Abu Dhabi Indian School

Abu Dhabi Indian School (ADIS) is one of the oldest educational institutes in the UAE’s capital. Established in 1971, ADIS is a non-profit and co-ed school for the Indian community in Hadbat Al Zaafran, Abu Dhabi. Initially, the school started its operation in the Indian Social Centre. However, the increasing influx of students led to a separate facility in 1980. Its sister branch, Abu Dhabi Indian School Al Wathba, also offers quality education to students. Currently, it has over 4,700 students with a whopping 98% belonging to the Indian background. About 1% of its students’ force requires special educational needs. ADIS is one of the best Indian schools in Abu Dhabi.

For the last 30 years, ADIS has been following standard education based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. It supports the educational needs of children from Kindergarten to Higher Secondary. An experienced team of 310 teachers and seven teaching assistants supports these students. Besides education, the school also offers plenty of extra-curricular and recreational activities. This is to ensure that students also develop skills necessary for modern-day challenges.

The school facilities are adequate and fully support the curriculum. A long list of sports-related facilities makes it an ideal option for students interested in sports. Abu Dhabi Indian School is licenced by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). ADEK inspected the performance of the school and rated it as a good school.

Read this guide by Bayut to know more about the Abu Dhabi Indian School.

Located in Hadbat Al Zaafran – a central suburb in Abu Dhabi, it is in proximity to several key residential areas. The nearby areas around ADIS are:

• Al Mushrif
• Al Nahyan
• Al Muroor

Al Mushrif is the nearest residential community to ADIS. The community has both apartments and villas available for rent. Its proximity to Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street and Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street ensures residents have access to all the key amenities.

• Apartments for rent near Abu Dhabi Indian School
• Vilas for rent near Abu Dhabi Indian School
• Villas for sale near Abu Dhabi Indian School

Main Campus

The campus is based on 175 metres by 150 metres of land gifted by His Highness Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The exterior of the school building reflects traditional Emirati construction. Inside the building, there are wide corridors and aisles to help students reach their classes on time. From Grade III onwards, boys and girls are split into separate blocks. Some noteworthy features of the campus of ADIS are:

Improved Kindergarten Block

The key features of the kindergarten section at ADIS are the activity room and playgrounds. The activity room was included on the campus in 2011 to allow kids to play and perform activities in a secure environment. It is equipped with toys, learning aids and other resources to develop sensory learning abilities of children.

Libraries

A striking feature of this school is the availability of four libraries to support students’ learning. Libraries can be found in the following blocks:

• Boys library – Block E (second floor)
• Girls library – Admin Block (second floor)
• Junior boys library – Block D (first floor)
• Primary girls library – Girls Block (ground floor)

These libraries are stocked with plenty of resources, including books, magazines, periodicals and teaching aids. The comfortable seating arrangements at these libraries encourage students to spend their leisure time studying or reading books. The library staff, including librarians and teacher-librarians, are available to assist students.

Classrooms, Laboratories and Other Facilities

Classrooms in ADIS are bright and spacious. They are provided with appropriate multimedia resources, such as interactive LCDs and projectors, to aid in teaching. Also, there are five computer labs with 100 desktop computers, three server machines and overhead projectors. These facilities ensure that students have access to ICT devices whenever required.

The school also has three science labs for biology, chemistry and physics. All these labs are fully equipped with the apparatus and chemicals to support practical education.

Other facilities on the campus include:

Abu Dhabi Indian School Al Wathba

Abu Dhabi Indian School Al Wathba campus was recently established in 2014. The campus has a similar range of features that are in excellent shape. The facilities available at ADIS Al Wathba include:

The school is located on Al Routah Street near Salama Bint Butti Street at Hadbat Al Za’faranah, Abu Dhabi. Those looking to visit the school can access it via Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street and Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street. These streets connect the school to different parts of Abu Dhabi.

One of the main reasons parents, especially Indian expatriates, are inclined towards ADIS is its educational experience. The school has catered to the educational needs of Indian children for the last 30 years. Since its inception, the school has used all the resources to provide a standard quality education to its students.

Abu Dhabi Indian School is a non-profit school offering value-based education to children. Non-profit schools are those that do not gain any financial benefits from the fees it charges. Furthermore, it reinvests any profit earned through tuition fee in school improvements. The school understands that not everyone can afford premium-priced schools. Therefore, it charges a nominal tuition fee to its students.

The school follows the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. It is an Indian curriculum that is globally recognised. CBSE is a highly structured, robust and holistic educational programme that ensures high-quality education. Various Indian schools throughout the world, including the Abu Dhabi Indian School, follow the CBSE curriculum. Besides education, it also supports the non-academic needs of students through extra-curricular activities. The syllabus designed by the ADIS is highly updated and ensures education in an international context. The top colleges and universities around the world accept those completing their education from CBSE schools.

Another strong point of this school is its strong extra-curricular programme. Students can participate in a wide range of non-academic activities that include:

• Languages
• Creative arts
• Performing arts
• Sports
• Volunteering activities
• Clubs

Sports is a major part of the extra-curricular activity at ADIS. The sports facilities at the school are extraordinary and support a wide range of indoor and outdoor sports. Students participate in numerous sports competitions for swimming, football, tennis, badminton and chess held at school and other venues. In this way, ADIS targets the holistic development of students.

ADIS follows a house-based system to cultivate a sense of friendly competition among students. Students are split into four houses that compete against each other in academic and non-academic activities. Each house has a motto that inspires students to reach the greatest heights. It serves as an opportunity for them to become house captains and prefects of their houses. Students can also become head boy and assistant head boy in higher grades. The houses at ADIS are:

• Summer
• Winter
• Spring
• Autumn

Abu Dhabi Indian School educates children aged 3 to 18 years old and has the following phases of education:

The syllabus at Abu Dhabi Indian School is based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. It is an Indian state curriculum that is followed in various Indian schools located all over the world. CBSE standards are adopted in all the phases of education, including the kindergarten phase. The school facilities are adequate to support the requirements of the CBSE curriculum. The well-equipped computer and science labs ensure students can engage in practical knowledge, which is also an important part of the curriculum. ADIS focuses on the continuous growth of students by targeting the following areas:

• Moral values
• Emotional development
• Cultural development
• Physical development
• Intellectual development
• Social development
• 21st-century skills
• UAE identity

The teaching strategy at Abu Dhabi Indian School is holistic and interdisciplinary. Teachers focus on promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills to help them in decision-making. The programme also focuses on skill and capacity building through different teaching methods. In the kindergarten stage, ADIS attempts to develop students’ understanding of fundamental concepts. The syllabus is designed in a way to promote the all-round development of students. It targets the physical, cognitive, aesthetic, emotional, imaginative and moral development of students. After completing kindergarten education, students are ready for primary education.

In the primary stage, the school builds on the foundations laid in the kindergarten stage. These foundations are strengthened through a formal and structured approach. Besides education, students participate in the extra-curricular programme. A similar approach is followed in the middle school phase. Here, the students are gradually introduced to a range of subjects and teaching methods suitable for higher secondary school.

At the senior secondary level, students have the option to secure admission in either the science or commerce stream. The options available to students studying the science stream are:

• Group 1 – Mathematics, English, Biology, Physics and Chemistry
• Group 2 – Mathematics, English, Computer Science, Physics and Chemistry
• Group 3 – Psychology, English, Biology, Physics and Chemistry

Whereas, students studying the commerce stream can study the following:

• Group 4 – Mathematics, English, Economics, Business Studies and Accountancy
• Group 5 – Informatics Practices, English, Economics, Business Studies and Accountancy
• Group 6 – Accountancy, English, Economics, Business Studies and Sociology/Psychology

Besides the aforementioned, Arabic, Moral Education Islamic Education are compulsory for students in Grade I to Grade XII. Please note that Islamic Education is only mandatory for Muslim students.

Students sit for the CBSE board examinations in Grade X and Grade XII.

For more information, read the curriculum of Abu Dhabi Indian School.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a governmental entity that regulates the education sector of Abu Dhabi. His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan established this body in 2005. Later, in 2017, the name of Abu Dhabi Education Council was changed to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge by the president of UAE. Since its inception, ADEK is playing an important role in improving the quality of education and developing human, social and economic capabilities. Through its Irtiqaa programme, ADEK inspects the performances of schools every two years and offers a judgement based on its six-point scale. The scale varies from outstanding (best) rating to very weak (worst) rating. The scale is briefly explained below:

ADEK inspected the main branch of Abu Dhabi Indian School in 2019. The overall performance of the school was rated as ‘good’ – the minimum quality of education expected by the schools in Abu Dhabi. ADEK inspects schools based on six performance standards. The rating for each performance standard is as follows:

• Students’ Achievement – Good
• Students’ Personal and Social Development and Innovation Skills – Good
• Teaching and Assessment – Good
• Curriculum – Good
• The Protection, Care, Guidance and Support of Students – Very Good
• Leadership and Management – Good

In its latest inspection, the key strengths of ADIS were:

• Impact of actions taken by the school’s leaders to improve students’ achievement in most subjects.
• Students’ positive attitude towards learning, behaviour and relationships.
• Students’ appreciation and understanding of the UAE’s heritage and Islamic values
• Health, welfare and safety of students
• Strong partnership with parents to improve student’s learning

ADEK also provided ADIS with some recommendations to further improve its performance. The recommendations are as follows:

• ADIS must work on improving students’ achievement in Arabic as a second language. The school can achieve this by developing students’ handwriting and building their vocabulary.
• The school must also work on the consistency of teaching and learning. This can be achieved by ensuring that teachers effectively use assessment information to plan tasks, offer challenging activities to gifted and talented students, helping students to work on their innovation and creative skills and helping students to understand and work on written feedback.
• ADIS can further improve the impact of leadership by ensuring that the curriculum is effectively adapted to offer sufficient challenges to students and develop roles for middle leadership to monitor the quality of teaching and subjects.

To apply at Abu Dhabi Indian School, fill out and submit the online application. Please note that it is important to fill in all the mandatory fields. After applying, the school will email parents on the provided email address with login credentials and words of acknowledgement.

After logging into the portal, parents need to upload the required document. Please note that all documents must be in PDF format except passport-size photograph that must be in JPEG format. Once all the documents are verified, parents can print the registration slip provided via email.

The admissions for KG1 to Grade I are conducted through draws. Therefore, parents applying for these grades must drop the stamped registration slip in the draw box. Whereas, admission in Grade II and above are based on merit. Parents are advised to bring photocopies of all the documents at the time of admission.

Documents and Attestation

The following documents are required for admission:

• Original and a copy (front and backside) of Emirates ID of the candidate
• A copy of the passport of the candidate (front and last page) with a valid UAE residence visa
• A copy of the passport of the sponsor (front and last page) with a valid UAE residence visa
• Original Emirates ID of the sponsor
• A copy of the candidate’s insurance card
• A copy of the candidate’s vaccination card
• Three passport-size photographs of the candidate
• One passport-size photograph of both mother and father
• One copy of the candidate’s birth certificate (attestation required)
• Previous academic record
• Utility bills or tenancy contract
• A copy of CBSE registration card (for admission in Grade IX and above)
• Original transfer certificate (for admissions in Grade I and above)

The birth certificate must be attested by the following:

• If born in UAE, the birth certificate must be attested by the Foreign Affairs in the UAE.
• If born outside the UAE, the birth certificate must be attested by the Notary (local district), Home Department of India, Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi.

Those applying from the UAE except Abu Dhabi must get their transfer certificate attested by the:

• Education Department of that zone

Those applying from outside the UAE must get their certificate attested by the:

• District Education Officer of that board or Zone
• Home department of that country
• Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi
• Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi

Age Grade Requirement

This is based on the age of the students on 31st March (for schools beginning in April). Source: ADEK

* This is to cater to students transferring from systems that admit students of a younger age)

For more information, view the Abu Dhabi Indian School admission process.

The Abu Dhabi Indian School fees are as follows:

Other Charges

Besides, the school charges AED 20 per annum for the school magazine for each grade and AED 10 per annum for ID cards. The school charges AED 100 per annum as caution money for KG I to Grade VIII and AED 200 for Grade IX and above. For more information, check out the fee structure of ADIS.

Currently, the school does not offer any scholarship programme to its students.

The school offers a reliable and safe commute to students. It has a fleet of well-maintained buses that pick up and drop children from designated points.

It is a day-only school and does not offer any boarding or hostel-related facilities to students.

Several sports facilities are available to encourage students to remain physically fit. These facilities are used for the provision of extra-curricular activities and hosting intra and inter-school sports competitions. Some noteworthy sports feature at Abu Dhabi Indian School includes a grass-based soccer pitch surrounded by athletic tracks, a covered playground for kids, an outdoor basketball court and a swimming pool.

The school has a strong extra-curricular programme that caters to the non-academic needs of students. ADIS provides opportunities for students to discover their hidden potential and spend their leisure time on things they love. Sports make up most of the extra-curricular activities at this educational institute. The school also arranges several sporting sessions for students where they can practise their skills in the available facilities. These include swimming, basketball, soccer and other indoor and outdoor games. Students of ADIS take part in several inter-school competitions held in the UAE.

On the other hand, those that are not fond of sports can also find interesting activities as clubs. Students can join many internal and external clubs that teach languages, creative arts, economics, sports, robotics, science, performing arts, public speaking and leadership. The clubs available to students are:

Abu Dhabi Indian School Portal is the primary source of communication. Here, the school shares valuable information such as student’s progress, teachers’ feedback, attendance record and other vital information necessary for parents. The school shares the login credentials with parents to access the portal.

Parents and the wider community can also get informed on the updated information through its official website. Here, they can access information on admissions, fees, the education team, board of governors and non-academic activities.

Social Media is another source of communication where ADIS shares important information with parents. Parents and teachers can also contact each other through school designated WhatsApp groups.

Address: Abu Dhabi Indian School, Al Routah Street near Salama Bint Butti Street, Hadbat Al Zaafran, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Telephone Numbers

• For general enquiries: +971 2 4488025
• Fax: +971 2 4489002

Email Address

For general enquiries: info@adisuae.com

Website and Social Media

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Note that the cover image belongs to Abu Dhabi Indian School