School Inspection Key Findings 2015-2016 (KHDA) | Page 5

Foreword
This report provides an overview of the educational performance and standards of the twenty nine
Indian curriculum schools in Dubai that were inspected during the 2015-2016 school inspection cycle. It
also outlines the very significant improvements made by these schools since they were first inspected
six years ago by the Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) of the Knowledge and Human Development
Authority (KHDA).
This year, DSIB inspected schools using the UAE School Inspection Framework 2015-2016. This framework
is based on comprehensive performance standards that define the essential aspects of a quality
education. Each standard is broken down into specific indicators and elements which are intended to
guide inspectors and schools to evaluate the quality of educational provision. Some of the changes in
this framework include the addition of ‘very good’ and ‘very weak’ levels to the four quality descriptors
that had been used until last year.
The framework has come at a critical point in the journey towards meeting the UAE National Agenda
goals, with less than five years left to achieve them. Earlier in this academic year, KHDA introduced the
UAE National Agenda Parameter, which is a method to help schools measure and monitor their progress
towards achieving their individual UAE National Agenda targets. It required all schools to participate in
international and external benchmarking assessments, other than TIMSS and PISA, on an annual basis.
This report highlights the extent to which Indian curriculum schools have participated in this requirement
and the extent of their readiness to work towards these targets.
Good leadership and self-evaluation are undeniably critical aspects of school effectiveness and
improvement. This report looks at improvement in both of these important aspects over the past six
years. The UAE School Inspection Framework 2015-2016 also emphasises the importance of the role
of governors, school leaders, specialists and teaching staff in ensuring the full inclusion of students
with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The improvement in the quality of education
experienced by students with SEND is also highlighted in this report.

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