Saint Joseph's School

ADEK rated Saint Joseph's School "Very good" in its 2022-2023 inspection, its second consecutive "Very good". The school has been inspected 5 times since 2012-2013.

Saint Joseph's Private School retains an overall Very Good rating. Leadership, governance, and parent partnerships remain very strong, and attainment is high in Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies. Arabic as a second language, mathematics progress in some phases, and consistent curriculum adaptation for varied learners are flagged as areas needing further improvement. Strengths noted by the inspectors in 2022-2023: students demonstrate high levels of engagement and increasingly take responsibility for their own learning, particularly in higher grades; teachers foster positive and genuine interactions with students, creating a supportive learning environment; the school has established robust systems for child protection and safeguarding students effectively; the Board of Governors offers strong, valuable support and guidance to the school and community.

The 2022-2023 ADEK report recommended that the school: raise achievement in Arabic as a second language through more practice, interactive use, and cross-curricular application; enhance curriculum adaptation and teaching to accelerate progress for all groups, including students of determination; develop a consistent marking and feedback policy across all subjects and phases; ensure middle leaders clearly understand their roles, responsibilities and accountability for raising achievement; increase departmental alignment with the School Development Plan and involve stakeholders earlier in self-evaluation; expand access to digital technologies and resources to support teaching and learning.

Between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 inspections, 2 of the 27 indicators rated in both reports improved, 10 declined and 15 kept the same rating. Improvements include Arabic as a second language — Progress (Cycle 1) from Acceptable to Good, Arabic as a second language — Progress (Cycle 2) from Acceptable to Good. Enrolment went from 1,167 to 1,293 students (+11%).