide an unsatisfactory level of support to students. Moreover, inspections in 2012-2013
registered a significant decline in the quality of support in a few MoE schools. This deterioration is
mainly related to the lack of good quality provision and support for students with special educational
needs. In 2009-2010 DSIB identified the need for better arrangements to give students ready access
to well informed advice and guidance about their future careers and higher educational opportunities.
Progress in this aspect in the majority of MoE curriculum schools has been limited.

KHDA annual report 2013_english

KHDA annual report 2013_english

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