The Philippine Private School was established in 2014 to support the educational needs of the Filipino population.

The story so far...

Located in Baniyas East District 7, The Philippine Private School (TPS) Abu Dhabi was established on July 21, 2014, and opened its doors to students immediately thereafter.  It received its permit from the Department of Education, Manila, Philippines in March 2016.  Following accreditation from the Philippines authorities, TPS then sought accreditation and licensing from the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), and received a temporary permit in September 1, 2016, followed by the issuance of the General license on September 1, 2017.

Following the most recent ADEK inspection in 2021-22, data from the inspection report shows that the school now has just over 550 students. It is open from KG2 to Grade 12. 

The school is led by Jesus Ostos who joined as School Principal in August 2021. Students are supported by 24 teachers, all from the Philippines, and this provides a teacher:student ratio of 1:23 - definitely towards the higher side, but as would be expected in a low fee school.

What about the curriculum?

Students at TPS follow the Philippine curriculum.  TPS operates four phases with the first phase (KG2) offering Filipino, English, Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies, based on the Standards and Competencies for Five-Year Old Filipino Children set by the Department of Education (DepEd).

These standards and competencies include Socio-Emotional Development, Values Development, Physical Health and Motor Development, Aesthetic Development, Mathematics, Physical and Natural Environment, and Language, Literacy, and Communication. Behavior and developmental checklists and anecdotal records are used to assess the personal, social, and cognitive development of students.

Students in Grades 1 to 6 form the Second Phase and study Filipino, English, Science, Mathematics, UAE Social Studies, Araling Panlipunan, Practical Learning Time (for Grades 1 and 2), Home and Livelihood Education (for Grades 4 to 6), Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health, Values Education, Moral Education, Information and Communications Technology, Arabic for Non-Arabs, and Islamic Education (for Muslim students only in place of Values Education).

The Third Phase is made up of students from Grades 7 to 10 who follow a similar curriculum to Phase Two with minor adjustments.  Subjects include Filipino, English, Science, Mathematics, UAE Social Studies, Araling Panlipunan, Technology and Livelihood Education, Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health, Values Education, Moral Education, Information and Communications Technology, Arabic for Non-Arabs (until Grade 9 only), and Islamic Education (for Muslim students only).

Those students joining the final two Senior High school years in Grades 11 and 12 are offered all fifteen core subjects and sixteen track subjects, (seven applied and nine specialized subjects), mandated in the Senior High School curriculum of the Department of Education, Philippines, inclusive of Moral Education as prescribed by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education.

Whilst there is clearly a strong focus on academics, this is not the sole focus of the school. The students actively participate in international competitions such as World Scholars Cup, Painting Wizard in the UAE, and Canvas Painting, sponsored by Philippine School Overseas (PSO). TPS students have won numerous awards and recognition, both international and local.

What the inspectors say

TPS was awarded an Acceptable rating in the 2021-22 ADEK inspection round after a somewhat shaky start in the first inspection in 2014-15 when it was rated Weak.  Clearly there has been considerable improvement since that initial inspection, with the three subsequent ones all rating the school Acceptable - the required rating for all Abu Dhabi schools.

TPS obviously continues to make positive progress, with the 2021-22 inspection report indicating that 24% of standards evaluated during the inspection were awarded a Good rating (compared with 12% in the previous 2018-19 inspection), and 47% of standards rated  Acceptable, compared with 59% in the previous inspection.  It should be noted that the inspection team did not evaluate all six key performance standards in this inspection round, focusing solely on four.  

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

The Buzz

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What about the fees?

Tuition fees at The Phiippine Private School are rated Very Low by ADEK, ranging from AED 5,956 in KG to AED 15, 065 in Grade 12.

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