Philadelphia Private School is a located in Al Muhaisnah and currently enrols a little over 1500 students from age 4 to age 18.

Philadelphia Private School has been rated Acceptable for the ninth year in a row in the 2018-19 KHDA inspection process. An abbreviated inspection report can be found under the Inspection report tab. An update to this review will be completed once the full report has been published.

The story so far...

Established in 2006, the majority of students that attend Philadelphia Private School, are Syrian. Three percent of the student body is Emirati and 2 percent of students are registered as with SEND requirements. 

There are 105 teachers who work with 17 teacher assistance. The majority of teachers come from Lebanon and the teacher to student ratio is 1:25. The teacher turnover rate is high at 39 percent. High teacher turnover can cause instability and a lack of continuity within a school.

What about the curriculum?

The school follows the American system, specifically employing California state standards. Students graduate with an American high school diploma and have the option to take Advanced Placement exams. 

What about the facilities?

School facilities include a multi-purpose hall for assemblies, activities and physical education events,  science laboratories, a computer lab and a library, as well as indoor and outdoor playgrounds.

What the inspectors say

The 2015/2016 KHDA report ranked the school as Acceptable, for the sixth year in a row. In 2009/ 2010, the school was ranked at Good, but previous to that, the school was again ranked Acceptable. 

Overall, improvement is scattered and inconsistent. Attainment and progress is overall Acceptable although the latest report shows some improvement in English for the Elementary school and a decline in Elementary math. 

The report notes that "The energy, enthusiasm, determination and commitment to improve student learning in the school, shown by all members of the leadership team, ably lead by principal." This bodes well for future improvement within the school. 

Specifically, in order to move closer to a Good rating, the KHDA recommends "improve the level of expectation of teachers and the consistency of better teaching, especially in the elementary and middle phases, by ensuring that lesson planning and lesson delivery more closely match the identified needs of all students." 

Philadelphia Private School can also focus efforts on improving assessment and feedback to students. As the reports explains, the school needs to "ensur[e] that teachers' oral and written feedback to students helps improve students’ knowledge of their strengths, weaknesses and next steps." With their high teacher turn over rate, it becomes critical to hire teachers who can help improve the school as well as offer professional development to current staff to meet KHDA expectations. 

School fees are highly affordable, starting at AED 18.139 for KG 1 and rise to AED 31,061 for Grade 12. 

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