Emirates National Schools (ENS) Al Ain is a private K-12 school established in September 2006 and located in Towaya, Al Ain.

Emirates National Schools Al Ain was awarded a Very Good rating in the 2021-22 ADEK inspections.  It retains this rating for 2022-23.

The story so far...

Emirates National Schools Al Ain is one of five campuses operated by ENS including others in a Primary and Secondary campus in Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed City, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.  In September 2021, the group will open its first campus in Dubai.

The school aims to help students reach their full potential and to become role models in the community.

The mission of ENS Al Ain, is to promote "a multicultural community that creates internationally-minded leaders, delivers excellent education through modern methods and technology that enables students to contribute to the international society."

The Al Ain campus currently caters to over 2,500 students, of whom approximately 20% attend the KG section, 45% attend the Primary School, around 25% are in Middle School and 10% in High School. 90% of students are Emirati, with a further 3% each made up by Jordanian, Syrian and Omani children.

The KG and Primary School to Grade 4 is co-educational.  From Grade 5 onwards, students attend gender-separated Girls and Boys' campuses.

The school currently employs 181 teachers and 58 teaching assistants (TAs) providing a staff:student ratio of 1:14 across the school.  This is relatively low number, ensuring that class sizes remain small and that individual student attention is available.  A teacher turnover rate of 8% in 2016, and a higher but still acceptable rate of 16% in 2018 suggests that this a school in which teachers enjoy their work - the UAE average is around 22%.

What about the curriculum?

Emirates National Schools Al Ain follows a combined US curriculum (accredited by AdvancED) with the more recently introduced the IB (International Baccalaureate) programmes, including the PYP (Primary Years Programme), MYP (Middle Years Programme) and the Diploma. The Al Ain City Campus became the first campus authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organisation to offer the PYP, MYP and DP programmes in the City of Al Ain and was the first ENS campus, in Spring of 2015, to attain IB authorization for the three Pre-K through Grade 12 programmes. 

The school is very proud that in its authorization report, the IB Program Authorization teams and ADEC School Inspectors reported high quality teaching and learning within Al Ain Campus. Subjects are taught in both English and Arabic as set by the Ministry of Education guidelines, with compulsory subjects in Social Studies and Islamic Studies for Muslim students. Additionally students can also study French as a secondary language.

The basic path for secondary students is to earn internationally recognized academic credits in grades 11 and 12. Students conclude their studies by earning the American High School Diploma. They also have the option of attaining college credit for Advanced Placement coursework (and potential US College entry) or attaining the more demanding but internationally recognised IB Diploma.

The school aims to develop students’ essential personal characteristics through the integration of the IB ‘Learner Profile’ attributes, attitudes, skills, concepts, and community service. These principles are used at all levels to guide students socially and morally to become future leaders, who are open minded and building upon their national identity. The programme is designed to offer enriched opportunities for creative thinkers through the integration of technology in learning activities and through the careful planning for the development and integration of innovative ideas in the field of Science, Arts, Arabic, Mathematics and English.

The school provides an extensive range of sports and cultural enrichment activities. Sports teams have achieved national success in a range of sports including football, rugby, swimming and handball.

What about the facilities?

According to ADEK, ENS Al Ain provides a safe, secure and harmonious environment for learning and benefits from high-quality premises and resources. Facilities include a canteen, medical clinic, ICT labs, gymnasium, science laboratories, libraries, playgrounds and theater. 

What the inspectors say

In its previous ADEK inspection in November 2016, the school was rated Good - the minimum rating that the regulators across the UAE expect schools to strive to achieve.

However, in keeping with statements from the ENS group, two years later, in September 2018 (the last inspection to take place as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic), ENS Al Ain achieved a Very Good rating - only one away from the top rating of Outstanding.

All six key performance standards had improved from Good to Very Good, with the inspection team noting that "The overall performance of the school is now very good because the achievement of a large majority of students is above curriculum standards. The very good curriculum and quality of teaching are promoted by highly effective leadership with an ambitious vision. Students benefit from a very caring and supportive environment..."

In terms of the strengths of ENS Al Ain, the inspection team identified these as:

• The progress made by the school in improving teaching and students’ achievement since the last inspection.
• The attitudes, behaviour and enjoyment in learning demonstrated by students throughout the school.
• The opportunities for students to develop their creativity and innovation skills.
• The provision for supporting and guiding all students and ensuring their safety and wellbeing.
• The effectiveness of school leaders in managing the day-to-day life of the school, driving improvement and setting a vision for its future direction.

As far as areas for improvement were concerned, the school was recommended to focus on:

• Further improvement of the consistency of students’ standards of achievement across the school by:
  - refining the individual targets set for students to ensuring these sharply define areas of work where specific improvement is needed
  - monitoring and reviewing on a regular basis the progress that students, including SEN and G&T students, are making in achieving their targets
  - modifying the curriculum where needed to ensure work set in lessons fully matches the needs of SEN, less able, and G&T students
  - moving ahead with current school plans to appoint a member of staff with responsibility for coordinating the provision for SEN and G&T students.
• Ensuring the consistent use of and access to learning technologies in the classrooms to extend students’ learning by:
  - reviewing the current availability of learning technology resources across the school, in line with the school’s current E-learning development plan
  - ensuring that the equipment needed is readily accessible for students as and when required
  - ensuring that teachers plan carefully for students’ use of newly accessible learning technology, including opportunities for all to consistently develop their creative, innovation, and independent learning skills in classes across all subjects
  - using such resources to help younger students extend their understanding of other cultures.

If you would like to read the full inspection report - and we strongly recommend that you do so in order to understand the reasons behind the ratings - find it here.

The Buzz

According to ADEK, parents are fully supportive and actively involved in the life of the school and their support for and involvement in the school are comprehensive. Parents are regularly surveyed and their opinions acted upon, for example in making changes to the option choices. Community links promote students’ personal and social development well. The school’s Board of Directors and the parent representative act as critical friends and enablers of the school’s aims.

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has not received any feedback from parents about ENS Al Ain.  If you are a member of the ENS community, please share your experience with other potential members of your community by completing our survey.

What about the fees?

School fees range between AED 20,200 per year for pre-KG students to AED 51,500 for Grade 12 students.

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