Abu Dhabi: A primary school in Abu Dhabi claims to be the first private institution in the emirate to have achieved the highest level of excellence.
In a statement, Al Muna Primary School said it has been ranked as ‘Outstanding’ by the emirate’s education sector regulator, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec).
The ranking was allocated as part of the Adec’s fourth round of private school inspections that commenced in September.
Al Muna is part of developer Aldar’s six schools, managed under their Aldar Academies umbrella. It has 612 pupils between the ages of three and 11 from 54 nationalities, and 26 per cent of them are Emirati.
The statement from Aldar Academies also claims that Al Muna is the first private school to achieve the ‘Outstanding’ rank. Gulf News attempted to confirm this with the Adec, but a statement was not available before print deadline.
The Adec has inspected private schools every two years since 2009, and has seen a gradual improvement in their standards. Under this system, high-performing schools are placed within three tiers in Band A, while satisfactory schools are placed in Band B. Institutions that need significant improvement are in band C.
Within Band A, the top tier is ‘Outstanding’, followed by ‘Very Good’ and ‘Good’. In the third round of Adec inspections (2013-2015), 25 schools were in Band A but none were classified as ‘Outstanding’. The fourth round of checks (2015-2017) is currently ongoing.
Al Muna is located in Abu Dhabi’s central business district, between Zayed the First Street and Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street. It offers the National Curriculum for England, with additional lessons in Arabic, Islamic Studies and Social Studies.
According to the Aldar Academies statement, the Adec inspection report indicates that in all six core performance standards — pupils’ achievement; pupils’ personal and social development; teaching and assessment; curriculum; protection, care, guidance and support; and leadership and management – Al Muna was rated ‘Outstanding’. It also states that pupils at the school have “excellent language skills in English, [possess] well-developed learning skills, and are highly proficient in using information and communication technology”.
“At Al Muna Primary School, we are tireless in our pursuit of excellence and have high expectations of ourselves and of students’ attainment and progress,” Wayne Howsen, the school’s principal, said.
“We endeavour to provide a safe, caring and inclusive community where diversity is celebrated, mutual respect among adults and students is practised, and where working closely with families to support learning is valued,” he added.
