Al Twar located Star International School is one of now three schools bearing the Star name - one other is located in Mirdif but no longer under the same ownership - whilst the latest in Al Qusais is the Secondary campus for the Al Twar school.

Star International School Al Twar has received a Good rating in the 2022-23 KHDA inspection round. The report can be found under the Inspection Reports tab. An update of this review will take place in due course.

The Story so far...

Star International School Al Twar is one of originally three schools built and operated by Eta Star Construction.  Its sister school in Mirdif is no longer part of the group following its purchase by International Schools Partnership in 2022, whilst the third school - now Horizon International School - located in Umm Suqeim was taken over by Al Najah Education in 2013 and recently purchased by 'big hitting' Cognita Group.  

Star International School (SIS) is one of the smallest UK curriculum schools offering a Foundation to Year 11 programme.  However, according to the school's Principal, in early 2021, it acquired a new campus in Al Qusais for Secondary students with the intention of expanding its offering to Key Stage 5 (A Level). In February 2021, the school announced that it would be offering AS and BTEC programmes from September 2021, followed by A Levels in 2022. Further details can be found here.

In August 2021, the school confirmed that its new secondary campus has opened on a separate site in Al Qusais.  The new campus offers a wide range of facilities, details of which can be found here.

As a result, the Al Twar campus will revert to Primary only.

There are approximately some 550 boys and girls aged from three to 15 who make up the community of the Al Twar school (inclusive of the secondary students who will now transfer to the Al Qusais campus located seven minutes away). Arab children currently form the largest demographic segment at the school, with almost 20%  of students Emiratis - a significant growth in the past two years. With 43 nationalities represented in total given the size of the student body, this is a very international school.

The school has a low teacher to student ratio of 1:11 which, in theory, should allow good one to one attention, with 52 full-time, mainly British, teachers (as of 2019/20), including the Principal and senior leaders, and an additional 22 teaching assistants.  These numbers will now be spread across both campuses for which the current Principal, who has been at the school since 2007, providing continuity throughout the close to 15 years, will retain responsibility. 

Whilst teacher turnover - which inevitably impacts the stability, cohesion and smooth operation of any organisation - has been a challenge in the past, reaching 45% at the end of 2017, meaning that almost 1 in 2 teachers left, the situation has improved in 2019-20 with turnover at 22%, in line with the average figure for the UAE (usually between 20-22%). 

It is also evident from photos of the staff on the school's website, that teachers are generally young - not a bad thing in that they will be up to date with current UK curriculum practices - but a balance with experienced teachers is also required.  The employment of largely younger, less experienced teachers is is a common trend in schools who are trying to minimise their salary bill and had been identified as a concern in the previous inspection report.  However, the new report notes that "The school has improved learning by appointing experienced staff and developing the middle leadership team."

What about curriculum?

Star International Al Twar follows the National Curriculum for England and Wales and offers the Cambridge International programme at Key Stage 4 (IGCSE) and Key Stage 5 (A Level and BTEC) at the Al Qusais campus.

Recent additions to the Primary curriculum include guided reading and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which is also offered in Secondary. Inspectors noted that "Innovation is a developing feature of the school."

In February 2021, the school announced its latest plans to launch a state-of-the-art “STEAM” curriculum with the aim of providing students with an enhanced overall educational experience. The school has recently invested in additional resources to ensure students have access to the latest, innovative design-based science learning methodologies within the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics to solve problems in an engaging way. 

What about academic attainment?

The KHDA inspection report notes that, in the 2015 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students exceeded the school’s targets in mathematics and science. In 2016, students met targets in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), they significantly exceeded targets in reading, mathematics and science.

In successive cycles of GL benchmark tests, most students make the expected progress in English. Most make above the expected progress in science, and a significant majority do so in mathematics. Progress, in relation to the expectations arising from the cognitive ability test (CAT4), is good in English, very good in mathematics and outstanding in science.

What about facilities?

The school is located on a sizable plot and is set in a horse-shoe shape around the playing fields.  Full details of facilities can be found in our Just Walked in review.

Read our WSA Just Walked In Review here!

What the inspectors say

Star International School was one of a very select few schools to have improved its KHDA rating in the 2013-14 period, moving up to a Good rating from Acceptable, a rating they maintained in 2015-16 and 2016-17 before being downgraded to Acceptable in 2017-18. 

However, in its British Schools Overseas inspection - carried out in keeping with the UK-based OFSTED inspection process - the school was rated Good.  This has now been reflected by the KHDA's DSIB inspection process for 2019-20, where SIS achieved a return to the Good rating.

The Inspection team responsible for the 2019-20 inspection identified the following strengths of the school:

• The good teaching and learning, leading to good or better progress, across all phases, in the English National Curriculum subjects of English, mathematics and science;
• Students’ personal and social development, their knowledge of Islamic values, UAE culture and heritage and their social responsibility in the secondary phase;
• The FS curriculum provision, well matched to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, where every child is included and supported;
• The continuing very high levels of safety, child protection and care provided for all students;
• The school’s commitment to inclusion.

Almost all ratings for the key indicators of achievement and progress are now rated Good for English, Maths and Science, although the ratings of Arabic-based subjects are largely Acceptable and will need to be a focus going forward.  

The inspection team also commented that "The personal and social development of all students is a strength of the school. Their relationships, attitudes to learning and self-discipline are positive."

Improvements in Teaching and Assessment were also noted, and this together with the Curriculum (rated Very Good in Foundation, and Good across the rest of the school), have clearly played an important role in SIS achieving its improved rating. 

The fifth key performance indicator, that of the Protection, Care, Guidance and Support of students, also showed almost entirely Very Good ratings, whilst all aspects of Leadership and Management are now rated at least Good - an area of performance that was a concern at the last inspection.

The main recommendations from the KHDA inspection for the school are that it should:

• Improve attainment in Islamic education and Arabic by:
  - raising teachers’ expectations and planning learning objectives that are rigorously aligned to the appropriate standards
  - accurately building on students’ prior learning to support and challenge the different ability groups
  - accurately evaluating and monitoring individual progress.
• Raise students’ achievement in all subjects by rigorously aligning the assessment processes to the curriculum standards, using the good practice that exists in English, mathematics and science.
• Maximise the impact of the leaders’ expertise on school performance by developing their understanding and commitment to planning for school improvement.

This most recent KHDA report is clearly a very much more positive one than that of a year ago, and the team at SIS should be congratulated on their achievement over such a short period.  It is to be hoped that they will be able to maintain the impetus as the plans to expand the school to Sixth Form and A Level are brought to fruition.

If you would like to read the full inspection report - and we strongly recommend that you do so in order to gain a detailed understanding of the reasons behind the ratings, you will find it here.

The Buzz

WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has received very limited feedback from parents (a total of twelve responses to date) and this is insufficient feedback to comment on perceptions of academic performance, communication or discipline.

If you are a parent, teacher or student at Star International School Al Twar, please share your experiences with other potential members of your community by taking our School Survey.

67 students (from the Secondary section) responded to the KHDA's Student Well-being survey.  Most students reported that there are staff in whom they can confide and that they are cared for in the school. Most stated that they feel safe at school. Nearly all report that they have good attitudes to learning and can persevere with tasks. A minority stated that they have experienced some form of verbal bullying this year, but that issues were dealt with quickly. 

Some 124 parents also participated in the pre-inspection survey, commenting that most are satisfied and stated that the school listens and responds to their views. They believe that they have the information to support their children’s learning at home. Nearly all feel that their children are kept safe. They believe that their children have strong relationships with their teachers and fellow students, and that on-going bullying is not an issue. 

What about the fees?

Fees at Star International School Al Twar are mid range for a UK school, starting at AED 20,365 at Foundation Stage 1 and rising to AED 33,996 for Year 6. Fees jump to AED 40,297 for Years 7 to 9 inclusive at the new Al Qusais campus.  There is an AED 500 registration fee.  Sibling discounts of 10% apply to the second child and 20% for the third child onward (applicable to the lowest fees).

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

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

• #150 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #56 in Best British Schools in Dubai
• #10 in Best Primary Schools in Dubai
• #96 in Best Schools in Dubai

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