Al Shohub Private School

Her Highness Sheikha Sheikha Saif Al Nahyan established Al Shohub Private School in 1999. Initially started as a villa school, it was relocated to a purpose-built campus at Khalifa City A in 2013. It is a British curriculum school aimed to provide quality education to Emirati girls. However, boys are accepted from FS1 to Year 4. It is a foundation, primary and secondary school in the capital that is exclusively for the local Emiratis.

As per the last inspection report by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), the school has over 550 students. A whopping 93% of students are local nationals while 1% of Omani and 1% of Bahraini make up most of the student force. The teaching staff of 52 teachers, predominantly British nationals, support their educational needs. Ample attention is offered to each student, as the teacher to student ratio throughout the school is 1:11.

It provides a standard quality of education based on the National Curriculum of England. The campus has a satisfactory range of school facilities that fully support its syllabus. The Abu Dhabi Department of Knowledge and Education rated this school as Acceptable. It also provides a considerable range of extra-curricular activities for the well-rounded development of students.

Read this guide by Bayut to learn more about the facilities and quality of education at Al Shohub Private School.

Al Shohub Private School is located in Khalifa City A, which is a popular area to rent affordable apartments in the capital. The following communities are found near the school:

• Al Tharwaniyah
• Lehweih
• Masdar City

Al Tharwaniyah, a sub-community of Al Raha Gardens, is the nearest residential community to the school. The community is known for its serene and comfortable living environment that has villas and townhouses as residential options.

Residents of Al Tharwaniyah do not need to worry as its proximity to Khalifa City A and other popular locations in Abu Dhabi ensures easy access to lifestyle amenities. Other options for people living far from School are Lehweih and Masdar City.

• Apartments for rent near Al Shohub Private School
• Villas for rent near Al Shohub Private School
• Villas for sale near Al Shohub Private School
• Townhouses for rent near Al Shohub Private School

Al Shohub Private School moved to its current purpose-built campus in November 2013. Facilities available at the campus are in excellent condition and fully support the educational and non-educational needs of students.

Classrooms, the most-used school facilities by students, are spacious and bright. They are equipped with comfortable seating arrangements to provide an appropriate learning environment. Corridors leading to different sections are clean and free from litter. There also exists a library where students have access to fictional and non-fictional books, articles and other forms of reading material.

There is a well-equipped science lab with all the apparatus and lab arrangements to ensure the safety of students. Other noteworthy facilities on campus are:

Al Shohub Private School is located slightly off the 5 Street near Khalifa Police Station in SE44 of Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi. The school is a 2-minute drive away from Raha Park and a 6-minute drive away from Khalifa Park 1. 5 Street and Street 20 are the main streets passing through SE44, connecting this sector with the other sectors within Khalifa City A.

Al Shohub Private School is a popular option among local Emiratis due to its girls-only status. Parents hesitant of enrolling their daughters in a co-educational school can enrol their daughters at this school.

It provides a safe and caring environment to girls where they thrive and become contributing citizens. The school is exclusive and most of the students are local Emiratis. Therefore, parents interested to enrol their kids in school that practice local culture find it an alluring option.

The school follows an internationally recognised National Curriculum of the UK. It is a widely practised curriculum adopted by schools throughout the world. Students completing their education with certificates in IGCSE and A-Level certifications are accepted in top colleges and universities around the globe. A pool of experienced teachers have designed the curriculum in a way to inculcate international mindedness. The school has also included BTEC courses from Year 12 to increase the depth of its curriculum.

Another striking feature of this school is the support it provides to the local communities. The school encourages the local community to use the school facilities in after-school timing. The school facilities are available for sporting, academic and social activities. The facilities that are available to the local community are sports hall, dance studios, outdoor basketball court, swimming pool and auditorium. Additionally, the school also offers several opportunities for parents through Al Shohub Parent Association (ASPA).

The school also has a strong pastoral care plan that ensures safety, comfort and protection of children. The entire campus is designed in a way to ensure a safe and secure environment is offered to students.

Al Shohub Private School Abu Dhabi educates children aged 3 to 18 years old. The different phases of education are as follows:

Al Shohub School Abu Dhabi follows the National Curriculum of England. The specifics for each phase of education at this school are:

Foundation Stage Curriculum

In the foundation stage, Al Shohub School follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017 framework. It is a popular British early education framework that focuses on developing foundation skills via informal learning strategies. Teachers develop game-based activities that allow young learners to understand fundamental concepts in easiest ways. The syllabus for the foundation stage aims to challenge their thinking capabilities, cultivating creativity and building independent learning skills.

The school does the aforementioned by targeting the seven areas of learning as per the EYFS framework:

• Literacy
• Expressive arts and design
• Language and communication
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Social, personal and emotional development
• Physical development

The school uses observations as the primary mode of assessment in the foundation stage. Once students clear the foundation skills, they have ample skills to move to the primary stage.

Primary Stage Curriculum

In the primary stage, the school follows the formal learning methods based on the National Curriculum of England along with the UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) guidelines. The syllabus is split into KS1 and KS2, both of which has a mixture of core and supporting subjects. The syllabus is enriched to integrate local context with international learning.

The subjects offered in the primary stage are:

In the primary stage, the school focuses on developing resilient learners that have independent learning skills. Besides, students in the primary stage are given daily homework and reading assignments. In the primary stage, the school assesses the progress of children by the following methods:

• Formative assessment – continuous assessment method involving marking during lectures and peer assessments.
• Summative assessment – assessment carried out at the end of units and or term
• External summative assessment – these are the standardised computer-based assessments carried out in the form of formal examinations conducted at the end of an academic year

Secondary Curriculum

In the Secondary stage, the school continues the National Curriculum of England along with the MOE curriculum for Islamic Education, Arabic and Social Studies.

The core subjects taught in the KS3 are:

Supporting subjects for KS3 students are:

The core subjects taught in KS4 are:

Please note that Social Studies is offered till Year 10)

Other non-core subjects for KS4 students are:

KS3 students undergo formative assessments throughout the academic year. They also undergo a summative assessment that happens after the end of mid-term. This is followed by an external summative examination based on cognitive tests and progress tests. These tests are used to benchmark students against international standards.

Besides the external examinations mentioned for KS3, KS4 students also undergo IGCSE examinations accredited by boards like Edexcel and Cambridge.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge is a governmental education body of the capital city. It was founded by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2005. ADEK was established to improve and sustain the education sector of Abu Dhabi. To improve the quality of education in the city, ADEK inspects the performance of educational institutes, including schools, every two years. The performance of the school is rated against a specifically designed 6-point scale. It ranges from ‘Outstanding’ (best) rating to ‘Very Weak’ (worst) rating.

In the latest inspection (2017-2018), Al Shohub Private School Abu Dhabi was rated ‘Acceptable’ by ADEK. In the previous inspection, the school was rated as Good. The performance of school has plummeted in the last two years, as it was only rated good in two out of six performance standards. Currently, the school only has a good rating for students’ personal, social and innovative development and care and protection by the school.

The main strengths of Al Shohub School highlighted by ADEK are:

• Students understanding of UAE culture, their behaviour and positive Islamic values
• Quality of teaching, resources and learning in FS1
• Students overall achievement in FS1, achievement in English, science and Islamic Education by primary students, and arts throughout the school
• Day-to-day management of the school
• Care and welfare provided to students

ADEK has also drafted several recommendations to help the school to improve its performance. The school needs to:

• Improve the students’ attainment in the middle and school phases
• Work on the poor attendance and punctuality of students
• Strengthen the accountability for students’ achievements and subject performance at school

The academic year at Al Shohub Private School starts from late August and ends in early July. There are three terms with the following important events:

• The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December. This is followed by a 3-week winter holiday.
• The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March. This is followed by a 3-week spring holiday.
• The third (last) term starts in the third week of April and ends in the first week of July.

Please note that students expect mid-term breaks and other holidays for national and international events. These dates are subjected to the moon sightings. For more information, view the academic calendar of Al Shohub Private School Abu Dhabi.

Those looking to apply at Al Shohub Private School should submit a registration form and health questionnaire. These forms are available online and at the admission office. Additionally, parents need to submit the coloured copy of the following documents to initiate the admission process

• Four recent passport-sized photographs
• The candidate’s passport
• The candidate’s Emirates ID card
• Previous academic record from eSIS System
• The candidate’s birth certificate
• The candidate’s insurance card and vaccination record
• Last electricity bill
• Transfer certificate (Students applying outside Abu Dhabi)
• Father’s family book (for UAE nationals) or parents’ and candidate’s residence Visa (for non-UAE nationals)

Once all the required documents are submitted along with the registration form and medical questionnaire, the school contacts parents for an assessment. The assessment test is based on the age of the candidate.

The age-grade guidelines followed by Al Shohub Private School Abu Dhabi is tabulated below:

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

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

The school emails the offer letter to the parents of successful candidates with further details to secure the admission.

For more information, read the admission process at Al Shohub Private School.

Tuition fee

The fees structure at this school is approved by the ADEK. The Al Shohub Private School fees are as follows:

Please note the tuition fee is payable in three instalments (three terms). The school collects the first instalment of tuition fee one month before the start of the academic calendar. Also, the tuition fee is exclusive of school visits, music, sports, extra-curricular activities, uniform and books.

Registration and Re-registration fee

The registration and re-registration fee at Al Shohub private School is 5% of the annual tuition fee. The registration and re-registration fee are adjusted in the tuition fee.

Modes of payment

The fee is payable via cheque, cash and card. The finance office at the admission office deals with the collection of the fee. The bank details for transfers are:

• Account name: Al Shohub Private School
• Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
• Account Number: 256720318001
• IBAN Number: AE230030000256720318001
• Branch Name: Al Nahyan Branch

In case of bank transfer, send the proof of payment to accountant@alshohub.org.

For more information, read the fees structure and policy of Al Shohub Private School.

Currently, there are no scholarship programmes for students of Al Shohub Private School.

To provide hygienic and healthy snacks and food items to students, Al Shohub Private School outsourced its canteen operations to Kelvin Catering Services. The Abu Dhabi based catering service provides a wide variety of food items that are in accordance with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Department of Health Abu Dhabi (HAAD). Kelvin Catering has introduced a cashless payment system that provides convenience to students.

Additionally, the school’s syllabus from the foundation stage involves cooking and food tasting activities. The school encourages children to bring healthy snacks to lunch. Fizzy drinks and food with nuts are prohibited. The preferred snack items at Al Shohub Private School include sandwiches, yoghurt. fruits, cheese cubes, vegetables and rice or pasta.

The school also provides a safe and reliable transport service to its students. The transport service is completely optional and is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. To enquire, parents need to fill the form with a complete address and GPS coordinate. A representative from the transport department will get in touch with parents to inform them about the availability and routes. Afterwards, parents need to fill the bus service acceptance and payment form to transport@alshohub.org. The transport service is available for students from FS2 onwards at AED 5000.

It is a day-only school and does not offer any boarding or hostel-related facilities to students. However, the school has a transport service that can be availed by the students living far from the school.

The school does not organise any camps or international visits during holidays.

Sport is an important part of the extra-curricular programme at Al Shohub Private School Abu Dhabi. Sports allow children to remain physically fit and active. Students at this school are sports enthusiasts and are engaged in sports activities. The school has a considerable range of sports facilities available. There is a well-maintained and clean swimming pool where students are provided swimming lectures.

It also has an outdoor basketball court that is covered to protect students from the harsh outdoor environment. Al Shohub School also has an indoor sports hall that is equipped to help students playing indoor games. Other outdoor facilities at the school include two courtyard playgrounds.

Extra-curricular activity is an important source for children to relax after taking several classes. It is a vital part of the students’ life. It also serves as an opportunity for students to socialise with peers, make friends and showcase skills in non-academic activities.

The extra-curricular programme at the school aims to focus on building modern-day skills. The programme includes activities managed by teachers and external service providers. These activities are carried out throughout the academic year with activities changing each term. The extra-curricular activities available at this School are:

Please note that swimming and football are paid activities and are provided by external providers. The extra-curricular activities happen each week from Sundays to Wednesdays.

Field trips are another vital part of the extra-curricular programme at Al Shohub Private School. The school understands that learning can carry on outside the walls of classrooms. Additionally, the school believes that it serves as an opportunity for experiential learning where they understand the real-life applications of what is taught in the classrooms. For field trips, it takes students to many places in Abu Dhabi. Some noteworthy field trips arranged in the past few years are:

Currently, the only after-school care at the school is in the form of extra-curricular activities.

The school has one clinic on campus, and 2 full-time nurses to tend to both students and staff.

Several modes of communication are available for parents and teachers to contact each other. In parent-teacher meetings and conferences, they discuss the progress made by children. Al Shohub Parent Association (ASPA) is a parental body at the school that provides support to the parents and the school. It serves as a medium through which parents can share valuable suggestions and feedback to the school.

Another source of communication at school is its official website. The website is regularly updated with information relevant to parents and the wider community. Parents can access the information on admission, fees, newsletter and important notifications. The school also has a social media presence on several platforms where they share important news. For urgent enquiries, parents and teachers can contact each other on the school designated WhatsApp groups.

• Al Shohub Private School address: Behind Khalifa City police at Al Banan Street, Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• Telephone Number: +971 2 555 9995 (for general enquiry)
• Email Address: info@alshohub.org (for general enquiry)
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Note that the cover image belongs to Al Shohub Private School