Featured School
THE JESS JUMEIRAH SCHOOL…
A LEADER IN ICT INTEGRATION &
PROMOTING STUDENT LEADERSHIP
“J
ESS Jumeirah is a school
with very high standards
and expectations; a school
where children and adults
are challenged to be the best that they
can be! Set on a large, established
campus, JESS pupils have space and
opportunities to work and play in a
stimulating learning environment.” –
excerpt from Head Teacher, Mrs Ruth Burke’s
message on the JESS Jumeirah website
The JESS Jumeirah School is one of
two schools under the Jumeirah English
Speaking School (JESS) umbrella. The
sprawling campus, which is located
near Safa Park in Dubai, is known for
its outstanding academic performance,
as evidenced in their inspection reports
over the years.
JESS Jumeirah has been lauded for
innovation and successful leadership
at all levels. It is noted that the school
enjoys a vibrant relationship with
parents, students, teachers and nonteaching staff. In addition to these
strong attributes, the school has
implemented the effective use of
technology, significantly adding to its
continued academic success.
“One of the ways in which we empower
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Nov - Dec 2014
our teachers is by allowing them to
make the decisions about what they
are going to teach,” said Mrs Burke,
Head Teacher at JESS Jumeirah, “So,
rather than the model where teachers
are teaching a curriculum, we are very
much a school where teachers are
teaching the children.”
She elaborated by saying, “all our
teachers are lead learners who are in
charge of their classrooms. As lead
learners, the teachers are empowered
to look at what their children need to
learn. It is not so much about simply
following a curriculum anymore.
Through formative and summative
assessments, the teachers are able
to define what the curriculum for
particular groups of children is, as well
as give focus to the needs of individual
students within the classroom.”
According to Mrs Burke, teachers are
encouraged to share their thoughts
and ideas on projects that will benefit
their growth, that of their students,
colleagues and the school. They are
given numerous opportunities to do
this during the school week. Teachers
are involved in school groups, which
include assessment groups that
Class Time
look at assessments from ages 3-18
within JESS. They are also urged to
take opportunities that will enhance
their professional and personal
development. As such, a number of
teachers have done presentations at
the What Works Conferences, which
are held by the KHDA (Knowledge and
Human development Authority). They
have also written articles on education
for magazines such as Teach UAE
Magazine.
“The aim is to get teachers out there,
so they can get involved and make a
difference,” she continues, “through
meta-cognition, they are able to deepen
their own understanding of what’s
going on in their own classrooms.”
A key element to the success of any
institution is the establishment of solid
relationships between all stakeholders.
JESS Jumeirah has found a formula
that works very well in securing and
maintaining meaningful relationships
on all levels.
“We have a culture in the school.
Picture a triad where the child is in the
centre and then you have the staff, the
parents and the school. We all work