Where does your child’s school rank?
Up from less than half in the last academic year, nearly two thirds of private pupils are at schools rated "good" or better. The latest annual report from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority shows that 10 schools have improved their rankings this year.
And for the first time, the report shows that more than half of Emirati private school pupils are receiving education ranging from good to outstanding.
Eight schools were raised from acceptable to good by the Dubai Schools Inspections Bureau, one from good to very good, and one from weak to acceptable.
However, three schools were downgraded from acceptable to weak and one dropped from good to acceptable. "We have 64% of our students now attending schools rated good or above, which is good news to us as it shows the collaboration among private schools in Dubai," said Fatma Belrehif, executive director of the inspections bureau.
The report for this academic year is based on inspections of 159 private schools out of 185 in Dubai, representing 263,051 pupils from a total of 273,599.
Sixteen schools were rated outstanding, 14 very good, 69 good, 50 acceptable and 10 weak.
Eleven schools were inspected for the first time, with six classed as good, four acceptable and one weak.
Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the education regulator, said that although he was delighted with the improvements he was striving for even more in future. "We are grateful and happy with the improvements we have seen in the nine years we have been conducting inspections," said Mr Al Karam. "Everyone is benefiting, especially parents and children who have a wider choice in quality schooling."
The report also found that 54% of the 32,103 Emirati pupils in Dubai are in good or better schools, compared with 46% last year. Of those schools, 63% teach the US curriculum, 21% the British, 7% Ministry of Education and 5% the International Baccalaureate.
"The majority of private schools [61%] operate a level of provision which is good or better," said the report. This compares with 48% rated as good or better in the 2015-2016 report.
There was also an improvement in the provision and education for children with special needs though the report said that "Despite significant improvements in this area, an urgency for action remains". "Nearly 40% of private schools in Dubai continue to use approaches that restrict outcomes for students with special education needs and disabilities."
66% of schools met or exceeded National Agenda targets in science, maths and English.
Pupils are also making steady improvements in core subjects, with 62% making at least good progress in Islamic education.
Progress in English has also been noticeable, with 74% of pupils making good or better progress, compared with 44% in 2008.
But Arabic continues to lag, with 51% making acceptable or weak progress.
Mathematics and the sciences have each had 72% making good or better progress.
