Indian Private School, Al Ain is a low fee private K-12 school for Indian expatriates located in Falaj Hazzaa, Al Ain.

The Indian  School Al Ain has been awarded a Good rating in the ADEK 2021-22 inspection process published in April 2023. The report can be found under the inspection reports tab.  This review will be updated in due course.

The story so far...

Indian Private School Al Ain is one of the oldest in the UAE, established in April 1977. In 1985 the school became affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). At the time of the last ADEK inspection in November 2019, the school educated a total number of 1926 students with the largest nationality groups being Indian (94%), Bangladeshi (4%) and Afghani (1%). The school employs 112 teachers and 6 teaching assistants. Staff appear happy with their employer with a staff turnover rate of a moderate 9%.

However, given the number of students, the teacher- student ratio of 1:17, individual attention may be something of a challenge.

This, together with its fees ranging from AED 4,730 in KG1 to AED 9,770 for Grade 12, makes its achievement of a Good rating by the last ADEK inspection team in November 2019 all the more impressive, and goes to prove again that schools do not need to have premium facilities to provide a Good education.

What about the curriculum?

The school is an official CBSE examination centre.  Core subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and a choice of a second language including Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam or French.  It offers both a Science and Business stream for Grades 11 and 12.

What about academic achievement?

The school does not, unfortunately, publish the results of its external examinations, but details provided by ADEK as part of the inspection process show that Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) data indicates that the majority of students attain above age-related expectations in most subjects in Grade 10 and 12. In Arabic, students in Grade 12 achieve above average results.

As part of the UAE National Agenda, all schools are required to participate in international bench-marking tests. Mock PISA (Program of International Student Assessment) exam results for Grade 10 show students are achieving better than the UAE averages in English, Mathematics and Science. TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) data for Mathematics indicates that Grade 4 and 8 students’ attainment is better than the UAE average. TIMSS data for Science indicates that Grades 4 and 8 attain better than the UAE average.

What about the facilities?

The school is clearly in demand despite the emergence of other successful Indian based schools in its proximity, and has grown substantially from its first building. In 1990, a new block for girls section was inaugurated. A new block for Primary section was opened in 1992, and an extension completed in 2005, while a fourth block of classrooms and labs with modern facilities was built for 2010-2011 to cope with increasing demand for school places.

Facilities include a canteen, medical room, computer science rooms and a library equipped with a reading room as well as an audio visual centre.

What about academic achievement?

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com is delighted to see that the Indian School Al Ain publishes its results for Grades 10 and 12.  They may be found here. Unfortunately, the school does not provide a summary of the outcomes, but details for each individual student are available.

Whilst results should not be the be-all and end-all of education, there are an important factor in parental choice of schools, and we commend the transparency shown by the school.

What the inspectors say

The most recent ADEK inspection took place in November 2019, three months ahead of the half on inspection as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.  The inspectors found the overall performance of the school to be Good, a repetition of the rating from the previous inspection in 2017.

Commenting on the overall performance of the school, the inspectors noted that "The school has a settled leadership team and number of students. Thirteen new teachers started this year, including a music and art teacher. The overall performance of the school is good. Students’ achievement is good overall but acceptable in kindergarten (KG). Teaching, assessment and curriculum are good. Leadership and self-evaluation systems are effective in driving improvement." 

In terms of the overall strengths of the school, these were identified as:

• Students’ good achievement in most subjects.
• The respectful relationships across the school resulting in positive attitudes and exemplary behaviour.
• Teachers’ use of assessment to inform lesson planning.
• The positive learning culture established by the principal and senior leadership team.

Areas of improvement identified the need to improve:

• Children’s achievement in KG in mathematics and science and attainment in English by:
  - providing active and interesting activities that engage, support and challenge all children
  - providing regular opportunities for children to practise speaking in English, problem-solving in mathematics and investigation skills in science
  - thoroughly recording the achievement of individual children in lessons
  - adopting agreed practice to improve achievement in Primary.
• Teaching practices across the school by:
  - identifying and sharing effective teaching practices
  - providing individual teachers with focused manageable improvement targets
  - developing peer observations and a mentor scheme
  - providing training to develop teachers’ skills in asking open-ended questions and facilitating student-led activities, especially in KG and for higher achievers.
• Students’ enquiry, critical-thinking, innovation and problem-solving skills, and use of learning technologies by:
  - ensuring teachers follow the school’s approach to planning and delivering learning that challenges all groups of students to develop these skills
  - train teachers in facilitating the use of learning technologies to develop creativity, innovation and research activities for students
• The Governing Board’s role in holding the school more to account for its performance and outcomes by:
  - improving governors’ skills to analyse school data.
  
  

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 - you will find it here.

The Buzz

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has received a limited number of responses to our School Survey.  However, those parents who have provided their feedback have rated the school 3.8/5 - a positivity rating of 76%. 

80% of respondents believe their children enjoy going to school 'quite a bit' or 'tremendously' and most have a strong sense of belonging. Over 80% of parents are completing satisfied with the academic performance of the school with the remainder at least partially satisfied.  None believe that additional tuition is required outside of school.  Close to 90% are completely satisfied with the school's communication and its disciplinary policy and implementation.  All respondents stated that they were of the opinion that their school fees represented value for money at least partially (33%) or fully (67%). 

We were therefore a little surprised - given the overall positive or very positive feedback - to see that whilst 81% of respondents would recommend the school to others, 13% would not.

According to ADEK, parents regularly receive a good range of information about their children’s progress and they value the regular ‘Open House’ meetings that keep them informed and involved. 

If you are a parent, student or teacher at Indian Private School Al Ain, please share your experiences and opinions with other potential members of your community by completing our Survey here.

Our View

As a long established, well-regarded, ADEK rated Good school, there is no doubt that demand for places at Indian Private School Al Ain will continue to be in demand from families living locally. It is encouraging to see that despite the ADEK rating and the inevitable demand due to the fee levels, that Indian Private School is not resting on its laurels, but rather, ensuring that it continues to develop its provision.

As long as it continues to do so, both parents and ADEK can be satisfied with the standard of education being offered.

What about the fees?

As mentioned earlier, school fees are at the lower end of the spectrum, starting at AED 4,730 for KG1 and rise to AED 9,200 for Grade 12. There are additional fees for Books which range from AED 160 in KG to AED 350 in Grade 10. Fees for the Business and Science streams differ in Grades 11 and 12. Fees for the bus and uniform add up to another AED 1,800 per year.

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

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

• #107 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #2 in Best Schools in Al Ain

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