Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AsianInternationalPrivateSchool
AcademicYear201314
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AsianInternationalPrivateSchool
InspectionDate
SchoolID#
58May2014
180
LicensedCurriculum
CentralBoardofSecondaryEducation(CBSE)
NumberofStudents
1206
AgeRange
Gender
Principal
SchoolAddress
3to18years
Mixed
RohiniJayaram
Ruwais Housing Complex, Ruwais, Western Zone, Abu
Dhabi
TelephoneNumber
+971(02)8778789
FaxNumber
+971(02)8778785
OfficialEmail(ADEC)
asianintrowais.pvt@adec.ac.ae
SchoolWebsite
aisruwais.webs.com
Dateoflastinspection
1922February2012
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Theoveralleffectivenessoftheschool
Inspectorsconsideredtheschoolinrelationto3performancecategories
BandA Highperforming(overalleffectivenessgrade1,2or3)
BandB
Satisfactory(overalleffectivenessgrade4or5)
BandC
Inneedofsignificantimprovement(overalleffectivenessgrade6,70r8)
TheSchoolwasjudgedtobe:
BANDC;
GRADE6
Themainstrengthsoftheschoolare:
Themainareasforimprovementare:
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Introduction
Theschoolwasinspectedby5inspectors.Theyobserved102lessons,conducted
several meetings with senior staff, subject leaders, support staff, students,
parentsandtheboardofgovernors.Theyanalyzedtestandassessmentresults,
scrutinized students work, analyzed the 497 responses to the parents
questionnaireandconsideredmanyoftheschoolspoliciesandotherdocuments.
Theprincipalandviceprincipalwereinvolvedthroughouttheinspectionprocess
andconducted4jointobservationswiththeLeadInspector.
DescriptionoftheSchool
TheAsianInternationalPrivateSchoolAlRowais,openedin1988asavillaschool
toeducatethechildrenofAbuDhabiNationalOilCompany(ADNOC)employees.
It grew to become a Kindergarten (KG) to Grade 10 school, in 1993 and further
extended to Grade 12 in 1999. Almost 93% of students are children of ADNOC
employees,anditssubsidiaryoilcompany,whorequiretheirchildrentofollowa
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. The school occupies
threesitesaroundthecity:oneforKGclasses,anotherprovidesaccommodation
for Grades 1 to 3 students, and the main administrative block accommodates
studentsinGrades4toGrade12.Theschoolsvisionistocreateanoutstanding
learningcommunity,whichenablesstudentstoreachtheirlifelongpotential.
There are 1206 students on roll. There are 153 children in the Kindergarten, 524
students in the primary section, 297 in the middle Section and 232 in the upper
section.Thereareequalnumbersofboysandgirls.Around7%ofstudentsspeak
Arabicastheirfirstlanguage,45%areMuslim.Themajorityofstudents,85%,areof
Indian heritage, 3% are Pakistani, 3% are Egyptian and 2% are Bangladeshi. Less
than 1% of the students are Emiratis. There are further small proportions from
other countries including Jordan, Yemen and the Philippines. The school has
identified6studentswithlanguageandlearningneeds.
The school follows an Indian curriculum and is affiliated to the CBSE curriculum
Board. It also follows the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum for Arabic,
IslamiceducationandUAEsocialstudies.
Thereare66teachers,includingtheprincipal,3supervisorsandanadditional30
support staff, including administrative and security staff. School fees are in the
very affordable to low category and range from AED 2,500 in the KG to AED
10,500inGrade12withanadditionalAED100fortransport.
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TheEffectivenessoftheSchool
Studentsattainment&progress
Attainment and progress are unsatisfactory across the school. In English,
mathematics and science, the majority of students in Grades 10 and 12 achieve
marginally above schools following the same curriculum. Work in classrooms
indicates that students in these grades achieve below international standards.
Attainment in these subjects accelerates between Grades 8 and 12, as lessons
focus solely on completing previous CBSE test papers and students access
additional tuition outside the school. Students have insufficient opportunities to
develop 21st century skills. The style of teaching across the school inhibits
students thinking skills as it focuses on repetition, copying from textbooks and
answeringquestionsrequiringlowlevelresponses.
Theattainmentandprogressofstudentsinyoungerclassesissignificantlybelow
thoseintheseniorsectionoftheschool.StudentsinKGtoGrade4areworking
belowstandardswhencomparedtosimilarschoolsandwellbelowinternational
standards. Children in KG classes are able to say number names; the lack of
practicalexperiencemeansthatmostdonothaveanunderstandingofonetoone
correspondence or basic number operations. By the end of KG, most children
know letter names and sounds but have had too few opportunities to write
independently,otherthancopyingwordsfromtheboard.
Internal assessments recorded by the school suggest that all students are
performing well in all subjects and in all grades. This is because the school does
nothaverobustsystemsinplacetoanalyseassessmentdata.Additionally,there
are no systems in place to track students progress or set individual or group
targets.Asaresult,studentsmakeinadequateprogressinmostsubjects.
AttainmentandprogressinArabicisunsatisfactory.Lessonsaretoooftenlimited
tomemorizingvocabularyandreadingshortpassagesfromtextbooks.Students
havetoofewopportunitiestodeveloptheirwritingskills,particularlyinorderto
express their own viewpoints or create their own imaginative writing. In Islamic
education,studentshavealimitedknowledgeofbasicconceptssuchasthepillars
offaithanddonothaveanageappropriateknowledgeofrecitationrulesorthe
Prophet Mohammeds (PBUH) traditions. In social studies, students reach the
expectedcurriculumstandardsandmakesatisfactoryprogress.
By the time students reach the higher grades, they have acquired a satisfactory
standard of basic skills and fluency in English that enables them to access the
curriculum. Students are able to communicate effectively in English; progress is
constrained by lessons that are mainly limited to grammar exercises or short
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planning notes record a range of different experiences and activities, these are
notroutinelydeliveredinlessons.Inthesignificantmajorityoflessons,theneeds
of different groups of students, especially those who find learning difficult, are
not provided for. Most lessons are overreliant on textbook exercises and
worksheets. These provide only lowlevel challenge and consist of copying from
theboardorfillinginblankspaces.Teachersdonotroutinelyusequestionsthat
developstudentscriticalthinkingorhelpthemtogainhigherorderthinkingskills
andunderstanding.Thereisalackofopportunityinmostlessonsforstudentsto
developindependentandcollaborativeskills.
Theuseofassessmenttocheckstudentsunderstandingisinconsistent.Students
workisrarelycorrectedandverylittlefeedbackisgiven,eitherorallyorinwriting,
tohelpthemunderstandwhattheyneedtodotoimprove.Theresultsofformal
assessmentsarenotusedsufficientlytotakeaccountofstudentspriorlearning
orplanmoreappropriateactivitiesforindividualsorgroupsofstudents.
ThequalityofteachingintheKGclassesisunsatisfactoryduetoteacherslimited
knowledgeofhowyoungchildrenlearnbest.ThisresultsinchildreninKGclasses
spending too much time on the carpet listening to their teacher and having too
fewopportunitiestoindependentlyexploretheworldaroundthem.
Meetingstudentsneedsthroughthecurriculum
InadditiontothesubjectsonofferforCBSEcurriculumandMOEcurriculumfor
Arabic,Islamiceducationandsocialstudies,theschoolprovidesHindilessonsfor
Indianstudents,UrdulessonsforstudentsofPakistaniheritage,andFrenchtoall
otherstudents.Sincethelastinspection,theschoolhasalsoaddedartandmusic
toitscurriculum.
Theschoolcarriesoutregularinternalassessmentsinallgrades.Theseconsistof
a range of end of unit and textbook based tests. There is Continuous
ComprehensiveEvaluation,(CCE),inaccordancetoCBSErequirementsinGrades
9and10andmoderatedtestsinGrades10and12.
TheschoolscurriculumiscompliantwiththerequirementsoftheCBSEandMoE
curriculum for the relevant subjects. It is notimplemented well enough to meet
the needs of all students, particularly those who require additional support or
additionalchallengeinlessons.Thereisalackoffocuswithincurriculumplanson
developing students independent learning and critical thinking skills. The
curriculum provides adequate opportunities for students to enhance their
knowledgeandunderstandingoftheUAEanditsculturethroughspecialevents
andcelebrations.
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TheKGcurriculumplacesinsufficientemphasisonthedevelopmentofchildrens
creativeandsocialskills.Therearetoofewplannedopportunitiesforchildrento
develop their fine motor skills, learn through active play or to understand the
worldaroundthemthroughexploration.
The curriculum for information and communications technology (ICT) is poorly
planned and resourced. Students use basic computer programs to copy text or
carryoutsimpletasksthatarenotageappropriate.Forexample,childreninone
KGclasswereexpectedtoidentifyverbsinsentencesasawayofdevelopingtheir
mousecontrolskills.
Students have access to a limited number of extracurricular opportunities and
onlyafew,moreablestudents,areencouragedtoparticipateinthese.Thereare
too few links with external partners to stimulate students interest in the wider
world. Older students are provided with adequate guidance and support in
selecting further education opportunities, especially those planning to return to
Indiaforfurtherstudy.
Theprotection,care,guidanceandsupportofstudents
The schools systemsfor the protection andcare of students are unsatisfactory.
There is a caring atmosphere in the school supported by an ethos of mutual
respectbetweenstaffandstudents.Thereisawidelyunderstoodchildprotection
policy that sets out clear responsibilities and guidance for the staff to follow.
Staff are aware that corporal punishmentisprohibitedand students reportthat
theyfeelthatthereareproceduresinplacetomakethemfeelsafe.
Students arrival and departure from school are well organized and supervised.
Theschooldoesnotconsistentlyrecordandmonitorattendanceaccurately.This
isacauseforconcern,particularlyatkeytimessuchasduringfireevacuationsand
on special event days. The school has established systems for ensuring that
appropriatechecksarecarriedoutonalladultsintheschool.Thereareadequate
firstaidfacilitiesintwositesbuttheKGsitedoesnothaveaqualifiedmemberof
staff present to deal with any injuries. The school has prayer rooms on all three
sitestoencourageandsupportstudentsprayerneeds.
The school provides additional tuition for students who cannot speak English
whentheyjointheschool.Theschooldoesnotaccuratelyidentifystudentswith
speciallearningneedsandthesupportforthesestudentsisinadequate.
Thequalityoftheschoolsbuildingsandpremises
The quality of the school buildings varies from site to site and overall they are
unsatisfactory. The buildings are well maintained, clean and hygienic. Students
usethefacilitiesresponsiblyandthereareestablishedsystemsforreportingany
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maintenanceconcernstoADNOC,whoareresponsibleforthebuildings.Manyof
theclassroomsareofanadequatesizetoaccommodatethenumbersofstudents
in them. There is a number of temporary classrooms on the senior school site,
which have insubstantial partitions leading to noise being transferred from one
classtoanother.Thisisproblematicwhenteachersshoutagreatdealasitleads
tointerruptedlearninginadjacentclassrooms.
Twooftheschoolssiteshaveadequateplayspaceandspecialistresourcerooms.
Thejuniorsitehaslimitedoutdoorandindoorplayspaceleadingtopoorprovision
forphysicalactivities,bothinandoutoflessons.Securityaroundallsitesisgood
and prevents any access to intruders. The chemicals in the science laboratories
arenotalwayslockedawaywhennotinusebystudents.
Corridor and classroom displays are mainly created by teachers. They are not
always linked with classroom work and do not include students work.
Consequently,theydonotprovidestudentswithexamplesofhighqualityworkto
aimfor.
Theschoolsresourcestosupportitsaims
The school has sufficient staff to deliver the curriculum. Many teachers do not
have adequate knowledge and experience of the CBSE or MoE curriculum.
TeachersintheKGhavealimitedunderstandingofhowbesttoplananddeliver
lessonstomeetthelearningneedsofyoungchildren.
Sincethelastinspection,theschoolhasincreaseditsrangeofICTresourcesand
equippedeveryclassroomwithinteractivewhiteboardsandprovidedlaptopsfor
allteachers.Otherlearningresourcesarelimitedtowhatthestudentsprovidefor
themselves.IntheKG classes,therearetoofewresourcesforstudentstolearn
through play activities. There are insufficient practical resources in science
laboratories to support scientific experiments or any investigative learning.
Library resources are unsatisfactory and do not encourage students to read for
pleasureorallowthemtoundertakeresearch.
Theschoolsbusesaremaintainedregularlyandincludesupervisorsandcameras
toensurestudentsafety.
Theeffectivenessofleadershipandmanagement
The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory. The principal,
the heads of the 3 phases and the subject leaders do not have a robust
understanding of how students learn and what makes an effective learning
environment. This leads to a focus on operational matters at the expense of
educationalones.Theydonotfocussufficientlyonimprovingstudentlearningby
improvingthequalityofteachingandlearning.Theleadershipteamdoesnothave
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Progresssincethelastinspection
Theschoolhasmadelimitedprogressontherecommendationsfromtheprevious
inspection. There are now more teaching resources available and interactive
whiteboardshavebeenprovidedinallclassrooms.Therehasbeensomeexternal
training in the use of these, which is beginning to support teachers in using a
wider range of teaching strategies and resources. There has also been some
additionaltrainingabouthowtodifferentiatethecurriculumtomeettheneedsof
all students in lessons. This has not had the desirable impact yet on student
learning and the progress they make. The schools leadership has introduced
moreregularobservationsofteaching.Ithasfailedtoensurethatthissystemisin
placeacrossallphasesortoaccuratelymonitorthequalityoftheseobservations
andthefeedbackthatteachersreceive.Therehasbeenalackofattentionpaidto
improvements in the core areas of teaching and learning and leadership and
management. The schools leadership has not demonstrated the satisfactory
capacitytoimprovetheeducationalprovisionintheschoolrapidlyenough.
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Whattheschoolshoulddotoimprovefurther:
1. Improvethequalityofteachingandlearningsothatalllessonsareatleast
satisfactoryby:
i. providing high quality targeted professional development for all
teachers so that they understand how to accurately assess students
understandinginlessons
ii. ensuring that appropriate support and challenge is provided in all
lessonsforstudentswhoarelessableandthosewhoaremoreable
iii. ensuring that teachers plan learning activities that allow students to
workindependentlyandcollaboratively.
2. Improveattendanceby:
i. devising and implementing systems to accurately track and record
attendance
ii. identifying specific individuals or year groups where absence is a
significantissue
iii. contactinghomeonthefirstdayofabsence
iv. working with parents to understand the reasons for absence and
findingsolutions.
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InspectionGrades
Inneedofsignificant
improvement
Poor
Very
unsatisfactory
Satisfactory&
Improving
Unsatisfactory
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Highperforming
Good
BandC
VeryGood
BandB
Outstanding
Performance
Standard
BandA
Standard1:
Students
attainmentand
progress
Standard2:
Studentspersonal
development
Standard3:The
qualityofteaching
andlearning
Standard4:The
meetingof
studentsneeds
throughthe
curriculum
Standard5:The
protection,care,
guidanceand
supportofstudents
Standard6:The
qualityofthe
schoolsbuildings
andpremises
Standard7:The
schoolsresources
tosupportitsaims
Standard8:The
effectivenessof
leadershipand
management
Summary
Evaluation:The
schoolsoverall
effectiveness
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