Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Inspection Report
Page 1 of 20
To
June 1, 2016
N/A
To
N/A
General Information
Students
School ID
262
Total number of
students
191
Opening year of
school
2015
Number of children
in KG
58
Principal
Paul Abraham
Number of students
in other phases
Primary:
Middle:
High:
School telephone
Age range
4 to 12 years
School Address
Grades or Year
Groups
KG1 Grade 6
Virginia.pvt@adec.ac.ae
Gender
Mixed
School website
www.virginiaschool.ae
% of Emirati
Students
71%
Medium to High:
AED 24,000 AED 36,000
Largest nationality
groups (%)
1. Jordanian: 6%
2. Egyptian: 4%
3. Omani:
4%
Licensed Curriculum
129
0
0
Staff
Main Curriculum
American
Number of teachers
16
Other Curriculum
-------
Number of teaching
assistants (TAs)
10
External Exams/
Standardised tests
--------
Teacher-student
ratio
KG/ FS
1:21
Other phases
1:23
Accreditation
-------
Teacher turnover
-------
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Introduction
Inspection activities
Number of inspectors
deployed
63
Number of parents
questionnaires
Details of other inspection
activities
N/A
The team conducted meetings with staff with specific
responsibilities, parents and students. They completed
reviews of the schools policies, lesson planning,
students coursework and other documents.
School
School Aims
Admission Policy
Leadership structure
(ownership, governance and
management)
Intellectual disability
Visually impaired
Hearing impaired
Multiple disabilities
SEN Category
Number of students
identified
Intellectual ability
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Band B
Satisfactory (Acceptable)
Band C
(B)
High Performing
Satisfactory
Acceptable
Band B
Good
Band A
Very Good
Performance Standards
BAND
Outstanding
Acceptable
Band C
In need of significant
improvement
Very Weak
Weak
Band A
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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organised and stimulating project on The Airport, children develop a very clear
understanding about booking a flight and procedures on the ground. Through an
aircraft simulation video shown on the interactive electronic white board, they
know what it feels like to be the pilot.
As a result of the school not making the development of innovation skills an area
of priority in the curriculum, it does not figure consistently in teachers planning
and teaching. It is identified as a priority for professional development in the
2016-2017 academic year. Currently, much emphasis is given to gaining knowledge
rather than to applying it in different contexts. Opportunities for students to use
technologies to research, discover and explore are not frequent in lessons. The
schools stated aim to produce life-long learners who are innovative and creative
is not sufficiently reflected in its curriculum and the ways in which students learn.
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Islamic
Education
Arabic
(as a First Language)
Arabic
(as a Second
Language)
KG
Primary
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Acceptable
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Acceptable
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Middle
High
Acceptable
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Acceptable
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Good
Acceptable
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Acceptable
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Acceptable
Attainment
N/A
N/A
Progress
N/A
N/A
Attainment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Progress
Acceptable
Acceptable
Acceptable
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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In English, attainment and progress are acceptable overall with the exception of
children in KG whose progress is good. The school does not have external
assessments for students to enable benchmarking against international standards.
The schools internal assessments indicate that most students make acceptable
progress from their different starting points on entry to the school. In KG, children
are building successfully on what they learn in lessons. Most make good progress in
developing early reading skills and writing skills. A minority read picture stories for
enjoyment and are beginning to write legibly. Throughout the primary phase,
progress in all aspects of English is less marked and not better than acceptable for
most students. Students speaking skills are varied with only a small minority in
Grades 5 and 6 being able to argue a case or present their work describing what they
have done with any confidence or fluency. Progress in reading is also acceptable.
Girls develop their reading fluency more securely than boys. In the primary phase,
progress in the development of writing skills is the weakest aspect. Most students in
the primary phase spend too much time copying text rather than composing and
then redrafting their work independently.
In mathematics, attainment and progress are acceptable overall and in line with
curriculum standards. For example in the KG, children recognise the numbers and
count up to 10 quickly and accurately. By Grade 2, most know the names of two
dimensional shapes and recognise some of their qualities. Older students know how
to collect simple data, manage, analyse it and produce coloured graphs and charts,
for example, when discussing favourite activities. The majority have little
understanding of the application of mathematics to the real world and their thinking
is not sufficiently broadened to enable them to apply their mathematical skills in a
wider context. Students do not have sufficient opportunities to use practical
resources in order to consolidate their understanding; for example, about how the
number system works.
In science, attainment and progress are acceptable and are in line with curriculum
standards. In KG, many children learn about the world around them through
practical experiences. For example, they can tell the difference between living and
non-living objects and they know that living things need food and water to help
them grow. Students knowledge of scientific facts increases steadily. By the end of
Grade 5, most students have a good recall of factual information and key scientific
concepts. They know, for example, about the solar system and the planets that
make it up. In almost all lessons, students demonstrate weak skills in
experimentation; they have a limited understanding of how to conduct a fair test
based on their hypothesis or how to record it. Few know how to make general
conclusions or how to express their findings factually.
Younger children and students in Grade 1, know how to clean up and put away their
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KG
Primary
Personal development
Acceptable
Acceptable
Acceptable
Acceptable
Weak
Weak
Middle
High
Students personal and social development is acceptable overall. Across the school,
the majority of students demonstrate positive attitudes, are enthusiastic and say
they enjoy school. Most students are well behaved and respond positively to the
system that recognises and rewards good behaviour. On the whole, students get on
well with each other and their teachers, as many settle quickly into their new
routines and the expectations teachers hold for them. Most students have a secure
understanding of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. They respond positively
to the guidance they are given in their classes, in the canteen and from the school
nurse. They try hard to put this advice into effect and in Grade 4, for example, they
are able to discuss the effects of obesity sensibly. Attendance at 87% is very weak
and a minority of students are late at the start of each day.
Students show adequate awareness of Emirati culture and heritage. Displays and the
heritage areas in the school reinforce the messages students learn in their lessons
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about what the UAE stands for and what is expected of them as the generation of
the future. Older students discuss current issues facing Abu Dhabi. They know how
they should reflect their Islamic values in their everyday lives. Their understanding of
wider world cultures and traditions is less well developed.
Across the school, because of the limited opportunities available, students have only
a basic understanding of their social responsibilities. They know, for example, in
science that the climate and the environment need protecting. They recognise in
simplistic ways, that rubbish can enter the food chain and threaten fish stocks. They
undertake projects, which make suggestions about how the environment could be
better protected.
KG
Primary
Acceptable
Acceptable
Assessment
Acceptable
Acceptable
Middle
High
Teaching is acceptable in most lessons with few lessons being good or better.
Systems for promoting effective teaching are new and they have had mixed success
in promoting high quality teaching. In a minority of lessons across the school,
teaching is weak. In nearly all lessons, teachers have an adequate knowledge about
their subjects and how to teach them. All teachers form positive relationships with
their students. In the best lessons, teachers have a very good awareness of how
young children learn best. They can provide innovative and vivid learning
experiences, which engage children and encourage a sense of awe and wonder; for
example in imaginative play in KG as they encourage children to take off on their
holiday adventure. Teachers provide positive encouragement to all of their
students.
Where lessons have shortcomings, it is because the planning lacks sufficient detail
to provide adequate guidance about what students are expected to learn.
Insufficient attention is given to developing innovation and promoting learning
through practical investigations. In a large minority of lessons, students are not
actively involved and as a result, a few lose interest in what is going on and work
without any sense of urgency or enthusiasm. In lessons where students are
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encouraged to make connections in what they are doing to their everyday life they
show curiosity and interest in finding out how things work. Often teachers do not
have high enough expectations of what students could and should achieve. They do
not routinely give students specific guidance so they know how to improve their
work.
The quality of teaching in art, music and physical education varies between
acceptable and weak. Where the teaching is weak, insufficient time or thought is
given to the development of specific skills, or in providing systematic guidance on
how to apply these skills in their learning. As a result, for example, in physical
education, students simply enjoy playing a game and do not develop the necessary
skills to be better players.
The quality of assessment is acceptable. In the KG, teachers regularly make informal
assessments of childrens reading and speaking skills. The school has devised
internal assessment procedures to evaluate individual progress over the short time
that children have attended. The results of these assessments do not effectively
influence teachers planning for groups or individual students; they have no impact,
on the management of the curriculum. In most lessons children are not made
sufficiently aware of the small steps they need to take in order to improve their
performance. Time is not well managed, so that in many lessons there is insufficient
opportunity to review learning and to promote students evaluation of their own
work and that of others. Because children with SEN and those with particular gifts
and talents are not identified and assessed early, their particular needs are not
effectively met. In most lessons, the task set is the same for all, whatever their
abilities. Additionally the school does not have external standardised exams for its
student to be able to measure how well they are performing against international
standards.
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Curriculum adaptation
KG
Primary
Acceptable
Acceptable
Weak
Weak
Middle
High
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KG
Primary
Health
and
safety,
including
arrangements for child protection/
safeguarding
Good
Good
Weak
Weak
Middle
High
Overall, the school makes acceptable provision for the care, guidance and support
of all students. Staff are conscious of their students welfare. The clinic is very new
with excellent facilities for those who need them. The school promotes the
importance of healthy lifestyles and a balanced diet. Students are well aware of the
benefits these bring. Appropriate training has been provided to staff in child
protection procedures. Staff demonstrate an awareness of their responsibility for
the care, welfare and safety of students. The school plans, but has yet to provide,
guidance to parents and students about child protection procedures. While many
students generally feel happy in school, a few express concerns about bullying. The
school deals with any incidents of this on an informal basis. It does not advise
students as to what they should do regarding bullying or how to avoid the potential
dangers of the unsafe us of internet.
The new school site offers facilities which are safe, hygienic and secure. The staff
with responsibilities in these areas are very conscientious and work hard to support
the school. There are well organised arrangements for the safe transport of
students at the beginning and end of the school day. There are detailed records of
maintenance issues and their outcomes. Arrangements to promote good behaviour
are generally effective and include a class dojo system, which is popular with
students as it recognises and rewards positive attitudes and efforts.
There are appropriate arrangements to record attendance accurately. There are no
effective strategies in place to raise attendance and improve punctuality. Class
teachers know their students well. They are invariably supportive and encouraging.
There is no provision for, or identification of, students with SEN or those who are
considered gifted and talented. The wide range of students backgrounds,
experiences and aptitudes on entry to the school are not recognised. The social
worker does not have a clear job description and the role is ill-defined.
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Acceptable
Acceptable
Acceptable
Governance
Acceptable
Acceptable
The SLT have successfully established the necessary administrative and day-to-day
routines to ensure that the school functions smoothly. They have a good
understanding of the needs of the school and have collaborated effectively to lay
the foundations for a successful first year. The principal provides a caring and well
informed lead. He has established positive, professional relationships between
teaching staff who are all working together for the first time. They have begun to
put in place procedures to evaluate the impact of teaching and to use assessment
data as a tool to drive up standards.
The plans laid for future action, particularly to address the needs of SEN and gifted
and talented students are appropriate. The schools self-evaluation is accurate and
based securely on the ADEC framework. It is closely linked to detailed planning for
future school improvement. These plans have been carefully assembled by the SLT
in consultation with the owner and are aimed at providing a firm basis for continued
growth, if put into effect. The impact and the schools capacity to ensure the
successful implementation of these plans cannot be determined at this stage given
the high staff turn-over at the end of the this academic year and the schools growth
to include additional 750 students next year.
There are acceptable partnerships with parents, many of whom have positive views
about their new school and wish to support it. Many feel that they made a sound
choice in selecting the school for their children. Parental responses to the schools
own questionnaire and in the parents meeting, say they feel valued and welcomed.
They appreciate that teachers and the school nurse are readily available to them.
They are satisfied with the information the school has been able to give them about
their childrens academic and personal development. These reports provide a
detailed review of individual progress. There are few productive partnerships with
other organisations in the local, national or international contexts.
At this early stage in the life of the school, arrangements for the development of
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governance are acceptable. The chair of governors is also the owner. Two serving
teachers have also agreed, with a parent, to join the board. Other appointments
have been made recently. The current staffing, facilities and resources are well
managed. Teachers are qualified and most have significant teaching experience. The
SLT has established regular professional development arrangements which reflect
the schools needs and priorities set out in the school development plan (SDP). The
impact of professional development has not yet led to improvement in students
academic performance.
The administrative, maintenance, cleaning and security staff share a pride in their
school and work hard to make it a success. The buildings are new and generally well
suited to the needs of the students. The KG classrooms have limited space, which
affects the provision of practical activities. Children in the KG do not have easy
access to the outdoors and to the extensive provision for physical development.
There is good provision for resources for teaching and learning, although in science
and ICT, these are particularly under used.
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ii.
iii.
iv.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Page 20 of 20