Established in 1981, Progressive English School is presently managed by the Solomon Group of companies and headed by Dr. A.S. Judson, an enthusiastic entrepreneur with, according to the school’s website, “a great passion for education.”

The school was established with just 25 students and three teachers. Today, the school houses over 2,500 students and 135 teachers.

The Curriculum
The Progressive English School is one of the few Indian schools in Sharjah to offer the Council for the Indian School Certificate curriculum/examinations (CISCE). The CISCE course curriculum is wide, and covers a range of topics the system offers more practical Knowledge and focus more on analytical skills than the traditional CBSE.

Progressive English School uses the unit planning technique. Teachers start the teaching process by planning based on the Common Core standards across subjects. Each subject is planned to include cross curricular activities in the following subjects: Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies, Art and Music.

Teachers use a variety of direct instruction, activity based, co-operative and mostly experiential. All of these techniques incorporate differentiation.

The experiential teaching can be a variety of the following: field trips, inquiry, Predict Observe Explain, concept formation, and role play. Teachers make adjustments in instruction-based techniques based on feedback from students. The concept aims to keep students focused and involved in learning and for students to be continually involved in learning activities which requires resourcefulness on the part of the teacher.

Co-operative learning sometimes called small-group learning, is an instructional strategy in which small groups of students work together on a common task. The task can be as simple as solving a multi-step math problem together, or as complex as developing a design for a new kind of school. In some cases, each group member is individually accountable for part of the task; in other cases, group members work together without formal roles assigned. Successful group learning incorporates the following: Positive interdependence, Face-to-face interaction, Individual and group accountability, Group behaviours.

Tracking and Monitoring
Teachers assess students and monitor their progress by informal and formal assessments done within the classroom, science room and Information technology room. These are a combination of quizzes, unit activities, and end of term written assessments. The students who have met the standards are given extension, work whilst the teacher works with students who still need help. If the concept is not reached by most of the students in a class, the teacher engages in a re-teach program where the concept is taught with a different approach.

In the News
Progressive hit the headlines back in 2015, when the school was permitted to increase fees by 40 percent. According to the Khaleej Times, over 300 parents protested at the school gates against the increase which they saw as unfair and unrealistic. 

Speaking to Khaleej Times at the time, Dr AS Judson, Managing-Director of PES said the management obtained an approval from the MoE since the ministry realised that the school charges the lowest fees compared to other schools provide the same services. “In fact, we are the only school in Sharjah that provides the ICSE curriculum which is considered the best education system.”

The Numbers
Fees at Progressive English School start at 3,500 AED for KG up to 6,100 AED for Grade 12, with an additional 350 AED for extracurricular activities and medical fees. 

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