Private School

Inspection Report
Al Andalus Private Academy

Academic Year 2015 2016

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Al Andalus Private Academy

Inspection Date

May 8, 2016

to

May 11, 2016

Date of previous inspection

May 19, 2014

to

May 22, 2014

General Information

Students

School ID

135

Total number of
students

1445

Opening year of
school

2001

Number of students
in KG

245

Principal

Yahya Al Dhmour

Number of students
in other phases

Primary:
Middle:
High:

School telephone

+971 (0)3 782 9980

Age range

4 years to 18 years

School Address

Falaj Hazza, Al Ain

Grades or Year
Groups

KG Grade 12

Official email
(ADEC)

alandulusacad.pvt@adec.ac.ae
Gender

Mixed

School website

----------

% of Emirati
Students

7%

Fee ranges (per

annum)

Very low to low:

AED 7,272 AED 14,325

Largest nationality
groups (%)

Licensed Curriculum

468
439
293

1. Jordanian: 44%
2. Syrian:

23%

3. Egyptian:

10%

Staff

Main Curriculum

Ministry of Education (MoE)

Number of teachers

92

Other Curriculum

---------

Number of teaching
assistants (TAs)

13

External Exams/
Standardised tests

MoE Examinations for

Grade 12

Teacher-student
ratio

KG/ FS

1:25

Other phases

1:17

---------

Teacher turnover

10%

Accreditation

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Introduction
Inspection activities
Number of inspectors
deployed

Number of inspection days

4
124

Number of lessons observed

Number of joint lesson
observations

Number of parents
questionnaires

Details of other inspection

activities

118; (response rate: 8%)

The inspection team held meetings with the
owner/chairman of the governing body, the principal,
senior staff, subject coordinators, teachers, students
and parents. They observed assemblies and other
activities and analysed school documents, data,
records and students work.

School

School Aims

The school aims to provide all students with a balanced

education so that they develop academically and
personally.
Vision: To prepare a generation attached to their
Arabic and Islamic heritage; a generation which
reaches the highest levels of creativity and uniqueness,
overcomes all the challenges and impact of the future
and contributes to the development of the country.

School vision and mission

Mission: Al Andalus Academy aims to educate

generations for the future, develop their talents and
energies in an environment based on continuous
interaction between students, teachers and the senior
leadership team. The school aims to achieve its vision
through continuous development of its programmes,
continuous professional development of its staff, and
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create an attractive educational environment; and

through continuous and constructive collaboration
with local community organisations and institutions.

Admission Policy

Leadership structure
(ownership, governance and
management)

The school has had an open admissions policy. The

school is moving to a selection process involving basic
tests in literacy and numeracy.
The leadership comprises the principal, two viceprincipals, four section heads and a team of subject
coordinators.
The owner of the school is also the chairman of the
governing body. There are four other members of the
governing body.

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SEN Details (Refer to ADEC SEN Policy and Procedures)

Number of students
identified through external
assessments

Number of other students

identified by the school

Intellectual disability

Specific Learning Disability

Emotional and Behaviour

Disorders (ED/ BD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder

(ASD)

Visually impaired

Hearing impaired

Multiple disabilities

SEN Category

Speech and Language

Disorders
Physical and health related
disabilities

G&T Details (Refer to ADEC SEN Policy and Procedures)

G&T Category
Intellectual ability
Subject-specific aptitude (e.g. in science, mathematics,
languages)

Number of students
identified
0
130

Social maturity and leadership

Mechanical/ technical/ technological ingenuity

Visual and performing arts (e.g. art, theatre, recitation)

50

Psychomotor ability (e.g. dance or sport)

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The overall performance of the school

Inspectors considered the school in relation to 3 performance categories
High performing (Outstanding, Very Good or Good)

Band B

Satisfactory (Acceptable)

Band C

In need of significant improvement (Weak or Very Weak)

(A)

Satisfactory

Good
Band C
In need of significant
improvement

Weak

High Performing

Acceptable

Band B

Good

Band A

Very Good

Performance Standards

BAND

Outstanding

School was judged to be:

Performance Standard 1:
Students achievement
Performance Standard 2:
Students personal and
social development, and
their innovation skills
Performance Standard 3:
Teaching and assessment
Performance Standard 4:
Curriculum
Performance Standard 5:
The protection, care,
guidance and support of
students
Performance Standard 6:
Leadership and
management

Summary Evaluation:
The schools overall
performance

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Very Weak

Band A

The Performance of the School

Evaluation of the schools overall performance
The overall quality of education is good. The Kindergarten (KG) provides a
stimulating and effective start for childrens literacy, numeracy and social skills.
Attainment and progress in the Arabic-medium subjects are good throughout the
school. Almost all students behaviour and attitude are positive. Grade 12 students
perform very well in Ministry of Education (MoE) examinations and are prepared
well for their next stage. Most leave as confident, articulate young citizens.
Teaching is effective most of the time because students are challenged to work
independently and collaboratively. The school is safe and secure and most students
feel well cared for. Classrooms are cramped with insufficient high-quality resources.
The recently-appointed principal has a clear vision and effective strategy for
improvement.
Progress made since last inspection and capacity to improve
The school has made good progress with the recommendations from the last
inspection. High achieving students make better progress now. Students lifestyles
are now healthier with improved outdoor physical education (PE) spaces. Leaders
now gather a large range of attainment data. This data is yet not used effectively
enough to target improvements for most groups of students. In-class support for
learning is now effective. Research facilities remain limited. The scientific-enquiry
approach is not yet fully embedded in lessons. Governing Board members now
have an objective view of the schools performance and they support the school
well including, for example, by providing professional development for teachers.
The school leadership demonstrate acceptable capacity to lead the school towards
further improvement.
Development and promotion of innovation skills
The school is developing students innovation skills effectively through
extracurricular projects. This is not yet a consistent feature of all lessons. Students
are producing an impressive range of imaginative, high-quality models and
artefacts. A video produced by Grade 11 girls, for example, used a wide range of
creative techniques. Their sustainable car presentation showed a high level of
technical expertise and research. Other students used recycled materials creatively
to produce working models of battery-powered cars. Other impressive examples
included science models representing the solar system, a model illustrating the
infinity effect of two facing mirrors, and an air-powered rocket that flew
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successfully during a demonstration. Students have also developed their creative

skills through writing their own plays, poetry and stories.

The inspection identified the following as key areas of strength:

the stimulating learning environment in the KG which provides an effective

foundation for developing childrens literacy, numeracy and social skills
the consistent attainment and progress in the Arabic-medium subjects and
the effective teaching which secures this
the principals clear vision and strategic plan for improving further the
quality of education at the school
most students good behaviour, relationships with their peers and adults
and their positive attitudes to their studies
students appreciation and celebration of UAE heritage and culture and the
effective understanding and practice of Islamic values by most students.

The inspection identified the following as key areas for improvement:

further improvements in the attainment and progress of all students

the minority of lessons where teaching and learning is not effective
planning and delivery of more regular and challenging activities that stretch
and challenge the higher-attaining students
more regular, effective analysis and use of assessment data to track
individual students progress and set individual targets for them
interesting and stimulating learning experiences for high school phase boys.

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Performance Standard 1: Students Achievement

Students achievement Indicators

KG

Attainment

Islamic
Education

Arabic
(as a First Language)

Arabic
(as a Second
Language)

Primary

Middle

Good

Good

Good

Good

Progress

Good

Good

Good

Good

Attainment

Good

Good

Good

Good

Progress

Good

Good

Good

Good

Attainment

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Progress

High

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Attainment

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Progress

Good

Good

Good

Good

Attainment

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Progress

Good

Good

Acceptable

Acceptable

Attainment

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Progress

Good

Good

Good

Good

Attainment

Good

Good

Acceptable

Acceptable

Progress

Good

Good

Good

Good

Attainment

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Progress

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Attainment

Good

Acceptable

Acceptable

Acceptable

Progress

Good

Good

Acceptable

Acceptable

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Social Studies

English

Mathematics

Science
Language of
instruction (if other
than English and
Arabic as First
Language)
Other subjects
(Art, Music, PE)
Learning Skills
(including innovation, creativity, critical
thinking, communication, problemsolving and collaboration)

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The achievement of students is good overall. Most make strong progress in lessons
and are achieving above curriculum standards. Students attainment and progress in
the Arabic-medium subjects is consistently good across almost all phases. Grade 12
students perform very well in the Ministry of Education (MoE) examinations. They are
prepared well for these examinations. School assessment data indicates that
attainment has improved over time across the subjects and grades. A few boys in
Grades 10 to 12 do not make as much progress as they could.
The quality of students achievement in Islamic education is good overall. In KG, most
children can recite short Suras (verses) from the Holy Quran and Hadeeth from
memory. During the primary phase, most students can explain the meaning of the
Suras. By the time they reach the high school, most students can recite verses from
the Holy Quran using proper recitation Tajweed rules. They can explain how Islam is
a tolerant religion and identify Islamic etiquette, for example when visiting and
entering other peoples houses.
The quality of students achievement in Arabic is good overall. Children in KG express
themselves clearly and confidently. Students in primary construct simple sentences
accurately. They progress to reciting poetry clearly and writing using classical Arabic.
In the middle and high schools, they read and write advanced poems and can extract
the main themes and the meaning of key words. Grade 11 and 12 girls can recite
advanced age-appropriate poems with passion and interpret their meaning with
insight.
The quality of students achievement in social studies is good overall. Students at the
beginning of primary learn about important aspects of the UAE such as the national
anthem, the flag colours, the capital of the UAE and the president of the country.
Students in the middle phase can explain the concept of population distribution in the
UAE. The majority of Grade 10 students can give examples of heritage sites in the UAE
or from their own countries. A minority of them understand the important role of the
UNESCO in protecting international cultural heritage.
The quality of students achievement in English is good overall. By the end of KG2,
most children can write their name, recognise and speak an appropriate range of high
frequency words and follow teacher instructions. Effective teaching in primary
accelerates this progress so that by the end of Grade 5 most students are confident
speakers and writers of English. This progress slows for boys in the middle school, as
opportunities for them to do more challenging, extended writing tasks are not always
provided in lessons. By the upper grades, most boys speak with clarity and good
diction. Girls progress is maintained and their writing, reading and presentation skills
match the high levels of their speaking and listening skills.
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The quality of students achievement in mathematics is good overall. Children in KG

are able to count up to 20 by the time they leave. By Grade 2, many students are able
to describe regular shapes. By Grade 9, most students are able to work out the surface
area of cylinders. A minority of boys find this difficult. Girls attainment is above
curriculum standards by the end of primary, mainly as a result of more effective
teaching. Older girls are able to synthesise information, for example from graphs and
data, and draw accurate conclusions.
The quality of students achievement in science is good overall, with strengths in their
progress. Children in KG can describe farm animals and their physical characteristics.
By the end of Grade 5, most students are able to describe how heat is conducted
through various materials. Older students, understand and can analyse the properties
of matter and molecular vibration. Students ability to plan and carry out scientific
investigations remains underdeveloped in a few classes due to limited science
resources.
Students achievement in other subjects is acceptable overall. Girls are enthusiastic
participants in PE lessons. Boys are developing their team skills in football. Boys do
well in external competitions in football, rugby, cycling and endurance competitions.
Too much time is spent in ICT lessons playing inappropriate, non-academic games. The
use of technology in lessons is underused. The few students who deliver multi-media
presentations do this skilfully. Grade 6 boys sang with correct tone, feel and rhythm
in music. Art students make links with other subjects and have created interesting
artefacts from recycled materials.
Most students learning skills are good. A minority of students have developed highlyeffective innovation skills, particularly through science. Students work collaboratively
to good effect. Students are becoming successful evaluators of their own work In the
more effective lessons. Students higher-order skills such as critical thinking, creativity
and problem solving are developing well. This is particularly the case when they are
given extended tasks and time to reflect on their learning and present their work.
Higher-achieving students are becoming effective independent learners when given
open-ended tasks. Most students are able to relate their learning to real-world
situations and their personal experiences.

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Performance Standard 2: Students personal and social development,

and their innovation skills
Students personal and social
development, and their innovation skills
Indicators

KG

Primary

Middle

High

Personal development

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Understanding of Islamic values and

awareness of Emirati and world cultures

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Social responsibility and innovation skills

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Students personal and social development and their innovation skills are good
overall. Almost all students are well behaved in lessons and when moving around the
school. They have a positive attitude to their studies. The exception is a few boys in
Grades 10 to 12 when lessons fail to hold their interest. KG children know and follow
class routines well and respond enthusiastically to lesson activities. Most students
show increasing responsibility for their learning and the school environment as they
move through the grades.
Most students have a secure knowledge and understanding of UAE heritage and
culture and the multi-cultural nature of the country. Islamic values such as respect,
integrity and care for the disadvantaged are understood and practised. Students have
raised funds for overseas refugees and provided gifts for and visited sick people.
Almost all students show respect for adults and their peers.
Most students understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. They know which
foods are unhealthy and the importance of exercise. Students participate
enthusiastically in physical education (PE) lessons. Most students are prepared well
for moving to the next stage. Most students leave the school as confident, articulate
young citizens with a very good understanding of environmental issues, the
exceptions being a few boys whose lack of maturity when they leave lets them down.
Attendance is impressively high at over 98%. A few students are late to school.

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Performance Standard 3: Teaching and Assessment

Teaching and Assessment Indicators

KG

Primary

Middle

High

Teaching for effective learning

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Assessment

Good

Acceptable

Acceptable

Acceptable

The quality of teaching and assessment is good overall. Most teachers have a secure
knowledge of their subject and how to deliver it to students. Students are given
opportunities to work collaboratively in most lessons. Their learning is accelerated
when given sufficient time to consider their responses and complete the set tasks.
Lessons are planned well but work is often not challenging enough for the high
achieving students. A few older boys become disengaged from the lesson when
teaching and activities are not interesting enough. The most effective lessons are
when the teacher uses a range of high-quality resources and varies activities to suit
students different attainment levels. Learning outcomes are clear in the majority of
lessons and assessed effectively. For example, in a very good Grade 7 Islamic
education lesson, the teacher explained and assessed the lesson outcomes and
provided opportunities for all students to participate and develop their higher-order
learning skills.
The minority of teachers use targeted questioning consistently in lessons to check
students understanding and assess their progress. In a good Grade 11 mathematics
lesson, for example, all students made progress in their ability to interpret and use
graphical information because of the teachers skilful use of questioning matched to
individual attainment levels. Students make good progress when the teacher puts
them at the centre of the lessons activities. This was evident in a well-researched,
articulate presentation by Grade 11 girls in an English lesson on a famous deafblind
author. The school collects a large amount of data on students attainment and, for
the most part, does not yet use it as well as it could to raise attainment. Teachers do
not always give detailed, explicit feedback informing students about what they need
to do to improve.

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Performance Standard 4: Curriculum

Curriculum Indicators

KG

Primary

Middle

High

Curriculum design and implementation

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

Curriculum adaptation

Good

Good

Good

Acceptable

The implementation and delivery of the curriculum are good. The school follows the
Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum. The delivery of the Grade 12 curriculum is
adapted well to meet the requirements of the MoE examinations. Curriculum review
and planning ensures an effective transition between the phases, particularly when
moving from KG to primary. All students have timetabled sessions in the information
and communication technology ICT laboratory. The range of curricular choices is
limited to the authorised and curriculum standards.
Cross-curricular links are planned effectively between the core subjects through to
the middle phase. Lesson planning ensures links between Arabic, Islamic education
and social studies are strong. Lesson planning, and medium- and long-term curriculum
planning are not always effective enough in stretching and challenging the higherachieving students. Opportunities for innovation and creativity are provided through
most curricular areas. Students have engaged in a range of projects across subjects
and produced high-quality and imaginative artefacts and models.
A variety of extracurricular activities and community links enhance students
academic and personal development. Students participate in inter-school
competitions in football and rugby. High school students visit local universities in the
UAE. Appropriate learning experiences are integrated through most aspects of the
curriculum to enable all students to develop a clear understanding of the UAEs
values, culture and society.

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Performance Standard 5: The protection, care, guidance and support

of students
The protection, care, guidance and
support of students Indicators

KG

Primary

Middle

High

Health
and
safety,
including
arrangements for child protection/
safeguarding

Good

Good

Good

Good

Care and support

Good

Good

Good

Good

The protection, care, guidance and support for students are good overall. The school
provides a safe and secure learning environment in which most students feel well
supported and looked after. The learning environment in the KG provides an effective
foundation for developing childrens literacy, numeracy and social skills. Procedures
for safeguarding and child protection are shared with staff and parents. In-class
support for students learning is effective. Students arrive and leave on the buses
safely but student lists are not always formally checked. Buildings are old but safe and
maintenance records are robust. Classrooms are cramped. The clinic is well
resourced.
The school promotes healthy lifestyles well, for example, checking that students only
bring healthy food to school. Individual teachers support students learning well. The
school has a few students with special educational needs, none of whom require
specialist support for their academic studies. The schools system for accurately
identifying gifted and talented students is used inconsistently.
Most students are prepared well for moving to the next stage of their education
though the school does not have an effective system to monitor and support their
overall academic development. Effective guidance is given to senior students on
career and university choices, including visiting local universities. Most leave the
school as confident, articulate young citizens.

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Performance Standard 6: Leadership and management

Leadership and management Indicators
The effectiveness of leadership

Good

Self-evaluation and improvement planning

Good

Partnerships with parents and the community

Good

Governance

Good

Management, staffing, facilities and resources

Acceptable

The quality of school leadership and management is good. The recently appointed
principal has provided the school with a clear vision and an approach to strategic
planning which are improving further the quality of education. The proprietor and
board members have a good grasp of the schools strengths and weaknesses and
provide effective, practical support. The selfevaluation form (SEF) is reasonably
accurate if a little over generous in the grades awarded. The school development plan
(SDP) has set clear actions to implement improvements. Regular lesson monitoring is
in place. The school collects and documents a wide range of students attainment
data. This is not yet analysed in an effective way to drive the progress of different
groups of students or to make comparisons between subjects. The school functions
efficiently on a day-to-day basis.
Classrooms are cramped for the number of students. The schools resources are
limited in both range and quality. Most classrooms have a data projector. A major
improvement in resources has been the installation of a full-size outdoor sports pitch
which can be used for a variety of team games. The school has found permanent
replacements for almost all of the teachers who left last year. A wide range of
professional development workshops have been delivered to teachers. Parents are
actively involved with the school and contribute to the schools promotion of UAE
culture and heritage. The school generally provides a friendly and harmonious
learning environment among both staff and students with a shared sense of purpose.
The exception to this is in many classes for Grades 10 to 12 boys where classrooms
have poor quality furniture and wall displays are scruffy. At times there is an
atmosphere of robust supervision rather than a celebration of student achievement,
such as could be done by celebrating the impressive football trophy won by the boys
in an inter-school competition.

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What the school should do to improve further:

1.

Further Improve the attainment and progress of all students by:

i. benchmarking subject performance targets against national and
international standards
ii. ensuring subject coordinators provide a qualitative analysis of student
performance after every assessment session
iii. developing more effective procedures for identifying and supporting
gifted and talented students to develop further their skills and abilities.

2.

Impr0ve teaching and learning in the minority of lessons that are not effective
by:
i. planning and delivering more regular and challenging activities that stretch
and challenge the higher-achieving students
ii. developing more effective, targeted questioning in lessons
iii. providing students with more regular tasks involving extended writing
iv. developing students use of ICT in lessons to plan, research and present
their work.

3.

Make more regular and effective analysis and use of assessment data by:
i. tracking individual students progress and setting individual targets for
them
ii. developing a system of school support and guidance that focuses on
individual students academic progress across the subjects.

4.

Improve learning and teaching for senior boys by:

i. involving them in a comprehensive review of the quality and relevance of
their learning experiences and making improvements to both
ii. designing and using a specific lesson template which focuses on using
more student-centred, interesting activities
iii. providing more opportunities for students to develop whole-school
leadership roles
iv. providing more enriching extracurricular activities, particularly outside
classrooms
v. celebrating more explicitly the successes of these students
vi. developing their sense of self-worth and personal responsibility by
exploring with them the consequences of their disruptive actions on
others.

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