Al Muna Academy has every right to feel happy. It was the first school in Abu Dhabi to have been awarded, for the 2015-16 academic year, an A1 rating (Outstanding) by the emirate's inspection team and is still the only stand-alone primary school to receive such a grading. It 2017-18, it cemented that achievement by again being rated Outstanding. No subsequent report has been issued.

The story so far...

Al Muna Academy is located in Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi in a traditional school building located around interior quadrangles, and was established in September of 2009.  There is certainly nothing "flashy" about the school or its facilities, but it continues to succeed in offering an excellent standard of education.  It provides schooling for pupils from Foundation Stage 1 (FS1) or pre-KG up to Year 6 and acts as a feeder school to Al Bateen Academy, Al Mamoura Academy and Al Yasmina Academy sister schools.

The 2015 ADEK rating meant the primary school had moved up one inspection rating every time it had been reviewed and, for the 2017-18 academic year, succeeded in retaining the Outstanding rating - one of only a very select group of schools in Abu Dhabi Emirate to have achieved this. 

The school says it prides itself on "being a happy, well organised school offering children a range of activities in and out of the classroom".
"Academically we know that children make outstanding progress in their time here."

The school is led by Ms. Sarah Griffiths who joined the Academy in 2020.  

Introducing parents to the school, Ms. Griffiths says "Having been in education for the last 25 years I have witnessed many changes, however the one constant factor remains: An education is one of the most valuable things we can possess. It influences how we see the world and contribute to it. I have been fortunate to be a part of Aldar Academies for the last 9 years, and fully endorse the vision that it is our purpose to empower the next generation to shape our future. We achieve this effectively by recognising the importance of a holistic approach to education, being fully inclusive and allowing children to develop their skills in which they can realise their dreams for their future."

The school's just over 700 pupils are looked after by almost 80 staff, and including 43 teachers and 35 teaching assistants.  This is a reduction in number over the past two years, when almost 100 staff were responsible for a similar number of students. As a result, the Teacher to Student ratio has increased from 1:12 to 1:13 in FS and although has been a slight reduction from 1:15 to 1:14 in the rest of the school.  Approximately 21% of children are UAE nationals, followed by 12% Indian, 12%  Egyptian and 9% from the UK. Some 50+ nationalities are represented in total. 

As with all Aldar Academies, there is a strong focus on supporting children with additional learning needs, with approximately 10% of students in need of support from the specialist SEND team. The school has an "Oasis" room for children with particular Special Educational Needs. It also employs a counsellor for children with emotional difficulties or who just need someone to talk to.

Average class size in terms of student numbers currently numbers 25, which is also currently the largest class size at the school.

Teachers are recruited mainly from the British Isles.Teacher turnover at the school is at 18%,  relatively low by UAE standards. After a number of years with very stable management, the previous Head has recently moved to open a new school in Dubai.  It will be interesting to see what impact, if any, the change of Principal will have on the school. The school says it has an extensive Continuous Professional Development plan for its teachers, and is the only school in the UAE to have the Investors in People Award and is the only school in the Middle East to hold the UK equalities award. 

What about the curriculum?

The school follows the National Curriculum of England with lessons in Arabic being taught along with subjects in Islamic studies and UAE social studies to meet the requirements of the UAE's Ministry of Education.

In addition to offering UK based Key Stage 1 to 2, Al Muna Academy offers Foundation classes based on the EYFS framework for 3 to 5 year olds. Many children are non-English speakers on entry to the school, and this has been carefully addressed through the recruitment of native-Arabic speakers as teaching assistants.  Their role is not only to support non-English speakers as they join the school, but also to provide Arabic support to non-Arabic speakers.  This arrangement seems to work extremely effectively.

Lessons are also carefully differentiated to cater for mixed abilities according to the school's web site, a claim that is backed up in the school's inspection report. Teaching on the whole is said to be outstanding, well planned, structured and with an emphasis on independent research and critical reasoning.

Al Muna Academy offers a number of extra curricular activities and after school clubs including sports, art, and culture. These include such diverse activities as Art, Animation, Lego Inventors Club, Origami, Drama, Dance, Computers and Technology, Sailing and Water Sports, Gymnastics Yoga and Aerobics.  Children are expected to participate in at least one Extra curricular activity per term.

What about the facilities?

Although the buildings themselves are traditional, facilities at the school have been updated to include a large astro-turf field, outdoor swimming pool, well stocked library, a large multi-purpose hall and gym, a number of computer suites and outdoor play areas.  Large common spaces between classrooms in the corners of the quadrangular buildings are used effectively for free-flow and shared activity spaces.

What the inspectors say

ADEK inspectors are fulsome in their praise of standards at Al Muna Academy. The overall performance of the school is Outstanding. Every one of the 6 key performance standards are rated Outstanding. Even the Teaching and Assessment overall standard is rated Outstanding, although several indicators are Good or Very Good.

Students' overall achievement is outstanding. Attainment is outstanding in English, Maths and Science at primary level, and in English at FS. Students' progress is very good overall with progress in English, Maths and Science being outstanding. Trends over time show the school is maintaining high standards across all English-medium subjects and an improvement trend across all Arabic-medium subjects (rated Good), and particularly Islamic education (rated Very Good).

Interestingly, the inspectors note that one third of students have attended the school for only two years. The school has successfully integrated these incoming students through a quality induction programme, and maintains very good standards of achievement.

The inspectors summarise what the school does best as: Inspirational leadership that motivates staff and ensures an inclusive school, a shared vision that is understood by staff, students and parents, and highly effective self-evaluation which all lead to very high student achievement. They note Students’ active engagement in imaginative and engaging lessons that promote their critical thinking and innovation skills, and High quality teaching and assessment which enables students to make very good progress in their learning.

The only key area for improvement - and a common one for UAE schools in general - is in relation to students’ achievement in Arabic and Social Studies.

If you would like to read the full ADEK inspection report - and we strongly advise that you do in order to find why this school performs so well - you will find it here.

The Buzz

Feedback WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has received from parents, students and teachers has so far has been very limited but highly positive with an overall rating of 4.4/5 or a positivity rating of 88%. Parents we have spoken to seem broadly supportive and positive of the school. Leadership is described as "inspirational" in the ADEK Iritqaa Inspection report - a strong word.

ADEK inspectors note that partnerships with parents are consistently professional and highly effective in raising standards. There is a clear focus in the school on consultation and empowering parents as partners. Parents receive accurate and informative reports which identify what their children need to do to improve. 

If you are a parent, teacher or older student at Al Muna Academy, please share your experiences with other potential members of your school community by completing our Survey here.

Our View

One of the most successful Primary only schools in Abu Dhabi, alongside equally highly-rated The Pearl Academy, it is evident that demand for Al Muna Academy will remain high.  If there is a drawback to this more traditional, relatively small Primary-only school, it is the need for students to move on at the end of Year 6.  However, the school is owned and managed by Aldar Academies which runs some of the most highly regarded schools in the emirate, including  Al Yasmina Academy. Students from AMPS are given priority admission to  Al Bateen Academy and Al Mamoura Academy (which is Girls only from Year 7) secondary schools, which opened in 2011 and 2016 respectively.

What about the fees?

Fees for Al Muna Academy are AED 43,500 for FS1 and AED 45,260 per year, for all other year groups. AMA gives priority in admission to siblings of current students, followed by children of Aldar or Mubadala employees and then all other applicants.

Fees are paid three times a year for each term.

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

Al Muna Academy is a Best of school, a ranking determined by parent surveys on the site. It can be found in the following Best of rankings:

• #74 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #11 in Best Schools in Abu Dhabi

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