FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 1 of 12

Dear Ramsis English Private School Principal - Ras Al Khaimah Education Zone

Following the recent evaluation visit to your school, I am pleased to enclose a copy of your report. This provides you

with an objective evaluation of the strengths of the school, comments on areas for improvement and

recommendations for future development. Also noted is our decision in respect of accreditation for your school.

I should be grateful if you would now please

Check the factual information in the report

Sign/initial each page You have 5 working days from the date of this letter to correct any factual inaccuracies. If no communication is received within 5 working days of the date of this letter, your verification of the factual information will be assumed. Also enclosed is a template to help you prepare your action plan based on the recommendations in the report. Thank you once again for taking part in the programme. Yours sincerely

Report issued in : 20-5-2014

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 2 of 12

Explanation of the judgements used in the report

Highly effective: Good outcomes or good professional practice

Effective: Acceptable outcomes or competent professional practice.

Not yet effective: Outcomes or quality not yet at the effective level. Schools will be expected to act to

improve the quality of any aspect of their performance or practice that is judged at this level.

Information about the school Ramsis English Private School is a private school, situated in Ras Al Khaimar providing education for

male and female students in Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 6, aged 4 years to 11 years. At the time of

the evaluation, there were 272 students on roll. Approximately half of the students were Emiratis with

significant numbers of students from Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan.

Ramsis English Private School was evaluated in May 2014 as part of the Ministry of Education School

Evaluation Programme. Evaluators considered six key focus areas – the leadership of the school, the

school as a community, the school’s approach to student learning, the classroom climate, students’

personal development, and students’ attainment and progress.

Recommendation for Accreditation Ramsis English Private School has achieved the standards required and is recommended to the Ministry

of Education for accreditation. All six focus areas were evaluated as effective.

Focus Area 1: The leadership of the school

Aspects of the school’s leadership which were positive

The sense of purpose

School leaders and middle managers were committed and loyal to the school. They had a strong sense

of purpose which was focussed on school improvement. School leaders shared a determination to

improve teaching and learning against a background of recruitment challenges. Subject co-ordinators

supported the school well and sometimes met in their own time at weekends. The school vision was

prominently displayed around the school and was well known.

The quality of improvement planning

A well written ‘Strategic Action Plan’ was in place for 2013 to 2016. This included specific targets which

were well linked to key priorities such as improving teaching and learning. The plan specified clearly

what the school needed to do to achieve the targets, how this would be measured, the cost to the school

and which staff were responsible. Middle managers worked closely with school leaders to monitor

progress towards the targets. As a result there was a shared understanding of exactly what further

improvements were necessary.

The roles of subject co-ordinators

Subject co-ordinators provided good support for school leaders. They observed lessons and offered

demonstration lessons to model good practice. The co-ordinators worked closely with teachers in their

subject areas to review the curriculum and ensure that the assessment of students’ work was accurate.

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 3 of 12

Aspects of the school’s leadership that should be improved

Monitoring of teaching

School leaders and subject co-ordinators undertook a large number of lesson observations. However,

written feedback to teachers was too positive. It rarely gave teachers any targets for improvement.

Information from observations was not always linked to teachers’ professional development.

Consequently, lesson observations did not always lead to improvements in teaching.

Health and safety issues

Although the site was secure, the conditions in the school grounds did not always ensure students’

health and safety. For example, there were some sharp edges in the assembly area and doors to an

outside storage area were frequently left open. The lack of sufficient covered areas meant that students

were exposed to the full heat of the sun in assemblies and during physical education (PE) lessons.

The lack of suitable resources and accommodation

Resources and accommodation were limited. Activities in art were largely restricted to drawing, cutting

and sticking because there was no art room with running water. An ‘activity room’ was used for

handicraft work and also housed the extremely small number of books which comprised the school

library. There was no music room and music was not taught. There was very little information technology

(IT) equipment around the school. Data projectors were available to support teaching in the science

laboratory and computer room only. There was little use of technology in classes, including in the

computer room. Apart from text books, no books were available in classrooms. In the KG, classrooms

were not organised to develop different aspects of learning. This limited children’s opportunities to

engage in practical, creative and imaginative activities.

Overall judgement of Focus Area 1: The leadership of the school was Effective

Recommendations for improvement

Improve the monitoring of teaching, by:

o Providing training for school leaders and subject co-ordinators in observing lessons and

writing evaluative feedback

o Ensuring that all written feedback, following lesson observations, includes areas for

improvement

o Linking professional development of teachers to the areas for improvement identified in

the lesson observations

Ensure that the school site is safe, by:

o Clearing away any rubbish

o Checking for sharp edges in the playground and removing them

o Keeping the doors to the storage area locked when students are on site

o Providing a covered outside area for assemblies and PE lessons

Improve resources and accommodation, by:

o Providing suitable accommodation to teach music and art

o Establishing a library with a suitable range of books

o Setting up systems to ensure that all students have regular access to the library

o Improving the amount and use of IT equipment in classrooms and in the computer room

o Ensuring that there are suitable resources in the KG to enable children to engage in

practical, creative and imaginative activities

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 4 of 12

Focus Area 2: The school as a community

Aspects of the school as a community which were positive

The caring ethos

There was a warm and caring ethos throughout the school. Students were well looked after and happy.

They were excited to arrive at school each morning and were greeted warmly by the Principal and

teachers. The school nurse monitored students’ health and taught students about hygiene. The student

council were proud of their role helping teachers and students. Teachers worked together well and staff

morale was high.

Good communication with parents

Parents were welcome in the school. There were frequent, informal meetings with the Principal and

teachers when they dropped off or collected children from school. The weekly plan provided to parents

raised their awareness of what children were learning. Teachers gave advice to parents of lower

attaining students about how they could help their children to learn at home.

Aspects of the school as a community that should be improved

Involving parents

The school sent out surveys to seek parents’ views and some parents helped with school events such as

national day celebrations. However, parents did not generally contribute to lessons or other activities.

There was no formal Parent Council to monitor the work of the school and help it to improve. Links with

the local community were also limited.

Relationships between students and teachers

The majority of students enjoyed good relationships with teachers. However, a few students were

disrespectful in their attitudes towards teachers. This was especially evident in the lower grades and with

teachers who were less confident, and those who were new to the school.

Overall judgement of Focus Area 2: The school as a community was Effective

Recommendations for improvement

Involve parents more in the life of the school, by:

o Establishing a Parent Council that meets regularly to support and monitor the work of the

school

o Inviting parents to come in to school to join in more activities and support students’

learning

o Seeking parents’ views on how to involve the local community more in the life of the

school

Ensure that students always show respect towards teachers, by:

o Setting and maintaining high expectations of acceptable behaviour throughout the school

o Emphasising the importance of respect towards one another as a topic in assemblies

o Providing modelling and support for teachers who do not have strong skills in classroom

management

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 5 of 12

Focus Area 3: The school’s approach to student learning

Aspects of the school’s approach to student learning which were positive

The planned curriculum

Teachers worked together with subject co-ordinators to write annual plans of work for each subject area.

These were checked by the subject co-ordinators and the Principal to ensure that they were age

appropriate, sequential, and properly based on the text books. A weekly plan for each class was sent

home so parents knew exactly what they would be taught and what homework needed to be completed.

Providing creative experiences

Despite the poor resources and accommodation, the school provided students with a variety of creative

experiences to enrich the curriculum. For example, they used a range of materials to make high quality

handicrafts to celebrate the UAE and their Islamic heritage. Students were given good opportunities to

sing and recite. Each day the assembly was led entirely by students. They recited the Holy Qur’an, read

poetry and shared pieces of their own writing.

Aspects of the school’s approach to student learning that should be improved

Meeting the needs of all students

Students who were gifted and talented were identified and there were some additional activities, such as

writing diaries in English, to challenge them. Lower attaining students were sometimes given additional

support outside of the class. However, the school did not properly identify students with special

educational needs (SEN). Their progress was not monitored adequately and there was no specialist

SEN teaching.

The Kindergarten curriculum

The KG curriculum was dull. It did not contain sufficient creative, practical and imaginative activities to

stimulate young children. Lessons were sometimes too long to maintain children’s interest. For example,

the timetable included double lessons in English and mathematics, each lasting one and a half hours.

Creative work was largely restricted to colouring in shapes, and there were very few practical

experiences to encourage students to experiment and explore.

Overall judgement of Focus Area 3: The school’s approach to student learning was effective

Recommendations for improvement

Develop the curriculum so that it meets the needs of all students, by:

o Ensuring that in each subject, teachers’ identify students who are high attainers and those

who find their work difficult

o Ensuring that teachers’ planning takes account of the needs of higher attaining students

by providing an appropriate level of challenge and extension work

o Ensuring that lower attaining students are given work set at the right level and additional

help and support if they need it

o Working closely with the social worker, co-ordinators, teachers and parents to identify and

support students with SEN; including preparing individual learning plans

o Providing teachers with training to improve their skills in adapting curricular for the

students with SEN

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 6 of 12

Improve the quality of the KG curriculum, by:

o Arranging for the leader of the KG to observe good practice in planning a curriculum for

young children

o Reviewing the timetable to ensure that lessons in mathematics and English are only

scheduled for single lessons

o Identifying and providing opportunities to enrich the curriculum with creative, practical and

imaginative activities

o Supporting children’s’ independent learning by setting up learning areas, such as book

corners, in the KG classrooms.

Focus Area 4: The classroom climate

Aspects of the classroom climate which were positive

The quality of student learning

Across the school, students were mostly engaged and generally cooperative in lessons. They made

acceptable progress especially in English, mathematics and science. They worked in groups and, when

given the opportunity, co-operated and supported one another. Students generally responded positively

to the teachers when required to do so. They eagerly answered questions and were keen to be more

involved and challenged in their lessons.

Leaders and subject co-ordinators

School leaders and subject co-ordinators offered demonstration lessons providing good support for

successful teaching. Their strong subject knowledge and confidence engaged and motivated students in

their learning. They made use of a variety of teaching strategies, including practical work and role play,

using paired work and group work to good effect. These teachers provided good role models for other

teachers especially those who were new to teaching or new to the school.

The teaching of English in Grades 1 to 6

The school prioritised the teaching of English and this was evident through the quality of the teaching

seen across the English department in Grades 1 to 6. Planning for these lessons was more detailed and

better considered. Lessons were well structured and included recap opportunities so that students could

relate their learning to earlier work. Teachers asked more searching questions to check understanding.

They used a variety of activities and resources to stimulate and reinforce learning as well as engaging

and exciting students.

Aspects of the classroom climate that should be improved

Catering for individual needs

Teachers knew the students well but their knowledge of their individual and specific needs lacked detail,

especially where the teacher was new to the school. Work was mostly aimed at the middle attainers in

the class with little attempt to offer support or challenge to lower and higher attainers. Students who

completed work quickly were expected to wait around for others to complete their work causing

frustration and, occasionally, poor behaviour.

Behaviour management

‘Teacher talk’ occasionally dominated lessons so that students became passive or else disruptive.

Although school rules were understood, classroom expectations were variable. There was no consistent

practice about remaining in seats, working in groups or eating in class. Excitable behaviour was not

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 7 of 12

always managed well and in a few cases inappropriate behaviour was condoned or ignored. Behaviour

around the school and on the buses was more orderly and calm.

The quality of teacher marking

Most teachers marked students’ work but very few provided useful written feedback. The few comments

that were seen were encouraging rather than evaluative and did not help students to learn. Teachers

checked for learning during lessons through questioning but answers were rarely expanded upon.

Reports offered numerical assessments of work but no benchmark for parents to measure success.

Feedback did not include targets guiding students on to their next steps in learning. There was no whole-

school policy on assessment.

Overall judgement of Focus Area 4: The classroom climate was Effective

Recommendations for improvement

Ensure that all lessons take sufficient account of the spread of ability, by:

o Offering suitable training for teachers and ensuring that they are aware of students’

different needs

o Using the school’s regular testing to ensure that teaching and learning in lessons

matches students’ needs

o Supporting planning to develop support tasks for lower attainers and extension tasks for

higher attainers

o Encouraging teachers to assess students’ understanding and then adjust teaching to

ensure all students make progress

o Making sure that new staff are quickly acquainted with information regarding students

individual and specific needs

o Checking that staff are taking account of individual needs through lesson observations

and feedback

Improve the consistency of classroom management by:

o Identifying and sharing best practice in classroom behaviour from across the school

o Ensuring that teacher talk does not dominate lessons and students are involved as active

participants in their own learning

o Highlighting classroom expectations and ensuring that these are consistent across

subjects and across years

o Providing professional development in managing excitable and challenging behaviour as

well as low level disruption

o Ensuring that classrooms are interesting and stimulating places for students to learn with

student work celebrated and displayed

Improve the quality of teacher marking by:

o Agreeing a whole school policy on the marking of work and the frequency with which this

should take place

o Providing students with regular written feedback which is evaluative and offers areas for

further work and development

o Allowing students to be more involved in their own assessment through self and peer

assessment

o Ensuring that teachers make good use of questioning to check for learning during lessons

and tailoring lessons to their understanding

o Encouraging teachers to make better use of questioning by using supplementary

questions to probe and develop knowledge further

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 8 of 12

o Considering how reports might be developed to offer more helpful information including

targets guiding students on their next steps in learning.

Focus Area 5: Students’ personal development

Aspects of students’ personal development which were positive

Student's confidence

Students displayed high levels of self-confidence in many situations. For example in the assembly when

presenting the school broadcast, during their lessons when giving their views or around the school when

supporting one another. Students enjoyed school and attendance was average at 95%.

Students’ understanding of Islam

Students’ showed a good knowledge and understanding of Islam which was appropriate to their age.

They were able and confident to relate this to their daily lives. Children in the KG used the phrase

‘Alhamdulillah’ and confidently greeted one another using Arabic language. Older students demonstrated

an acute awareness of Islamic values while older girls wore the hijab with pride.

Aspects of students’ personal development that should be improved

The inappropriate behaviour of a few students in classes

The school had identified a small number of students whose behaviour in class was not acceptable.

Evaluators observed a few students pushing and shoving each other as well as making disrespectful

comments to the teacher and each other. In the lower grades, some teachers spent too much time

dealing with excitable and noisy students.

Students’ awareness of the UAE

Although the majority of students knew something about the UAE, their awareness was not extensive.

Most students could identify the different emirates and their names but their knowledge beyond the basic

facts was rather limited. Older students were not sufficiently aware of recent developments in the UAE

and how this might affect their lives and their future.

Overall judgement of Focus Area 5: Students’ personal development was effective

Recommendations for improvement

Improve students’ behaviour and attitudes, by:

o Ensuring that the school rules are shared and understood by all students o Emphasising the importance of good behaviour as a topic in assemblies o Developing a system for rewarding students who behave respectfully and according to

school rules o Engaging all students with work that allows them to be active participants in their own

learning o Providing modelling and support for teachers who do not have strong skills in managing

student behaviour

Raise the awareness of all students about the UAE and recent developments, by:

o Highlighting opportunities in assemblies and across the curriculum to talk about the UAE o Raising awareness of the development of the UAE in recent times o Providing extra-curricular opportunities and trips to enhance their understanding.

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 9 of 12

Focus Area 6: Students’ attainment and progress

Aspects of students’ attainment and progress which were positive

High performance in school tests

School results showed high attainment over time across all subjects, although less so in Grade 4. Pass

rates of 100% were common and large proportions of students attained between 80% and 100%.

Student assessments confirmed that they were very good at remembering facts and providing

definitions. School tests were detailed and well considered. They were marked accurately but rarely

offered comment on areas for improvement. Regular assessments, during the course of the year,

prepared students well for these school tests.

Attainment and progress in subjects

Lesson observations and work samples confirmed that students attained well and made good progress.

Children in the KG could recognise and write Arabic letters and recite the Holy Qur’an with growing

confidence. They could fill in missing letters in the alphabet and write the numbers to 75. By Grade 5,

students recognised tenses in Arabic and could identify the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

In mathematics they calculated angles in pie charts, and in science they understood and could explain

filtration and evaporation. Grade 6 students could identify parts of sentences in Arabic and confidently

answered questions on a piece of text in English. They could find the common multiple of two numbers

in mathematics and correctly identified the parts and functions of the body in science. On the basis of

their attainment when entering the school, most students made sound, and sometimes better, progress

over time.

Aspects of students’ attainment and progress that should be improved

The attainment and progress of higher attaining students

The school identified 20% of the students as high attainers. However, they did not take sufficient steps to

adequately support these students. In the lessons seen, there was not sufficient challenge provided to

ensure that higher attaining students progressed at a speed appropriate to their abilities. Assessments

were not sufficiently challenging, with many higher attaining students easily achieving 100% on their

tests. There was little opportunity for them to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their knowledge.

Parents suggested that students had too few opportunities to take part in local and national

competitions.

Independent, research and technology skills

‘Teacher talk’ dominated too many lessons so that students were unable to develop the ability to work

independently. Class work provided limited opportunities to choose what to learn and to develop their

investigative and problem solving skills. Library facilities were poor and the school had too few

computers for the size of the school. Although the computer room had 12 computers, at the time of the

evaluation, four of these were not working. Students’ critical thinking, research skills and use of

technology were under-developed.

Overall judgement of Focus Area 6: Students’ attainment and progress was Effective

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 10 of 12

Recommendations for improvement

Ensure the progress of higher attaining students, by:

o Providing training for staff in identifying and supporting higher attaining students

o Identifying particular strengths of these students in terms of individual subjects and

sharing information on their particular abilities with all staff

o Ensuring lessons are adequately planned to meet the needs of these students and

assessments offer opportunities to show the depth of their knowledge

o Considering ways of providing greater challenge inside and outside of the classroom

including involving students more in outside competitions

o Monitoring the attainment and progress of higher attaining students and taking effective

action on any underperformance

Develop students’ independent, research and technology skills by:

o Ensuring that students have more opportunities to undertake work independently.

o Identifying opportunities for students to develop their investigative and problem solving skills,

especially in mathematics and science

o Identifying opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking and research skills in

school and for homework

o Improving facilities in the library and increasing the availability of computers in the computer

room and across the school

o Increasing the use of technology across the school by encouraging opportunities for teachers

and students to make use of technology

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 11 of 12

Summary of judgements

In their evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the school, the evaluation team made judgements about

the following aspects of the school’s performance.

The leadership of the school Effective

The school as a community Effective

The school’s approach to student learning Effective

The classroom climate Effective

Students’ personal development Effective

Students’ attainment and progress Effective

The capacity of the school to improve

The evaluation team has considered the capacity of the school leadership to act on the

recommendations in the report and to improve over the next 12 month period. The team’s confidence in

the capacity of the leadership of the school to act on the recommendations in the report and to improve

school performance in the relevant areas within the next 12 months is: MODERATE

HIGH confidence means that the evaluation team believes that the current school leadership will take a

positive attitude towards the findings of the report and will quickly act on the recommendations. The

team would expect to see significant improvements in school performance in the relevant areas well

within the next 12 months.

MODERATE confidence means that the evaluation team believes that the current school leadership will

quickly begin to act on the recommendations in the report but will need additional support to implement

them in full. The team would expect to see noticeable improvements in school performance in the

relevant areas within the next 12 months. The team recommends that the school receives support to

develop and implement its plan for improvement.

LOW confidence means that the evaluation team believes that the current school leadership does not

have the capacity to act on the recommendations in the report. Under the current leadership the team

would not expect to see sufficient improvement in school performance within the next 12 months. The

team recommends that the leadership of the school should be reviewed.

FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 12 of 12

What happens next? The school should prepare an action plan indicating how it will address the recommendations in the report.

ACCREDITATION

The evaluation team has recommended to the Ministry of Education that the

school is accredited. How to contact us If you wish to comment on any aspect of this report you should contact: Hasna Bufteam on HasnaM.Bufteam@moe.gov.ae