ADEC Al Yasat Private School 2014 2015

7/26/2019 ADEC Al Yasat Private School 2014 2015

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New

School

Inspection

Report

Academic

Year

2014

2015

AlYasatPrivateSchool


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InspectionDate 46May2015

SchoolID# 244

LicensedCurriculum American

NumberofStudents 227

AgeRange 4to12years

Gender Mixed

Principal LesleyIsherwood

SchoolAddress P.O.Box25586,AlShamkha,AbuDhabi,UAE

TelephoneNumber +971(0)26412300

FaxNumber +971(0)26411050

Official

Email

(ADEC)

[email protected]

SchoolWebsite www.alyasatschool.com

Dateofopening 22October2014

AlYasatPrivateSchool


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Theoveralleffectivenessoftheschool

Inspectorsconsideredtheschoolinrelationto3performancecategories

Band

A

Highperforming(overalleffectivenessgrade1,2or3)

Band

B

Satisfactory(overalleffectivenessgrade4or5)

BandC Inneedofsignificantimprovement(overalleffectivenessgrade6,70r8)

The

main

strengths

of

the

school

are:

securelysatisfactoryacademicachievementacrossalmostallsubjects

thequalityofthebuildingandresourcesenhanceseffectivedeliveryofthe

curriculum

thecareandsupportprovidedforthosestudentswithspecialeducational

needspromotesacademicprogressinlinewiththeirpeers

astrongpositiveethoswherestudentsarewellcaredforandsaytheyfeel

safeandsecure

a strongly integrated leadership team sharing a common vision forhigh

standardsand

sustained

growth

thecultureandtraditionsoftheUAEcelebratedacrosstheschool

a focused languagedevelopmentprogrammethat ispromotingprogress

inliteracy.

Themainareasforimprovementare:

theacademicprogressofmoreablestudents

theengagementofstudentsasactivelearnersinclassrooms

the development of 21st century skills through independent thinking,

research,

experimentation,

and

reporting.

TheSchoolwasjudgedtobe: BANDB; GRADE4


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Introduction

Theschoolwasevaluatedbyateamof3inspectors.Theyobserved45lessonsand

conducted severalmeetingswithseniorstaff, theproprietor,students,parents,

subject coordinators, health and safety supervisors, teachers and the schools

accountant. They analysed studentsperformancedata, scrutinized samplesof

students work in all subject areas, analysed 67 responses to the parents

questionnaire about the school and reviewed the schools policies and other

documents.Theseniorleadershipteamwasinvolvedthroughouttheprocessand

conducted3jointlessonobservationswithinspectors.

DescriptionoftheSchool

AlYasatPrivateSchoolopenedonOctober22,2014inanewschoolbuildinginthe

AlShamkha

region

of

Abu

Dhabi.

The

mission

of

Al

Yasat

Private

School

is

to

provideasafe,nurturing,educationalenvironment thatwillenable students to

becomelifelonglearners.AlYasatacceptsallstudentswhoapply. KGandGrade

1studentsare interviewed for school readinessandnewstudents inGrades26

are administered a Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test to establish a

baselinescorethatwillbeusedtodetermineprogress.

Thereare227studentsenrolled;56%areboys,almostallareMuslimandofArabic

heritage. There are 21 nationalities represented at the school, of which the

majority are Emirati nationals at 73%; the other main groups of students are

Egyptians(6%),

Sudanese

(4%),

Pakistani

and

Jordanians

(3%)

each,

Indian

(2%),

with the remainder being less than 1% representations. There are 67 children

enrolledintheKGprogramme,140studentsinGrade1toGrade5,and20students

inGrade 6. The school has identified 52 students ashaving special educational

needs (SEN); 7 of these students have an external diagnostic report that has

resulted inthedevelopmentof individualizededucationplans(IEPs).Theschool

awaits results of a further 10 referrals for an external review to identify their

needs.Theschoolhasnotidentifiedanygiftedortalentedstudents.

School governance is provided by a Board of Governors. A principal, 2 vice

principals,and

a

Curriculum

Coordinator

comprise

the

senior

leadership

team,

alongwithcoordinatorsinmajorsubjectareas.

FeesatAlYasatrangeareAED30,000forKG,AED33,000 inGrades13andAED

36,500inGrades46. Thesefeesareinthepremiumcategory.


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TheEffectivenessoftheSchool

Al Yasat provides a satisfactory and improving quality of education. Senior

leaders, proprietors and governors have secured an impressively consistent

qualityofeducationacrossallperformancestandards intherelativelyshorttime

theschoolhasbeenoperational.This isattributabletoagenuinelysharedvision,

and an accurate understanding of the schools strengths and areas for

development.

Students aremaking at least satisfactory academicprogress across all subjects

fromrelativelylowstartingpoints.Thisisbecauseassessmentisusedwelltoplan

lessons thateffectivelymeet individualneeds. Inparticular, theschoolprovides

goodsupport forthosestudentswithSEN.Provisionandplanning forthemore

able is less well developed. High quality resources and an attractive learning

environmentsupport

the

effective

delivery

of

the

curriculum.

The

school

is

well

placed to tackle the areas for improvement identified by this report, and

successfullymeetthechallengesofexpandingtheschoolrollinthecomingyears.

Studentsattainment&progress

Students attainment and progress is satisfactory and improving. Academic

achievement is consistently satisfactory and improving across all subject areas

withtheexceptionofinformationandcommunicationstechnology(ICT)whereit

is satisfactory. Students basic skills in speaking, listening, reading,writing and

thinking are satisfactory and improving. The development of ICT skills is

inconsistentacross

the

curriculum;

students

make

satisfactory

progress

from

low

startingpointsinICT.StudentswithSENmakesimilarprogresstotheirpeersdue

to the effective support and monitoring they receive; the more able make

satisfactoryprogress.

Standards at the start of the school year were below international levels as

measuredbyMAPstandardizedbaselinetests.TheMAPtestforstudentsinGrade

1 to Grade 6 has been administered twice, once inOctober 2014 and again in

March2015. SubsequentMAPdatashowsgoodgainsinallsubjectsandgrades.

MAPdataindicatesthatAlYasatstudentsperformbelowinternationalstandards

butshow

more

than

satisfactory

progress

over

time,

with

the

attainment

gap

reducing. MAP data is used to inform lesson planning and identify individual

students learning needs. Evidence from lesson observations, discussionswith

students and a scrutiny ofwork supports this judgment. In almost all lessons,

teacherssuccessfullytargetageappropriateCommonCoreStandardswithmost

studentsdemonstratinganunderstandingoftheconcepts.


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MoststudentsentertheKGwithverylittleexposuretoEnglish.Theymakerapid

progress indeveloping communicationand literacy skills.AllKG1 childrenknow

their lettersandsoundsandcanphoneticallysoundoutsimplewords.Theyare

beginning

to

develop

their

thinking

and

creativity.

In

mathematics,

children

develop satisfactory number skills, in KG they can count to 100 and recognize

numbersinnumeralform.Inscience,childreninKGcanclassifymatterassolidor

liquid,butareunabletodescribethepropertiesofdifferenttypesofmatter.

Studentsmake satisfactory and improvingprogress in English language. This is

due to an innovative programme for targeting the acceleration of the

developmentofEnglish language skills. They rapidlygain confidence, from low

startingpoints,inusingEnglishtoaccessthecurriculum.Theydeveloparangeof

effectivestrategiesandskills:inGrade1theyillustratemotionbyphysicallyacting

outthewords,inGrade2theycancreatecompoundsfrom2separatewordsand

byGrade6canconfidentlycompareandcontrastcharactersindifferentstories.

In Arabic, standards are in line with curriculum expectations and progress is

satisfactory and improving. Students have good listening skills and adequate

speaking and reading abilities. They use standard Arabic and read with clear

expression.Writing isbelowagerelatedexpectations,as studentsdonothave

sufficient opportunity to compose extended pieces, and often make basic

grammaticalerrors.InIslamiceducation,attainmentandprogressaresatisfactory

and improving. Most students have secure understanding of the required

knowledgeregardingtheProphetMuhammed(PBUH)andIslamicconcepts.Their

abilityto

accurately

recite

the

Holy

Quran

is

less

well

developed.

In

social

studies,

students acquire the expected skills and understanding related to the history,

geographyandeconomyoftheMiddleEast.

In both mathematics and science, students make satisfactory and improving

progress. By Grade 2, they confidently undertake mental calculations and by

Grade6mostcansimplify,add,andsubtractfractions. Inscience,studentsgain

goodsubjectknowledgeinallgrades.Studentsdonothaveenoughopportunities

to build on this knowledge to extend their learning through exploration and

discovery. This is common across the school and is a key reason why the

developmentof

21st

century

skills

across

the

curriculum

is

only

satisfactory.

Thereareeffectivesystemsforassessingtheprogressthatstudentsmake.Most

teachers use this information to effectively target provision for students.

Assessment isverywellused inthedevelopmentofEnglish languageskills inall

grades. ThemonitoringandsupportforSENstudentsisgood.Thereislimiteduse

ofselforpeerassessment.


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Students

personal

development

Studentspersonaldevelopmentisgoodinalmosteveryaspect.Studentsshowa

consistently positive attitude towards school life. They are proud of their new

schooland

demonstrate

this

through

good

behaviour

and

engagement

in

lessons.

They socializewell in smallgroupsbefore school aswell as duringbreak time.

Theyareawareoftheschoolsvaluesandhaveaclearsenseofwhatisright,and

whatiswrong.

Students have a good knowledge of theUAE culture, traditions, heritage and

values. They show appreciation for the culture of others. They use Islamic

principles to guide their moral judgements. Selected students have roles in

assemblies with speaking and singing responsibilities. They are active in after

school activities such as sporting, cultural and service activities. The student

councilplays

a

very

active

role

in

the

school;

they

provide

input

into

many

programmes,activities,andprocesses.Outsideofthestudentcouncil,therearea

satisfactory rangeofopportunities for students todevelop leadershipskillsand

attributes.

The

quality

of

teaching

and

learning

Thequalityofteachingand learning issatisfactoryand improving.Thequalityof

lessonsobservedby inspectorsranged fromgoodtoveryunsatisfactory;onlya

smallminorityweredeemedlessthansatisfactoryandasignificantminoritywere

judgedtobegood.Themosteffective lessonswere inEnglishandmathematics;

lesseffective

teaching

was

mainly

seen

in

science

and

ICT.

Most

teachers

display

effectivemanagementstrategiesandroutines.Mostteachingassistantsareused

effectivelytosupportlearning.

Teachershavesecuresubjectknowledge inallareasandensure that learning is

accurate. Lessons are planned thoroughly andmost teachers share the lesson

objectiveswithstudentssothatlearningexpectationsareclear.Thereissufficient

varietyinmostlessonstoprovideinterestandmotivation.Studentsengagement

with learning is high duringmost lessons. Theymake better than satisfactory

progressinthemajorityoflessons.Inaminorityoflessons,toomuchteachertalk

slows

progress.

There

is

some

inconsistency

in

matching

the

learning

activities

to

theidentifiedneedsofstudents. Theprogressofthemostablelearnersisslowed

bythislackofrigour.

When given the opportunity, students learn well collaboratively and

independently. In a few lessons, student led learning creates exciting

opportunities to solve problems, work together, and use their own ideas to

formulate outcomes. In others, there are limited opportunities for them to


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develop inquiry since teachers dominate with a stepby step approach to

knowledgeacquisition.

Meeting

students

need

through

the

curriculum

The implementation of the curriculum is satisfactory and improving. The

curriculumoffer isbroadandbalancedwithadditionalopportunitiesthat include

music,art,drama,andphysicaleducation(PE)toenrichthe learningexperience.

The curriculum effectively motivates students and promotes their academic

achievement

TheMoE curriculum planning and delivery provides structure and support for

those subjects instructed in Arabic. The KG, is a locally developed curriculum

whichusesthebest internationalpracticeandpedagogysuitableforearlyyears

astheformativebase. Ithasastrongfocusuponthedevelopmentofspeaking,

reading,and

writing

in

English;

as

well

as

a

strong

numeracy

focus.

Within

a

play

andlearnformat,studentsgrowtobewellbehavedandgoodclassroomcitizens.

They learn respect for themselves, the teacher and their classmates. The KG

curriculumpromotes the refinementofgrossand finemotor skills through the

effectiveuseofmultisensoryresources.

TheUSCommonCoreCurriculumprovidesahighlevelofchallengeinEnglishand

mathematicsresultinginoutcomesthatareapproachinginternationalstandards.

ScienceinGrades1through6,reliesupontheNextGenerationScienceStandards

(NGSS) standards to provide structure in lesson planning and to identify the

expectedstudent

outcomes.

NGSS

promotes

hands

on

experiences

in

measurement,data, collection,and theuseof scientificmethodwhenproblem

solving.

Studentsgainagoodunderstandingand respect for thevaluesof theUAEand

respectforotherculturesthroughassemblies,plays,andcelebrationsthroughout

theyear.This isreinforcedbyeffectivecrosscurricular links.Approximatelyhalf

of the students are involved in awide range of after school activities such as

sporting, service, and volunteer options. The school has satisfactory linkswith

externalpartners.

The

protection,

care,

guidance

and

support

of

students

The protection, care, guidance and support of students is satisfactory and

improving. There is a strong positive ethos focused upon the growth of each

student academically, emotionally and morally. Staff understand their

responsibilitytokeepstudentssafeanddemonstratethisthroughsupervisionat

all times including during breaks and in hallways. The school has effective


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procedures tomonitorstudentsacademicandpersonaldevelopment.Thecare

providedforstudentswithSENisgood.

Theschoolmaintainsacentralregisterandmakesallnecessarychecksonadults

whowork

in

the

school.

There

is

a

clear

behaviour

policy

and

bullying

is

absolutely

forbidden,studentsreportthatitisdealtwitheffectivelybystaff. Thereisachild

protectionpolicy inplaceandadultsknow their rolesand responsibilities ifany

concerns shouldarise. Attendance isaverageat92%.The school followsupon

absencesrigorously. Thereisaprocedureinplacetoimprovepunctuality.

Theclinicisfitforpurposeandthenurseissuitablyqualified.Allmedicines,aswell

as students health records, are securely stored. The 2 prayer rooms are of

adequatesizeforthenumberofstudents,andtheyareencouragedtousethem.

Appropriateproceduresfortheevacuationoftheschoolincaseofemergencyare

inplace.

School

records

show

that

these

drills

are

practised

regularly.

The

quality

of

the

schools

buildings

and

premises

The quality of the schools buildings and premises is good. The buildings and

playgrounds are of sufficient size. Classrooms are spacious, well lit andwell

ventilated. They are maintained to high standards and are safe and hygienic.

There isanamedhealthandsafetyofficerandallrelevantpoliciesandpractices

areinorder.

The campus is kept safe and secure by security officers who are vigilant in

protectingthestudents. Curriculumsupportisprovidedthroughtheprovisionof

aswimming

pool,

an

air

conditioned

multi

purpose

gym,

libraries,

ICT

and

science

laboratories. The KG area of the school is located on the ground floor and is

especiallywelldesigned to support the learnwhile playing focus. The school

buildingsaresuitablyadaptedtosupporttheacademicandphysicalrequirements

ofSENstudentstoaccessthecurriculum.

The

schools

resources

to

support

its

aims

Resourcesaregood.Therehasbeen significant investment in resources togive

morethanadequatesupportforteachersinthedeliveryofthecurriculum. There

isanexperiencedandwellqualifiedteachingforce. Thereisan impressiverange

ofresources

in

supporting

learning

in

KG,

including

big

play

equipment,

water

park, indoor and outdoor play areas, a teaching kitchen, and awide range of

booksandmanipulatives.

The spacious libraries are well designed and equipped to create areaswhere

wholeclassactivitiescantakeplaceandotherareaswherestudentscanrelaxand

read. There are 6 computers located in each library to allow students to


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undertake research projects. There is awide range of fiction, nonfiction, and

researchbooks. ThequantityandqualityofArabicbooksislimited.

The schoolhasawide rangeof technology to support thedevelopmentof the

studentsICT

skills.

There

are

2computer

laboratories

with

enough

computers

for

eachstudenttoworkindependently.Allclassroomsareequippedwithinteractive

whiteboardsand iPadsontrolleysareavailable.Theswimmingpool,sportshall,

andothercoveredoutdoorareasprovidegoodfacilitiesforPE. Resources inart

andmusicaremorethanadequatetosupportdeliveryofthecurriculum. Schools

procedures to ensure that transport is well maintained and meets all safety

requirements,areappropriate.

Theeffectivenessofleadershipandmanagement

Leadershipandmanagement issatisfactoryand improving.Thesenior leadership

team,proprietors

and

governors,

share

a

common

vision

for

high

standards

and

sustained improvement. The proprietor and governing body have a suitably

objective view of the quality of education and clearly defined roles and

responsibilities.Senior leadersareveryvisible in the schooland theyknow the

namesandfamiliesofeverystudent. Staff,studentsandparents,haveanactive

roleinschoolevaluationandstrategicplanning.Thereisgreatcohesionamongst

the leadership team. It is clear that theyhavea sharedpurposeandvision,but

eachhastheirowngoalsandisheldaccountableforthem.

The schools selfevaluation (SEF) is detailed and the judgments are highly

accurate.The

leadership

team

are

aware

of

their

strengths

as

well

as

the

areas

thatrequireimprovement. Theschooldevelopmentplan(SDP)clearlyarticulates

strategicpriorities, the steps required to achieve themand suitablemonitoring

andevaluationprocesses.Thisclearlydemonstratesthatsenior leadershavethe

insight,resourceanddeterminationtomoveforward.

Parents are very supportive of the school and appreciate thequalityof care it

providessothattheirchildrenfeelsafeandhappy inschool. Thereareeffective

proceduresfordealingwithanyconcernsorcomplaintstheymayhave.

Capacityforfurtherdevelopment

The20152016schoolyearholdsmanychallengesforAlYasatPrivateSchoolasit

adds grades 7, 8, and 9. Senior leaders andgovernors areplanning for a large

influx of students. The school development plan contains clearly articulated

targetsandtimelinesnecessary tobemet in termsofaccommodation,staffing,

curriculum,and transportation.The first stepshavebeencompleted.There isa

new high school principal and viceprincipal already under contract. The entire

teachingstaffrequiredforSeptember2015isinplaceandcontracted. Theschool


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has successfully recruited a competent,qualified staff and are now developing

curriculumandmarshallingresources.

Seniorleadershaveclearlydemonstratedthegoodcapacitytosustainthecurrent

levelof

education

and

secure

further

improvements

to

it.

Whattheschoolshoulddotoimprovefurther:

1. Improveteachingandlearninginallsubjectareas,particularlyforthemore

able,by:

i. analysingassessmentdatatoimprovetargeteddifferentiationthat

matchesthestudentsneeds

ii. increasingthestudentsengagementasactivelearnersinlessons

iii.

improvingthe

development

of

21st

century

skills

through

independentthinking,research,experimentation,andreporting.

2.

Provide professional development to assist teachers in planning lessons

that require the students to use instructional technology to research

information,conductexperimentation,andpresenttheirconclusions.


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InspectionGrades

Band

A

High

performing

Band

B

Satisfactory

Band

C

In

need

of

significant

improvement

PerformanceStandard

Outstanding

VeryGood

Good

Satisfactory&

Improving

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Very

unsatisfactory

Poor

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Standard1:Studentsattainmentandprogress

Standard2:

Studentspersonaldevelopment

Standard3:Thequalityofteachingandlearning

Standard4:Themeetingofstudentsneedsthroughthecurriculum

Standard5:Theprotection,care,guidanceandsupportofstudents

Standard6:Thequalityoftheschoolsbuildingsandpremises

Standard7:Theschoolsresourcestosupportitsaims

Standard8:Theeffectivenessofleadershipand

management

SummaryEvaluation:Theschoolsoveralleffectiveness

Documents

ADEC Al Yasat Private School 2014 2015