Dubai changes school inspection process as 26 improve in latest results

Only new schools will be inspected during the 2024-25 academic year

Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Assessment of private schools in Dubai will change next year, after 23 were rated "outstanding" and 48 "very good" in the 2023-2024 academic year.

This is up from last year, when 20 private schools were rated "outstanding" and 39 "very good", but the process will change in 2024-2025 as schools will not have full inspections unless they are new and have completed their third year of operations.

This year, 209 schools with more than 360,000 pupils enrolled were inspected by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai’s private education regulator. Of these, 10 schools were inspected for the first time.

The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities

Aisha Abdulla Miran,
director general of the KHDA

The KHDA published its annual inspection results on Friday and revealed that 81 per cent of pupils at the city’s private schools attended schools rated "good" or higher, up from 77 per cent last year.

Three schools in Dubai were added to the list of those recognised as "outstanding" by the emirate's education authority.

Safa Community School, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park and Lycee Francais International are the latest to be named among Dubai's most highly ranked schools.

Aisha Abdulla Miran, director general of the KHDA, said: “The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities for students.

“Our schools are among the world’s highest performing, according to international assessments, ranking sixth for literacy in Pirls (The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), top 10 globally for maths, and top 14 for science and reading in Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) assessments.

“These results reaffirm Dubai’s competitiveness as a world-class destination for education."

A breakdown of the KHDA's 2024 inspection report. Credit: KHDA

Gems Founders School in Al Barsha and Swiss International Scientific School are among the schools that improved from a rating of "good" last year to "very good" this year.

Of the schools inspected, 85 were rated "good" and 51 "acceptable", while two were rated "weak" and no schools were rated as "very weak".

Overall ratings improved for 26 schools, while three schools declined.

Rebecca Coulter, principal at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, previously told The National that her team had worked hard to improve their KHDA ratings over the years to reach an outstanding grade.

"We did a huge amount of work on the quality of teaching and learning, particularly looking at student progress and lessons and the quality of lesson planning," Ms Coulter said.

"I suppose it is a reflection of the hard work that's been put in from our senior leaders and our teachers to ensure that the quality of teaching is excellent.

"Our GCSE and A-Level results and our external assessment results are consistently outstanding."

Wellbeing provision was a strong focus, with 83 per cent of schools rated "good" or higher in this category.

No inspections in next academic year

Private schools in Dubai will not have full inspections during the 2024-2025 academic year, with the exception of new schools that will complete their third year of operation during the next academic year.

The Dubai Schools Inspections Bureau's team will conduct quality assurance visits that target focus areas to monitor schools’ progress on improvement plans during the next academic year.

Schools that wish to undergo a full inspection may submit a request to the inspection team, which will be subject to review and approval upon the KHDA’s discretion.

Year-on-year improvement in education standards

The KHDA's inspections report found that 75 per cent of schools were rated good or better, an improvement from 72 per cent last year and a huge improvement from 35 per cent in 2008-09.

The report also revealed that there has been an increase in the percentage of schools rated "outstanding" and "very good". This percentage had increased from 20 per cent in the 2015-2016 academic year to 34 per cent in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Tuition fees may go up

Some private schools in Dubai will be allowed to increase tuition fees by up to 5.2 per cent in the 2024-2025 academic year, the emirate's private education regulator said.

• Schools that maintained their inspection ratings will be eligible to raise tuition fees by up to 2.6 per cent.
• Schools that dropped in the annual inspection ratings will not be eligible to apply for any fee increase.
• Schools that improved their rating from “weak” to “acceptable” and from “acceptable” to “good” can increase fees by up to 5.2 per cent.
• Schools that moved from “good” to "very good” can increase fees by a maximum of 4.55 per cent.
• Schools that improved from “very good” to “outstanding” can apply for a 3.9 per cent rise.

The increases have been calculated based on an Education Cost Index, issued by the KHDA.

Dubai's best private schools - in pictures

Pupils in the garden at Dubai British School, which has been ranked as outstanding by the KHDA. Antonie Robertson / The National

Victory Heights Primary School in Sports City has been steadily improving over the years. Pawan Singh / The National

Founded in 2015, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park is one of the leading schools in the city. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Gems Wellington International School in Al Sufouh offers both the UK curriculum and the International Baccalaureate diploma programme. Lee Hoagland / The National

The Dubai British School at Emirates Hills. Jeffrey E. Birteng / The National

Jumeirah English Speaking School at Al Safa 1 in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Pupils open their A-Level results at Gems Jumeirah College, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Nord Anglia International School Dubai. Photo: Nord Anglia International School Dubai

Dubai English Speaking School, one of the oldest in the country, established in 1963. Ruel Pableo for The National

Repton School in Dubai, founded in 2007. Photo: Repton Dubai

Gems Modern Academy at Nad Al Sheba 3 is the only Indian school rated outstanding in the city. Victor Besa/ The National.

Deira International School is among those ranked as outstanding by Dubai's education authority. Photo: Deira International School

Safa Community School is one of three schools added to the list of those recognised as outstanding by Dubai's education authority. Photo: Safa Community School

Kings' School in Al Barsha also achieved the coveted outstanding grade. Antonie Robertson/The National

Kings' School Dubai is among the most highly rated in the city. Photo: Kings' School Dubai

Dubai International Academy in Al Barsha. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dubai International Academy in Emirates Hills is also on the list of outstanding schools.

Pupils at Gems Dubai American Academy, the only American curriculum school to be ranked outstanding. Reem Mohammed/The National

The Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou school, in Oud Metha, was another new name added to Dubai's most highly ranked schools. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai College in Al Sufouh, Dubai. Photo: Dubai College

Football training at the Dubai English Speaking College in Academic City. Pawan Singh / The National

Gems Jumeirah Primary School was also ranked among the outstanding schools in Dubai.

Horizon English School and Horizon International School were also ranking high among Dubai schools.