Islamiya English School, Abu Dhabi

Islamiya English School (IES) is one of the oldest schools in Abu Dhabi. Established in 1978, it follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales for its educational programme. It is a private, non-profit school managed by a board of directors. The school is recognised by the Ministry of Education and Edexcel for IGCSE examinations in the high school phase.

The school has over 2,000 students, predominantly Pakistanis. Other nationalities, such as Egyptian, Sudanese and Emirati also co-exist in this educational institute. The teaching force at this school has 141 teachers and 11 teaching assistants. The teacher to student ratio is 1:15. According to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), this K-12 school performance is acceptable.

Besides academics, Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi focuses on non-academic development of students. Read this comprehensive guide by Bayut to learn more about this school.

Islamiya English School is located on Al Danah in Abu Dhabi Island. Al Danah is one of the bustling suburbs of Abu Dhabi located at the centre of the Emirate. Some nearby residential communities from the school are:

• Al Nahyan
• Al Manhal
• Al Tibbiya
• Al Bateen

Al Nahyan is the closest residential community from the school. It is a popular residential community in Abu Dhabi for renting apartments. Here, one can find a mixture of old and new apartment buildings in 1-bed to 4-bed configurations.

• Apartments for rent near Islamiya English School

Islamiya English School has operated under the current facility since 1984. The school has a range of facilities to support the academic and non-academic needs of students. There are well-furnished science laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology. The school also has a computer lab, library, mosque and decent sports facilities.

The sports facilities at the campus include football fields, squash court, basketball court, table tennis equipment and badminton court.

The school is located on Khalifa Bin Zayed the First Street on Al Danah, Abu Dhabi. Visitors from nearby areas can access the school via Hazza Bin Zayed the First Street and Khalifa Bin Zayed the First Street. The school is at a 6-minute drive from Al Nahda Stadium.

Moral development is one of the main pursuits of Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi. The school leadership has constructed general objectives that allow the school to focus on moral values and sense of responsibility towards the community. The school’s general objectives include enabling students to recite the Holy Quran correctly, be a good citizen and acquire value-based education. All these aspects contribute positively to the moral development of students.

The school’s educational programme is based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales. It is one of the popular choices of curricular models in the world known for its academic breadth and support for non-academic development. Students completing their education from a British curricular school, such as Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi, are enrolled in top colleges and universities around the world. Thus, all this makes IES Abu Dhabi an attractive option for parents.

Another alluring feature of this educational institute is its value-based fee structure. IES charges a modest tuition fee as compared to other schools in Abu Dhabi following the same curriculum. The tuition fee at this school ranges from AED 7,260 to AED 14,730. Thus, parents can now offer standard education to their children without straining their pockets.

Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi is a K-12 school catering to the educational needs of students aged 4 to 18 years old. The phases of education at this school are as follows:

Islamiya English School follows the National Curriculum of England and Wales for its education programme. The syllabus is academically rigorous and meets the modern educational requirements. In the high school stage, students have to pass the external board examinations to receive the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) certificate and International Advanced Levels (IAL).

The subjects offered to students for the IGCSE certificate are:

• Urdu/Hindi/Bengali
• English Language
• English Literature
• Islamic Studies
• Quran
• Science (Biology, chemistry and physics)
• Mathematics
• Social Studies
• Home Science
• Economics
• Pakistan Studies
• ICT
• Art and Craft
• Physical Education

Students have limited subject options in A Levels. Students can either opt for the science or commerce group. The subjects offered to students in the science group are:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Mathematics/Biology

The subjects offered to students in the commerce group are:

• Accounting
• Business Studies
• Economics

For more information, check out the syllabus for each grade by Islamiya English School.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a governmental entity established in 2005 to regulate the education sector of Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra and Al Ain. Through its Irtiqaa programme, ADEK rates the performance of schools every 2 years and issues a detailed report based on its performance. ADEK inspects the performance of schools based on the following six performance standards:

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

The rating is based on a six-point scale that ranges from outstanding to very weak. A brief explanation of each rating on the scale is depicted below:

Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi was last inspected for the academic year 2019-2020. In the latest inspection report, ADEK rated the performance of the school as acceptable. Thus, the quality of performance of IES Abu Dhabi meets the minimum level of quality required by schools in UAE.

The rating for each performance standard is as follows:

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

The strengths of the school reported by ADEK are:

• High levels of achievements by high school students in mathematics, science and Arabic and by KG students in mathematics
• Teachers’ planning to ensure students make at least expected progress in all subjects
• Students’ understanding of Islamic values and UAE culture
• The leaders successfully engage parents in school life resulting in a positive impact on students’ learning

The recommendations offered by ADEK are:

• Improve achievement in all subjects, especially in the primary and middle school phase. This requires the school to work on developing teaching strategies to ensure students take initiatives and take part more in English and Islamic education lessons. IES also needs to ensure that the assessments are benchmarked against relevant national and international standards. Also, improve the marking of written works to offer better feedback to students.
• The school needs to expand curricular choices by offering students-led and child-initiated activities in KG and primary stages. Also, the school must expand the range of curriculum in the high school phase.
• IES also need to work on its self-evaluation process. It requires the school to use framework standards descriptors to accurately identify strengths and weaknesses. IES should also monitor progress against improvement targets.

The academic year of Islamiya English School (IES) starts in August and ends in July. The academic activities are split into three terms. Students expect two seasonal breaks throughout the academic year. The three-week winter break is in December, and two-week spring break is in March and April.

The admission process at Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi is straightforward. To apply, fill out the registration form available at the admission department. The registration form does not guarantee admission.

The age-grade guideline for admission followed by the school is as follows:

This is based on the age of the students on 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)

After submitting the registration form along with documents, candidates have to clear the entrance test/interview to get admission at IES. Successful candidates are offered admission. Parents have to pay the required deposit within the mentioned time to guarantee a seat for their child. Failure to pay the registration fee can result in cancellation of admission. For more details, check out the admission process at Islamiya English School.

The annual tuition fee charged by Islamiya English School is approved by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge. The fee structure is as follows:

Currently, the school does not offer any scholarship programmes for its students. However, IES Abu Dhabi makes up for the lack of a scholarship programme with its nominal annual tuition fee.

The school has a transportation service that offers a safe and reliable transport facility to students. The school buses are well maintained and equipped with modern safety equipment. The school charges AED 3,000 per annum for the school transport service for all grades.

Islamiya English School is a day-only school. It does not offer any boarding or hostelling facilities for students. The school opens and closes on regular schooling hours. Those finding it difficult to reach school on time can register for the school transport service or look for residential spaces near the school. If interested in the latter, read the residential communities near Islamiya English School section at the beginning of the guide.

The school does not offer any holiday camps for students. Parents can opt for the external holiday camp providers to keep their children busy during seasonal breaks.

The sports facilities available for students at Islamiya English School (IES) Abu Dhabi are:

Extra-curricular activities have become an important part of modern-day schooling. Schools from around the world have incorporated the extra-curricular programme into their arsenal to focus on the all-round development of students. Islamiya English School also focuses on developing well-rounded students with academic and non-academic skills with its extra-curricular programme. The extra-curricular programme of IES Abu Dhabi includes the following activities:

Currently, the only after-school care programme at this school is as extra-curricular activities.

The school has a parent portal and teacher portal to allow parents and teachers to access the key information. Parents can access information such as attendance records, grading, circulars and notices and teachers’ feedback.

Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi also arranges parent-teacher meetings to discuss the progress made by students. Parents and the wider community can also access the school’s official website to get information on admission, fee structure and education.

Other modes of communication available for parents and teachers include social media accounts and WhatsApp groups. The WhatsApp groups are managed by the school and include teachers and parents of students studying in the same classroom.

• Address: Islamiya English School Abu Dhabi LLC, Khalifa Bin Zayed the First Street, Al Danah, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• Telephone: +971 2 6417773
• Email Address: islamia@islamia.ae
• Official Website
• Facebook

Note that the cover image belongs to Islamiya English School