Grace Valley Indian School (GVIS) Al Ain

Grace Valley Indian School (GVIS) is a private, co-educational K-12 school in Falaj Hazza. This Indian School in Al Ain offers education based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Curriculum. The school opened its doors in 2011.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) rated the performance of the school as acceptable. As per the ADEK report, the school currently has over 1,100 students with most students in the primary stage. The largest nationality group among students is Indian, followed by Pakistani and Afghanis. Around 3% of the total student population at this school are Special Education Need (SEN) students.

The teaching staff includes 88 teachers and 12 teaching assistants. The teacher to student ratio for kindergarten is 1:22 and for the rest of the stages is 1:17. The teacher to student ratio is relatively on a higher side as compared to some schools in the UAE.

Besides a strong educational programme built on an innovative curriculum, the school ensures the provision of numerous extra-curricular activities. The facilities are exceptional, allowing the school to deliver the academic and non-academic programme to students without major concerns. Read this guide to learn more about the curriculum, governmental rating, admission and Grace Valley Indian School fee details and facilities offered here.

GVIS school is located in Falaj Hazza, Al Ain. This school is close to the following residential areas:

• Al Muwaij’i
• Al Mutawah
• Asharij
• Al Jimi

Al Muwaij’i is the nearest residential community from the school. Al Muwaij’I or Al Muwaiji is located at the centre of the city. It is an incredible location for those seeking spacious and luxurious spaces for residence. Here, one can find both apartments and villas for rent and sale. An incredible feature of this community is the availability of amenities and road infrastructure. Those interested in moving close to the school can opt for Al Muwaiji. Other residential areas such as Al Mutawah, Asharij and A Jimi are also located close to Grace Valley School.

• Apartments for rent near Grace Valley School Al Ain
• Villas for rent near Grace Valley School Al Ain

Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain has a dedicated campus with outstanding school amenities. Some noteworthy features of the campus are as follows:

Classrooms

Grace Valley Indian School (GVIS) follows the digital approach to education. For this purpose, the campus has smart classrooms. These classrooms are equipped with updated computers, high-speed internet connection and audio-visual equipment. Additionally, the school uses various online platforms, such as Google Classroom to aid in students’ learning.

Science Laboratories

To support science-based learning, the school has advanced science labs. All the science labs are fully equipped to support the syllabus. There are separate laboratories for biology, chemistry and physics for demonstration of scientific concepts and practices. The labs are important, especially for students in the secondary section.

The physics lab at the campus is equipped with everything from commonly found equipment to advanced scientific apparatus. Some of these equipment include:

• Lens
• Magnet
• Spring balance
• Beam balance
• Glass prism
• Voltmeter
• Ammeter
• Resistors
• Spectrometer

The biology lab at the campus has preserved specimens, simple slides, test tubes, Petri dishes and compound microscopes.

The advanced chemistry lab at Grace Indian Valley School Al Ain has necessary chemicals and apparatus for conducting basic to advanced chemical reactions.

Computer Laboratory

The modern campus of GVIS has a state-of-the-art computer lab for students in Grade 1 to Grade 12. These labs are equipped with fast-processing computers arranged in the form of workstation, high-speed internet connection and high-end software for learning purposes. The experienced lab staff at the campus ensures that all the computers are in working condition and available for students at all times.

Library

Another important feature at this school is the availability of the school library. The school aims to instil the habit of reading among students through its library. The library has a huge collection of books, dictionaries, reference books, journals, periodicals, newspapers and other reading material on curricular and non-curricular topics. There is also a small area where computers are available to access e-books and online databases. The open-access policy at the library allows students to pick the book of their choice. To avail a book, students need to have a library card and need to return the book within seven days.

Music Room

Music is an important part of the educational programme at this school. From a very young age, students respond to musical themes and rhythms. Therefore, it is an excellent source for teaching young children. At Grace Valley Indian School, there is a music room equipped with a wide range of musical equipment, including the following:

• Harmonium
• Drums
• Piano
• Keyboard

The school encourages children to learn at least one musical instrument.

Other Facilities

In case of minor to moderate illnesses and injuries, there is a school clinic equipped with medical staff and equipment. Students can purchase notebooks, textbooks and stationery items etc. from the school store. For kindergarten students, the school has a play area equipped with slides and other playing equipment. There also exists separate praying areas for boys and girls where students can fulfil their religious obligations.

The school is located slightly off 16th Street near the UAE University Falaj Campus. Those interested in visiting the school can access it via Al Jabr Street that connects the school with other areas in Al Ain.

Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain is a premium quality school with several enticing features. One of the incredible features of this school is its leadership and teaching staff. The school has around 130 experienced personnel in its teaching force. All teachers have relevant qualification and teaching experience that transpires in the form of students’ achievements.

A key strength of this school is its nourishing environment. The school inspires students to be confident, exuberant and passionate. Grace Valley Indian School has high expectations from its students, which is depicted by the rigorous and academically challenging educational programme. It follows the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) framework for its educational programme. It enriched the curriculum with innovation and modern-education to keep it relevant to the 21st Century. Consequently, students of Grace Valley Indian Schools are aware of the local and international contexts. Thus, students are global citizens that contribute immensely to society.

Safety and security of students and the school are paramount to the leadership and management of Grace Valley School. For this purpose, the school’s management has mandated robust and stringent policies. Each member of the staff ensures that the environment of this educational school remains positive and conducive.

Another reason why parents are inclined to enrol their kids in Grace Valley School is the availability of outstanding school amenities. Moreover, it has an affordable fee structure that makes it an attractive option for lower-income and middle-class income families.

Grace Valley Indian School (GVIS) Al Ain is a private K-12 school that educates children aged 4 to 18 years old. The educational system at this learning centre has the following four phases of education:

Grace Valley Indian School offers an educational programme that is based on the authentic learning experience to students. The educational programme is based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is an internationally acclaimed Indian curriculum for its academic rigour. The curriculum is enriched with innovative strategies to meet the needs of 21st-century education. The main objectives for learning with this curriculum are digital resources, textbooks and research projects. GVIS has modified the curriculum with the Student Competence Framework introduced by the ADEK. The framework allows the school to equip students with behaviours, skills and attitudes mandatory for the 21st-century world. The specifics for each phase of education at this school are as follows:

Kindergarten Curriculum

In the kindergarten stage, the school deviates from its original curriculum based on the CBSE curriculum and follows the Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. It is an internationally recognised teaching pedagogy for young learners. Teachers focus on students’ learning by planning a combination of indoor and outdoor classroom activities. Students in KG1 and KG2 learn through playing equipment and interactive activities. Cross-curricular links are established to build students understanding of the following seven areas of learning:

• Understanding the world
• Communication and language
• Expressive arts and design
• Physical development
• Numeracy
• Social, personal and emotional development
• Literacy

The subjects taught to students in KG1 are:

• Mathematics
• English
• E.V.S.
• Art and Craft
• Reading
• Physical Education
• Practical life

In KG2, these subjects are covered:

• English
• Mathematics
• E.V.S
• Arabic
• Islamic Studies
• Physical Education (PE)
• Art and Craft

Primary Stage Curriculum

In the primary stage, the school follows a more traditional teaching pedagogy based on the CBSE curriculum. It forms a creative and expressive learning environment where students appreciate interdisciplinary interactions of subjects, such as language, mathematics and science. At this stage, the school builds reading, speaking, writing, problem-solving and ICT skills among students.

The core subjects taught in this stage are:

• Arabic
• E.V.S
• English
• ICT
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• UAE Social Studies

Other subjects taught to students in the primary stage are:

• Art and Craft
• Communicative English
• General Knowledge
• Islamic Studies
• Languages (Hindi, Malayalam or additional English)
• Moral Education
• Music

Middle School Curriculum

In the middle stage, GVIS follows a structured approach to meet students’ intellectual and development needs. It continues to follow the CBSE curriculum as the standard framework for its educational programme. The middle school curriculum addresses age-specific needs build awareness, promotes compassion and encourages ethical conduct.

The core subjects at this phase of education are:

• Arabic
• English
• ICT
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Science
• Social Studies

Other subjects taught to students in the middle stage of Grace Valley Indian School are:

• Art and Craft
• General Knowledge
• Islamic Studies
• Languages (Malayalam, Hindi or Additional English)
• Moral Education
• Music
• UAE Social Studies

Secondary and Senior Secondary Curriculum

In the secondary and Senior secondary stages, the school emphasises on developing a comprehensive understanding of concepts through evaluations and interpretations. It continues to follow the CBSE curriculum and prepares students to sit in external examinations. The external examination is conducted in Grade 10 and Grade 12.

The core subjects taught in Grade 9 and Grade 10 are:

• Mathematics
• English Literature
• Science
• Social Studies
• Language (Urdu, Arabic, Hindi or Malayalam)
• Information Technology
• Physical Education

In the senior secondary stage, the school offers two streams of education: Science Stream and Commerce Stream. The subjects taught in Science Stream are:

• English Core
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Biology or Computer Science
• Mathematics or Psychology
• Physical Education

The subjects offered to students in the Commerce Stream are:

• English Core
• Accountancy
• Business Studies
• Computer Science
• Psychology or Economics
• Physical Education

For more information, check out the curriculum for secondary and senior secondary stages of Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a governmental education body in Abu Dhabi. Founded in 2005 by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it aims to improve and sustain the quality of education offered by educational institutes in Abu Dhabi, Al Dharfa and Al Ain. Through its Irtiqaa programme, ADEK inspects the performance of schools every 18 to 24 months and issues a report based on its judgement. It inspects the performance of school based on the following six performance standards:

• Students’ achievements
• Student personal and emotional development and innovation skills
• Curriculum
• Teaching and assessment
• Protection, care, guidance and support of students
• Leadership and Management

To rate schools and other educational institutes, ADEK uses a 6-point scale with the following ratings:

• Outstanding
• Very Good
• Good
• Acceptable
• Weak
• Very Weak

Here is the brief explanation of each rating is exhibited below:

Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain was last inspected by ADEK in 2018-2019. In this inspection report, ADEK rated the overall performance of the school as Acceptable. The rating for each performance standard for this school are:

• Students’ Achievement – Acceptable
• Students’ personal and social development and innovation skills – Very Good
• Teaching and Assessment – Acceptable
• Curriculum – Acceptable
• Protection, Care, Guidance and Support of Students – Good
• Leadership and Management – Acceptable

The following strengths of the school were documented in the latest inspection report:

• Improvements have been observed in overall outcomes since the last inspection
• The school has improved students’ appreciation of UAE values and Islamic cultures
• ADEK also observed improvements in the protection, safety and care of students
• Senior leadership has played an important role in sustaining the improvements made by the school

ADEK also recommended certain actions to GVIS Al Ain to improve rating in future inspections. These recommendations are as follows:

• The school needs to raise achievement across the school, especially in English and mathematics at the primary stage. For this purpose, the school needs to incorporate well-planned and differentiated activities in lessons. It also needs to offer more challenging tasks to students capable of achieving more than curricular standards. Furthermore, teachers need to identify and share best practices and improve interaction within the classrooms.
• Grace Valley Indian School needs to adapt to the curriculum to meet the needs of all students. This requires teachers to provide challenging and motivating tasks to all students. The school also needs to prioritise improvements in students’ speaking and reading skills and to let them work and think independently.
• The school should further focus on the development of innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. For this, teachers must provide more opportunities for investigation and research; reduce their talk time with students and allow students to explore and experiment.
• GVIS should also monitor the impact of lessons on students’ learning. For this purpose, teachers must ensure high expectation from students, engage teachers in data analysis and track students’ performance in cohorts.

Like most Indian schools in the UAE, the academic year for students at Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain starts in April and ends in March. The academic activities in this school are split into two terms.

• The first term at this school for teachers starts in the first week of April and for students in the second week of April. Term 1 ends before the start of the summer break in the last week of June. Afterwards, students go on a 2-month summer in July and August.
• The second term for teachers starts in the last week of August and for students in the first week of September. The examinations for the first term usually occurs in the last week of September. The term concludes with the annual examinations and the report day in the last week of March. In the second term, students go on a three-week winter holiday from the third week of December to the first week of January.

Moreover, the school closes for various national, international and religious events. The exact dates of such events are subjected to moon sightings. Check out the academic calendar of Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain for more information.

The Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain admission process is fairly straightforward. Submit the online admission form to register your child at Grace Valley Indian School.

The school welcomes the admission requests from all. Usually, it accepts admission requests for the kindergarten stage whereas admission from Grade 1 onwards is given based on the vacancy. Once the form is submitted, the school contacts the parents to bring their child for an assessment. If you have applied for admission in Grade 1 or above, your child has to sit a written test and an admission interview.

The age-grade guidelines followed at this school are:

• The candidate must be at least 3.8 years old for KG1 on 1st April
• The candidate must be at least 4.8 years old for KG2 on 1st April
• The candidate must be at least 5.8 years old for Grade 1 on 1st April

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

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

The documents required for the admission are:

• Completed admission form
• An attested copy of the candidate’s birth certificate
• A copy of the candidate’s passport with a valid UAE residence visa
• Original Emirates ID and a copy of insurance card
• Five recent passport-size photographs
• A copy of the previous report card (for admission in Grade 1 and above)
• A copy of vaccination record (for admission in KG1 and KG2) and original vaccination record (for admission in Grade 1 and above)
• Attested transfer certificate or school leaving certificate

The attestation requirements for a transfer certificate are:

Students applying from other emirates in the UAE except Abu Dhabi should get their certificate attested by the Ministry of Education of that Emirate. Please note that the gap between the date of leaving the previous school and joining this school should not be more than two weeks.

For students applying from Oman, the Indian Embassy or Ministry of Foreign Affairs must attest the transfer certificate. Those applying from GCC countries except Oman need to submit a transfer certificate attested by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UAE Embassy in the country of the previous school. Those coming from India should get their certificate attested by the Education Officer of that zone or education board. The signature and seal must be valid and have to be verified by the Indian consulate or Ministry of Foreign Affairs in UAE. The gap between the date of leaving the previous school and joining this school should not be more than one month.

The school offers admission based on the following priority:

• Students previously attended the school
• Children of staff members
• Students with sibling studying at this school
• Students living near the school
• Students who appeared first for the admission
• Students coming from the same curriculum schools
• Emirati students

For further information, read the admission process at Grace Valley Indian School.

The Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain fee structure is given below:

The aforementioned tuition fee is exclusive of additional changes for books, uniform, transportation and extra-curricular activities.

The following modes of payment are accepted at this school:

• Cheque in favour of Grace Valley Indian School, Al Ain
• Cash
• Credit Card

The account detail for paying tuition fees via cheque or other modes are given below:

• Account Number: 13672302
• Account Name: Grace Valley Indian School
• Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
• Branch Name: Al Sinaya
• IBAN: AE440500000000013672302

For more information, read the Grace Valley Indian School fee structure and policy.

Currently, there are no scholarship programmes at Grace Valley Indian School. The school does charge a nominal tuition fee that makes up for the lack of scholarship programmes. The tuition fee at this school is in the range of AED 4,800 to AED 12,000, which is lower than the tuition fee charged by many international schools in the UAE.

GVIS understands that it is difficult for parents to drop off and pick up children from school on time every day. To help parents, the school offers a safe, efficient and affordable transport service to students. The transportation department of the school is pivotal to the maintenance of buses and the safety of children. The school has a fleet of well-maintained buses with modern safety and security features. It hired experienced professionals, including bus drivers and conductors that are experienced in handling children. The transportation fee is AED 2,000 per annum (8 months). It covers Al Ain and adjoining areas. For more information, read the transport policy of Grace Valley Indian School and contact the school administration.

This educational institute is a day-only school and does not offer any boarding or hostelling facility to students. Those living far from the school can opt for school transport. Parents can also consider relocating to areas near the school. If interested, check out the residential communities near Grace Valley Indian School at the beginning of the guide.

Currently, there are no holiday camps arranged by GVIS Al Ain.

Sport is an important part of the enrichment programme at Grace Valley Indian School. The school inculcates values of discipline, team spirit and healthy competition through its extensive and well-balanced sports and PE programme. To aid in the process, the school has several in-house sports facilities, including the following:

These facilities are used to arrange several interschool sports competitions. The school divides students into four houses to encourage healthy competition. Students in different houses compete against one another in different inter-school sports extravaganzas. The major sports competition at this school is the three-day annual sports competition. The ceremony for this event usually starts with mass-drills, mass-pasts and cultural performances. The champion team and athletes win prizes.

The school has an extensive enrichment programme that results in the development of well-rounded students. The enrichment programme at Grace Valley Indian School is divided into Scholastic, Creative Arts, Performing Arts, and Physical and Health.

Scholastic

The scholastic activities included in this enrichment programme are:

Creative Arts

The options within the creative arts available to students are:

Performing Arts

Those interested in performing arts can try:

Physical and Health

The activities offered to students are:

Grace Valley Indian School arranges recreational field trips for students during each academic year. Students visit parks, museums, malls and other recreational sites in the UAE.

Currently, the only after-school care offered to students at this school is in the form of extra-curricular activities. For more information, contact the school’s administration.

The school has a well-equipped clinic that caters to the medical emergencies to students and staff at the campus. A team of trained nurses are available at the school clinic that is experienced in handling emergencies. In case of injuries, nurses administer first aid and parents decide the further course of action. Besides medical emergencies, the clinic is responsible for routine vaccination and maintaining medical records of students.

Grace Valley Indian School strives to establish strong communication between teachers and parents. The communication between them is vital to the academic success of students and the school. For this purpose, there are several modes of communication available for teachers and parents.

Open houses are one of the most stressed modes of communication by the school. Open houses are basically parent-teacher meetings that take place after every assessment. Parents are invited to participate in open houses as it serves as an opportunity for them to discuss progress made by children.

Additionally, parents can visit the school during school timings. The school opens Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Please check out the academic calendar within this guide to avoid visiting the school during the holidays.

Another vital source of communication at this school is its official website. It is an excellent source of information for parents of current students and potential candidates alike. Here, parents can find valuable information on admission, Grace Valley Indian School fees structure, school amenities, curriculum, enrichment programme and much more.

Other modes of communication include social media profiles, WhatsApp groups and contact numbers and email addresses. GVIS school’s designated WhatsApp groups include parents of students studying together and class teachers in the same group. It is an excellent source for urgent enquiries.

• Address: 16th Street, Falaj Hazzaa, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Email Address

• For general information: info@gvisalain.com

Telephone Number

• For general information: +971 3 7805511
• WhatsApp: +971 5 02314887

Official Website and Social Media

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Tumblr

Note that the cover image belongs to Grace Valley Indian School Al Ain