Schools in Dubai credit top ratings to student wellbeing

Fatma Belrehif says the 2018 KHDA report will help plan forward for the next decade and showed how schools are becoming more inclusive, encompassing students of determination. - Photo by Shihab

Some of the top private schools in Dubai have been highlighted as success stories in KHDA's new report, which revealed 10 years of school inspection data.
Dubai British School (DBS), Safa Community School, Al Ittihad Private School (Jumeirah), Al Rashid Al Saleh Private School, Raffles World Academy and the Lycée Français International de Dubaï, are some of the few schools whose success stories were shared in the authority's 'Dubai Private Schools: A Decade of Growth' report.
Each of these schools were highlighted thanks to their strengths, which set them apart from others. For instance, DBS was shared as a 'story of success' because of their work in self-evaluation and improvement planning.
"The DBS community could not be more pleased and proud with our inspection report and outcome," said Brendon Fulton, school principal. "It is a truly honest reflection of what is absolutely an outstanding school, in any sense of the word. Whilst we are very happy with the positive recognition of our student's achievements, we are proudest of the rich commentary acknowledging the social and emotional wellbeing of our students and the excellent relationships that exist between staff and students. An outstanding school does not happen by accident, it exists because of outstanding people - DBS is very proud to have excellent staff and wonderful students, with supportive families, that allow us to fulfil the school's vision that every student should enjoy, aspire and achieve."
Leanne Fridd, head teacher from the Safa Community School said they are "very proud" of their achievements in their second inspection.
The school currently has 1,166 students, according to the report, which stated that the school leaders and staff understand the importance of the first few years of formative education. "The report is a direct reflection of our ethos and culture of the school; everything we do is for children. Our pastoral systems and inclusive nature have driven curriculum modifications which are reflected in the wonderful progress our children have made," she said.
"By having such strong staff retention and effective recruitment it has allowed our dedicated team to develop the Safa vision to build the school to be what it is today. The support we've received from the governors of our school has provided us with the resources, community partnerships and professional development needed to improve the outcomes of our learners."
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com