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FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 1 of 12
Dear Ramsis English Private School Principal - Ras Al Khaimah Education Zone
Following the recent evaluation visit to your school, I am pleased to enclose a copy of your report. This provides you
with an objective evaluation of the strengths of the school, comments on areas for improvement and
recommendations for future development. Also noted is our decision in respect of accreditation for your school.
I should be grateful if you would now please
Check the factual information in the report
Sign/initial each page You have 5 working days from the date of this letter to correct any factual inaccuracies. If no communication is received within 5 working days of the date of this letter, your verification of the factual information will be assumed. Also enclosed is a template to help you prepare your action plan based on the recommendations in the report. Thank you once again for taking part in the programme. Yours sincerely
Report issued in : 20-5-2014
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 2 of 12
Explanation of the judgements used in the report
Highly effective: Good outcomes or good professional practice
Effective: Acceptable outcomes or competent professional practice.
Not yet effective: Outcomes or quality not yet at the effective level. Schools will be expected to act to
improve the quality of any aspect of their performance or practice that is judged at this level.
Information about the school Ramsis English Private School is a private school, situated in Ras Al Khaimar providing education for
male and female students in Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 6, aged 4 years to 11 years. At the time of
the evaluation, there were 272 students on roll. Approximately half of the students were Emiratis with
significant numbers of students from Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan.
Ramsis English Private School was evaluated in May 2014 as part of the Ministry of Education School
Evaluation Programme. Evaluators considered six key focus areas – the leadership of the school, the
school as a community, the school’s approach to student learning, the classroom climate, students’
personal development, and students’ attainment and progress.
Recommendation for Accreditation Ramsis English Private School has achieved the standards required and is recommended to the Ministry
of Education for accreditation. All six focus areas were evaluated as effective.
Focus Area 1: The leadership of the school
Aspects of the school’s leadership which were positive
The sense of purpose
School leaders and middle managers were committed and loyal to the school. They had a strong sense
of purpose which was focussed on school improvement. School leaders shared a determination to
improve teaching and learning against a background of recruitment challenges. Subject co-ordinators
supported the school well and sometimes met in their own time at weekends. The school vision was
prominently displayed around the school and was well known.
The quality of improvement planning
A well written ‘Strategic Action Plan’ was in place for 2013 to 2016. This included specific targets which
were well linked to key priorities such as improving teaching and learning. The plan specified clearly
what the school needed to do to achieve the targets, how this would be measured, the cost to the school
and which staff were responsible. Middle managers worked closely with school leaders to monitor
progress towards the targets. As a result there was a shared understanding of exactly what further
improvements were necessary.
The roles of subject co-ordinators
Subject co-ordinators provided good support for school leaders. They observed lessons and offered
demonstration lessons to model good practice. The co-ordinators worked closely with teachers in their
subject areas to review the curriculum and ensure that the assessment of students’ work was accurate.
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 3 of 12
Aspects of the school’s leadership that should be improved
Monitoring of teaching
School leaders and subject co-ordinators undertook a large number of lesson observations. However,
written feedback to teachers was too positive. It rarely gave teachers any targets for improvement.
Information from observations was not always linked to teachers’ professional development.
Consequently, lesson observations did not always lead to improvements in teaching.
Health and safety issues
Although the site was secure, the conditions in the school grounds did not always ensure students’
health and safety. For example, there were some sharp edges in the assembly area and doors to an
outside storage area were frequently left open. The lack of sufficient covered areas meant that students
were exposed to the full heat of the sun in assemblies and during physical education (PE) lessons.
The lack of suitable resources and accommodation
Resources and accommodation were limited. Activities in art were largely restricted to drawing, cutting
and sticking because there was no art room with running water. An ‘activity room’ was used for
handicraft work and also housed the extremely small number of books which comprised the school
library. There was no music room and music was not taught. There was very little information technology
(IT) equipment around the school. Data projectors were available to support teaching in the science
laboratory and computer room only. There was little use of technology in classes, including in the
computer room. Apart from text books, no books were available in classrooms. In the KG, classrooms
were not organised to develop different aspects of learning. This limited children’s opportunities to
engage in practical, creative and imaginative activities.
Overall judgement of Focus Area 1: The leadership of the school was Effective
Recommendations for improvement
Improve the monitoring of teaching, by:
o Providing training for school leaders and subject co-ordinators in observing lessons and
writing evaluative feedback
o Ensuring that all written feedback, following lesson observations, includes areas for
improvement
o Linking professional development of teachers to the areas for improvement identified in
the lesson observations
Ensure that the school site is safe, by:
o Clearing away any rubbish
o Checking for sharp edges in the playground and removing them
o Keeping the doors to the storage area locked when students are on site
o Providing a covered outside area for assemblies and PE lessons
Improve resources and accommodation, by:
o Providing suitable accommodation to teach music and art
o Establishing a library with a suitable range of books
o Setting up systems to ensure that all students have regular access to the library
o Improving the amount and use of IT equipment in classrooms and in the computer room
o Ensuring that there are suitable resources in the KG to enable children to engage in
practical, creative and imaginative activities
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 4 of 12
Focus Area 2: The school as a community
Aspects of the school as a community which were positive
The caring ethos
There was a warm and caring ethos throughout the school. Students were well looked after and happy.
They were excited to arrive at school each morning and were greeted warmly by the Principal and
teachers. The school nurse monitored students’ health and taught students about hygiene. The student
council were proud of their role helping teachers and students. Teachers worked together well and staff
morale was high.
Good communication with parents
Parents were welcome in the school. There were frequent, informal meetings with the Principal and
teachers when they dropped off or collected children from school. The weekly plan provided to parents
raised their awareness of what children were learning. Teachers gave advice to parents of lower
attaining students about how they could help their children to learn at home.
Aspects of the school as a community that should be improved
Involving parents
The school sent out surveys to seek parents’ views and some parents helped with school events such as
national day celebrations. However, parents did not generally contribute to lessons or other activities.
There was no formal Parent Council to monitor the work of the school and help it to improve. Links with
the local community were also limited.
Relationships between students and teachers
The majority of students enjoyed good relationships with teachers. However, a few students were
disrespectful in their attitudes towards teachers. This was especially evident in the lower grades and with
teachers who were less confident, and those who were new to the school.
Overall judgement of Focus Area 2: The school as a community was Effective
Recommendations for improvement
Involve parents more in the life of the school, by:
o Establishing a Parent Council that meets regularly to support and monitor the work of the
school
o Inviting parents to come in to school to join in more activities and support students’
learning
o Seeking parents’ views on how to involve the local community more in the life of the
school
Ensure that students always show respect towards teachers, by:
o Setting and maintaining high expectations of acceptable behaviour throughout the school
o Emphasising the importance of respect towards one another as a topic in assemblies
o Providing modelling and support for teachers who do not have strong skills in classroom
management
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 5 of 12
Focus Area 3: The school’s approach to student learning
Aspects of the school’s approach to student learning which were positive
The planned curriculum
Teachers worked together with subject co-ordinators to write annual plans of work for each subject area.
These were checked by the subject co-ordinators and the Principal to ensure that they were age
appropriate, sequential, and properly based on the text books. A weekly plan for each class was sent
home so parents knew exactly what they would be taught and what homework needed to be completed.
Providing creative experiences
Despite the poor resources and accommodation, the school provided students with a variety of creative
experiences to enrich the curriculum. For example, they used a range of materials to make high quality
handicrafts to celebrate the UAE and their Islamic heritage. Students were given good opportunities to
sing and recite. Each day the assembly was led entirely by students. They recited the Holy Qur’an, read
poetry and shared pieces of their own writing.
Aspects of the school’s approach to student learning that should be improved
Meeting the needs of all students
Students who were gifted and talented were identified and there were some additional activities, such as
writing diaries in English, to challenge them. Lower attaining students were sometimes given additional
support outside of the class. However, the school did not properly identify students with special
educational needs (SEN). Their progress was not monitored adequately and there was no specialist
SEN teaching.
The Kindergarten curriculum
The KG curriculum was dull. It did not contain sufficient creative, practical and imaginative activities to
stimulate young children. Lessons were sometimes too long to maintain children’s interest. For example,
the timetable included double lessons in English and mathematics, each lasting one and a half hours.
Creative work was largely restricted to colouring in shapes, and there were very few practical
experiences to encourage students to experiment and explore.
Overall judgement of Focus Area 3: The school’s approach to student learning was effective
Recommendations for improvement
Develop the curriculum so that it meets the needs of all students, by:
o Ensuring that in each subject, teachers’ identify students who are high attainers and those
who find their work difficult
o Ensuring that teachers’ planning takes account of the needs of higher attaining students
by providing an appropriate level of challenge and extension work
o Ensuring that lower attaining students are given work set at the right level and additional
help and support if they need it
o Working closely with the social worker, co-ordinators, teachers and parents to identify and
support students with SEN; including preparing individual learning plans
o Providing teachers with training to improve their skills in adapting curricular for the
students with SEN
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 6 of 12
Improve the quality of the KG curriculum, by:
o Arranging for the leader of the KG to observe good practice in planning a curriculum for
young children
o Reviewing the timetable to ensure that lessons in mathematics and English are only
scheduled for single lessons
o Identifying and providing opportunities to enrich the curriculum with creative, practical and
imaginative activities
o Supporting children’s’ independent learning by setting up learning areas, such as book
corners, in the KG classrooms.
Focus Area 4: The classroom climate
Aspects of the classroom climate which were positive
The quality of student learning
Across the school, students were mostly engaged and generally cooperative in lessons. They made
acceptable progress especially in English, mathematics and science. They worked in groups and, when
given the opportunity, co-operated and supported one another. Students generally responded positively
to the teachers when required to do so. They eagerly answered questions and were keen to be more
involved and challenged in their lessons.
Leaders and subject co-ordinators
School leaders and subject co-ordinators offered demonstration lessons providing good support for
successful teaching. Their strong subject knowledge and confidence engaged and motivated students in
their learning. They made use of a variety of teaching strategies, including practical work and role play,
using paired work and group work to good effect. These teachers provided good role models for other
teachers especially those who were new to teaching or new to the school.
The teaching of English in Grades 1 to 6
The school prioritised the teaching of English and this was evident through the quality of the teaching
seen across the English department in Grades 1 to 6. Planning for these lessons was more detailed and
better considered. Lessons were well structured and included recap opportunities so that students could
relate their learning to earlier work. Teachers asked more searching questions to check understanding.
They used a variety of activities and resources to stimulate and reinforce learning as well as engaging
and exciting students.
Aspects of the classroom climate that should be improved
Catering for individual needs
Teachers knew the students well but their knowledge of their individual and specific needs lacked detail,
especially where the teacher was new to the school. Work was mostly aimed at the middle attainers in
the class with little attempt to offer support or challenge to lower and higher attainers. Students who
completed work quickly were expected to wait around for others to complete their work causing
frustration and, occasionally, poor behaviour.
Behaviour management
‘Teacher talk’ occasionally dominated lessons so that students became passive or else disruptive.
Although school rules were understood, classroom expectations were variable. There was no consistent
practice about remaining in seats, working in groups or eating in class. Excitable behaviour was not
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 7 of 12
always managed well and in a few cases inappropriate behaviour was condoned or ignored. Behaviour
around the school and on the buses was more orderly and calm.
The quality of teacher marking
Most teachers marked students’ work but very few provided useful written feedback. The few comments
that were seen were encouraging rather than evaluative and did not help students to learn. Teachers
checked for learning during lessons through questioning but answers were rarely expanded upon.
Reports offered numerical assessments of work but no benchmark for parents to measure success.
Feedback did not include targets guiding students on to their next steps in learning. There was no whole-
school policy on assessment.
Overall judgement of Focus Area 4: The classroom climate was Effective
Recommendations for improvement
Ensure that all lessons take sufficient account of the spread of ability, by:
o Offering suitable training for teachers and ensuring that they are aware of students’
different needs
o Using the school’s regular testing to ensure that teaching and learning in lessons
matches students’ needs
o Supporting planning to develop support tasks for lower attainers and extension tasks for
higher attainers
o Encouraging teachers to assess students’ understanding and then adjust teaching to
ensure all students make progress
o Making sure that new staff are quickly acquainted with information regarding students
individual and specific needs
o Checking that staff are taking account of individual needs through lesson observations
and feedback
Improve the consistency of classroom management by:
o Identifying and sharing best practice in classroom behaviour from across the school
o Ensuring that teacher talk does not dominate lessons and students are involved as active
participants in their own learning
o Highlighting classroom expectations and ensuring that these are consistent across
subjects and across years
o Providing professional development in managing excitable and challenging behaviour as
well as low level disruption
o Ensuring that classrooms are interesting and stimulating places for students to learn with
student work celebrated and displayed
Improve the quality of teacher marking by:
o Agreeing a whole school policy on the marking of work and the frequency with which this
should take place
o Providing students with regular written feedback which is evaluative and offers areas for
further work and development
o Allowing students to be more involved in their own assessment through self and peer
assessment
o Ensuring that teachers make good use of questioning to check for learning during lessons
and tailoring lessons to their understanding
o Encouraging teachers to make better use of questioning by using supplementary
questions to probe and develop knowledge further
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 8 of 12
o Considering how reports might be developed to offer more helpful information including
targets guiding students on their next steps in learning.
Focus Area 5: Students’ personal development
Aspects of students’ personal development which were positive
Student's confidence
Students displayed high levels of self-confidence in many situations. For example in the assembly when
presenting the school broadcast, during their lessons when giving their views or around the school when
supporting one another. Students enjoyed school and attendance was average at 95%.
Students’ understanding of Islam
Students’ showed a good knowledge and understanding of Islam which was appropriate to their age.
They were able and confident to relate this to their daily lives. Children in the KG used the phrase
‘Alhamdulillah’ and confidently greeted one another using Arabic language. Older students demonstrated
an acute awareness of Islamic values while older girls wore the hijab with pride.
Aspects of students’ personal development that should be improved
The inappropriate behaviour of a few students in classes
The school had identified a small number of students whose behaviour in class was not acceptable.
Evaluators observed a few students pushing and shoving each other as well as making disrespectful
comments to the teacher and each other. In the lower grades, some teachers spent too much time
dealing with excitable and noisy students.
Students’ awareness of the UAE
Although the majority of students knew something about the UAE, their awareness was not extensive.
Most students could identify the different emirates and their names but their knowledge beyond the basic
facts was rather limited. Older students were not sufficiently aware of recent developments in the UAE
and how this might affect their lives and their future.
Overall judgement of Focus Area 5: Students’ personal development was effective
Recommendations for improvement
Improve students’ behaviour and attitudes, by:
o Ensuring that the school rules are shared and understood by all students o Emphasising the importance of good behaviour as a topic in assemblies o Developing a system for rewarding students who behave respectfully and according to
school rules o Engaging all students with work that allows them to be active participants in their own
learning o Providing modelling and support for teachers who do not have strong skills in managing
student behaviour
Raise the awareness of all students about the UAE and recent developments, by:
o Highlighting opportunities in assemblies and across the curriculum to talk about the UAE o Raising awareness of the development of the UAE in recent times o Providing extra-curricular opportunities and trips to enhance their understanding.
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 9 of 12
Focus Area 6: Students’ attainment and progress
Aspects of students’ attainment and progress which were positive
High performance in school tests
School results showed high attainment over time across all subjects, although less so in Grade 4. Pass
rates of 100% were common and large proportions of students attained between 80% and 100%.
Student assessments confirmed that they were very good at remembering facts and providing
definitions. School tests were detailed and well considered. They were marked accurately but rarely
offered comment on areas for improvement. Regular assessments, during the course of the year,
prepared students well for these school tests.
Attainment and progress in subjects
Lesson observations and work samples confirmed that students attained well and made good progress.
Children in the KG could recognise and write Arabic letters and recite the Holy Qur’an with growing
confidence. They could fill in missing letters in the alphabet and write the numbers to 75. By Grade 5,
students recognised tenses in Arabic and could identify the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
In mathematics they calculated angles in pie charts, and in science they understood and could explain
filtration and evaporation. Grade 6 students could identify parts of sentences in Arabic and confidently
answered questions on a piece of text in English. They could find the common multiple of two numbers
in mathematics and correctly identified the parts and functions of the body in science. On the basis of
their attainment when entering the school, most students made sound, and sometimes better, progress
over time.
Aspects of students’ attainment and progress that should be improved
The attainment and progress of higher attaining students
The school identified 20% of the students as high attainers. However, they did not take sufficient steps to
adequately support these students. In the lessons seen, there was not sufficient challenge provided to
ensure that higher attaining students progressed at a speed appropriate to their abilities. Assessments
were not sufficiently challenging, with many higher attaining students easily achieving 100% on their
tests. There was little opportunity for them to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their knowledge.
Parents suggested that students had too few opportunities to take part in local and national
competitions.
Independent, research and technology skills
‘Teacher talk’ dominated too many lessons so that students were unable to develop the ability to work
independently. Class work provided limited opportunities to choose what to learn and to develop their
investigative and problem solving skills. Library facilities were poor and the school had too few
computers for the size of the school. Although the computer room had 12 computers, at the time of the
evaluation, four of these were not working. Students’ critical thinking, research skills and use of
technology were under-developed.
Overall judgement of Focus Area 6: Students’ attainment and progress was Effective
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 10 of 12
Recommendations for improvement
Ensure the progress of higher attaining students, by:
o Providing training for staff in identifying and supporting higher attaining students
o Identifying particular strengths of these students in terms of individual subjects and
sharing information on their particular abilities with all staff
o Ensuring lessons are adequately planned to meet the needs of these students and
assessments offer opportunities to show the depth of their knowledge
o Considering ways of providing greater challenge inside and outside of the classroom
including involving students more in outside competitions
o Monitoring the attainment and progress of higher attaining students and taking effective
action on any underperformance
Develop students’ independent, research and technology skills by:
o Ensuring that students have more opportunities to undertake work independently.
o Identifying opportunities for students to develop their investigative and problem solving skills,
especially in mathematics and science
o Identifying opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking and research skills in
school and for homework
o Improving facilities in the library and increasing the availability of computers in the computer
room and across the school
o Increasing the use of technology across the school by encouraging opportunities for teachers
and students to make use of technology
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 11 of 12
Summary of judgements
In their evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the school, the evaluation team made judgements about
the following aspects of the school’s performance.
The leadership of the school Effective
The school as a community Effective
The school’s approach to student learning Effective
The classroom climate Effective
Students’ personal development Effective
Students’ attainment and progress Effective
The capacity of the school to improve
The evaluation team has considered the capacity of the school leadership to act on the
recommendations in the report and to improve over the next 12 month period. The team’s confidence in
the capacity of the leadership of the school to act on the recommendations in the report and to improve
school performance in the relevant areas within the next 12 months is: MODERATE
HIGH confidence means that the evaluation team believes that the current school leadership will take a
positive attitude towards the findings of the report and will quickly act on the recommendations. The
team would expect to see significant improvements in school performance in the relevant areas well
within the next 12 months.
MODERATE confidence means that the evaluation team believes that the current school leadership will
quickly begin to act on the recommendations in the report but will need additional support to implement
them in full. The team would expect to see noticeable improvements in school performance in the
relevant areas within the next 12 months. The team recommends that the school receives support to
develop and implement its plan for improvement.
LOW confidence means that the evaluation team believes that the current school leadership does not
have the capacity to act on the recommendations in the report. Under the current leadership the team
would not expect to see sufficient improvement in school performance within the next 12 months. The
team recommends that the leadership of the school should be reviewed.
FINAL_Ramsis_English_Private_School_Report_2014 Page 12 of 12
What happens next? The school should prepare an action plan indicating how it will address the recommendations in the report.
ACCREDITATION
The evaluation team has recommended to the Ministry of Education that the
school is accredited. How to contact us If you wish to comment on any aspect of this report you should contact: Hasna Bufteam on [email protected]