Dubai: Schools across the UAE may be closed for the summer, but for many parents, the break is the ideal time to plan ahead for the next academic year.Whether you have recently moved to the UAE or are a long-time resident considering a change, Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) makes it easy to compare schools through its annual inspection ratings, giving parents a clear indication of the quality of education they can expect.Here's what the KHDA's school ratings mean and how you can check a school's inspection report before making your decision.What are the KHDA’s DSIB ratings?The Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB), which operates under the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), inspects private schools in Dubai and awards an overall performance rating based on the quality of education they provide. Inspectors also assess schools across dozens of individual quality indicators, including teaching, student achievement, wellbeing, leadership and inclusion.Schools receive one of five overall ratings: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable or Weak. KHDA also publishes a detailed inspection report for every school, highlighting its strengths and areas for improvement.Conducted every year, these inspections cover a wide range of areas that affect the quality of education that a child receives, including:Students' attainment and progressTeaching and assessmentCurriculum qualityStudents' personal and social developmentHealth, safety and wellbeingSupport for students of determinationSchool leadership and managementGovernance and self-evaluation.In addition to the overall rating, each inspection report provides a detailed assessment of the school's performance across these areas, giving parents a more comprehensive picture of its strengths and any areas that require improvement.Curriculum options in DubaiAnother aspect that you need to consider as a parent is which curriculum you want to choose for your child, as schools in Dubai offer 16 different options that you can choose from.Some schools, in fact, may also offer a combination of curricula, like UK/IB or American/Ministry of Education, making the total number of options available to parents go up to 22.However, here are the main curricula available to students in Dubai schools:American curriculumAustralian curriculumChinese curriculumFrench curriculumGerman curriculumIndian curriculumInternational Baccalaureate (IB)JapaneseMinistry of EducationPakistani curriculumPhilippine curriculumRussianSABISUK curriculumHow can I check a school’s ratings?There are over 230 schools registered with KHDA, and you can find details of each of these schools through the KHDA’s school directory here: https://web.khda.gov.ae/en/Education-Directory/schoolsThe directory allows users to select schools based on curriculum, rating, location or fees, making it easier for parents to select from options that are more suited to their preference.Once you select a school, you can view the following details for it:Overall school ratingLocationContact detailsCurriculumAcademic calendarSchool feesA copy of the last DSIB Inspection report for the schoolBy comparing inspection ratings, fees, curriculum options and the full DSIB inspection reports, parents can narrow down their choices and identify the schools that best suit their child's educational needs and their family's budget.
