Liwa International School

Established in 1992, Liwa International School, Al Ain aims to deliver quality and affordable education. It offers classes from kindergarten to Grade 12 and follows the American curriculum.

There are more than 2,500 students; boys and girls only study together in kindergarten. Female students slightly outnumber the boys. The teaching faculty has 162 teachers belonging to the US, South Africa and the UK.

Liwa International School is in proximity to a few residential communities such as:

• Al Ruwaikah
• Al Mnaizlah
• Al Ugtad Al Mutawwa
• Al Owainah
• Majlood

Those looking for residential options near Liwa International School can check out:

• Apartments for rent near Liwa International School
• Villas for rent near Liwa International School

Liwa International School Al Ain campus has premium facilities and exceptional infrastructure. Prominent facilities include a physical education hall, a well-stocked library, a multi-purpose hall and swimming pools.

IT labs are well-equipped and there is an outdoor sports field. Students have access to the three mosques during prayer timings. Those interested in music and arts can use the four art rooms and two music rooms in Liwa International School. The school’s gymnasium can be used for indoor sports. There are six well-equipped science labs as well.

Liwa International School is based in Al Falaj Hazza, Al Ain on Ibn e Seena Street. The nearest landmark is the UAE University, Falaj Campus. There are many schools around Liwa International campus. Right across Al Jabr Road, one can spot a few Indian and Pakistani schools.

Liwa International School is a progressive institution. It is one of the few schools that has published its most recent inspection report along with the development plan based on ADEK recommendations.

Liwa School has received several awards for its commitment to providing excellent education. In 1998, the school received the ISO 9001:1994 award, the first-of-its-kind in the Gulf and the Middle East region. This was followed by the ISO 9001:2000 award in 2003 and then ISO 9001:2008 in 2008. ISO extends these awards to schools that maintain the highest performance standards.

For its distinguished academic performance, Liwa School received His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum’s Award and His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in 2006.

Liwa School Al Ain has been a member of the Sustainable Schools Initiative since 2008. It also claims to be the first Green School in the UAE and generates electricity through solar panels.

The school is doing its best to improve and innovate with the introduction of Liwa Cloud. This cloud initiative is used to store resources and materials related to innovation, planning and professional development. Liwa has also created an e-learning portal to ensure a smooth learning process.

Students in senior grades get access to Google Drive for their work, assessment, evaluation and plans. Discovery Centre for primary students is where they can put their creative skills to work. The learning hub promotes innovative approaches for inquiry-based teaching and learning for all students.

Liwa School Al Ain’s vision is to provide an excellent education that is on par with international standards. It inspires students to maintain self-discipline and become lifelong learners. This is achieved with the support of the caring staff.

Core values of Liwa International School include:

• Integrity
• Respect
• Tolerance
• Transparency
• Team Work
• Fairness
• Achievement
• Care

Liwa International Al Ain can accommodate 2,600 students but due to the increasing popularity, Liwa International School for Girls (LISG) opened in 2015 to support the young women of the UAE. Academic programs implemented at Liwa School are in line with international standards. The motto of the school is ‘Together for a Better Future for Our Children.’

Liwa School offers classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Years offered are divided into KG, primary, middle and high school sections.

Liwa School International Al Ain follows the American curriculum. The middle school curriculum is implemented to serve as a bridge between elementary and high school. Course outline and details are mentioned on the school website along with the name of the course teacher.

Students study the following subjects in the middle phase i.e. Grade 6 to Grade 8:

• IT Course Outline
• English Course Outline
• English Social Studies Course Outline
• General Science Course Outline
• Mathematics Course Outline
• Art Course Outline

Liwa International School provides a wide range of high school programs from Grade 9 to Grade 12.
Grade 9 students study:

Liwa School ensures students receive a quality education; therefore, students’ progress and attainment are closely monitored with the help of American standardised tests. Students in KG2 to Grade 12 appear for MAP tests thrice during an academic year.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a governmental body that regulates and monitors the performance of educational institutes in Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra and Al Ain. Through the Irtiqaa programme, the school reviews the performance of schools every two years and issues a rating based on six-point scale, which is depicted below:

ADEK rated the performance of Liwa International School as very good for the academic year 2019 to 2020. Previously, the school was rated good for the academic year 2017 to 2018. 

The following strengths of Liwa International School were observed by ADEK:

• Students’ achievement in English and Arabic
• Relationship of students with staff and peers, and their attendance
• All the aspects of the school reflects respect for the UAE’s culture and heritage and appreciation of Islamic values
• Meeting the needs of all students through lesson planning and engaging activities.
• Vision and leadership of the governors, principal and senior and middle leadership

Some weaknesses were also reported by the ADEK, which are as follows:

• Ensure consistency in questioning by teachers to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students
• Use peer-to-peer personal development activity
• Encourage teachers to use best practices
• Implement professional development, effective questioning techniques
• Ensure learning centre work for subjects such as Mathematics and Science

• The school needs to focus on students’ achievement in Science and Islamic Education in middle and high school, mathematics and Islamic education in primary school and social science in middle school. For this purpose, the school must focus on a professional development programme for staff members, learning from other colleagues, improving students’ recitation and tajweed rules and use of technology.
• Liwa International School should also increase a wide range of curricular options. For this purpose, the school can focus on humanities, arts and vocational training. Furthermore, the school should provide more opportunities for students to work on their entrepreneurial skills. Liwa International School can also search for programmes added by other US curriculum schools to add more options.

The academic calendar of Liwa International School starts in the last week of August and ends in the last week of June.

• The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December. This is followed by the winter break that ends in the last week of December.
• The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the fourth week of March. Students then go on a spring break that ends in the first week of April.
• The third term starts in the second week of April and ends in the last week of June .

For more information, contact the school.

Liwa International School admissions follow the age placement guidelines. Here’s an overview to give you a better idea:

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: ADEK

Online application forms are available on the school website. Parents who choose Liwa International for their child must fill the form and submit it along with mandatory documents.

Students looking to study in Grade 2 to Grade 12 have to pass the admission test. This assessment/test determines the academic potential of the applicant.

Parents also need to pay the registration fee at this stage, which is 5% of the current tuition fee. The registration fee is non-refundable.
Documents required at the time of admission are:

• Five recent passport-sized photographs of student
• Copy of the applicant’s passport and visa page (for non-UAE citizens)
• Copy of the father’s passport and visa page (for non-UAE citizens)
• Copy of the sponsor’s passport
• Copy of the applicant’s Emirates ID
• Copy of parents’ Emirates ID
• Copy of the applicant’s birth certificate
• Copy of the full family book (for UAE nationals)
• Copy of the final report card or the most recent report
• An official attested transfer certificate if the student is coming from a public school within Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, or if transferring from any school in other emirates
• Copy of the electricity or water bill to show and confirm the residential address in the UAE
• Official authorities such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE embassy at the country of origin should attest any certificate or document issued outside the UAE.
• All new students enrolling in KG or Grade 1 need to provide their own and parents’ Emirates ID card at the school’s registration office.

According to ADEK regulations, applicants without a valid Emirates ID will not be accepted.

Liwa International School fee is:

The above-mentioned Liwa International School fee does not include the cost of:

• Books
• Transportation
• Uniform

The mentioned fee can be paid in three instalments

• The first instalment is 33% of the tuition fee and has to be paid between August and September
• The second instalment is 33% of the tuition fee; it has to be paid between 1st and 12th December
• The third instalment is to be paid between 2nd to 13th February

Re-registration fee for existing students is 5% of tuition fees. It is non-refundable and has to be paid during April and May. The amount is deductible from the tuition fees for the forthcoming academic year.

Liwa School has four well-maintained cafeterias where students can have lunch and socialise with their peers.

Liwa School provides bus service to all students. All buses have enough seats, are well-maintained and meet the safety standards specified by the authorities.

Parents are suggested to supervise their child upon boarding and exiting the bus. Students should reach the pick-up point 5 minutes before the scheduled time as the school bus will not wait for any child.

• Students have to follow the rules to ensure safety.
• They should keep the bus clean and not litter.
• They should remain seated at all times.
• They should hand over their bags to the bus supervisor.
• Students must not disturb the driver or talk to him while he is driving.

Parents or a designated adult should receive the students under 11 years of age at the drop off point. Students who are not received by any adult on the drop off point are taken back to school where they have to be picked up by parents.

Transportation fee for Al Ain city is AED 3,450 while it is AED 4,800 for areas outside Al Ain city.

Liwa School Al Ain has spacious sports fields and a playground where students can enjoy their time during recess. Sports fields are designed for a variety of sports.

Swimming lessons are conducted regularly and swimming competitions are also hosted at Liwa International School.

The campus has four well-equipped gymnasiums which are also used to host inter-school tournaments.

Several extracurricular activities are offered during the middle and high school phases. All students are encouraged to take part in clubs that offer the following activities:

Liwa School takes students of all grades on field trips at least once a year.

Sports activities and extracurricular activities are offered as an after-school programme after the scheduled dismissal.

There are two medical clinics at the school – one for boys and one for girls.

Liwa School has designed several initiatives such as the Parent Orientation Meeting, topic guidance and Parents meetings to ensure effective communication with parents.

Parent Orientation Meeting serves as a formal induction before the beginning of the academic year. Parents can discuss their child’s personal and social needs.

Topic Guidance is a weekly programme for parents where the school offers a home learning schedule. This helps parents train children at home and keep track of the syllabus.

Parents Meetings are held twice a year where parents can discuss and know more about their child’s progress.

Student diaries are sent home on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Parents can access the Managed Learning Environment portal to view their child’s online work and communicate with teachers. Parents’ workshops are also arranged throughout the year to help them understand the curriculum.

Liwa International School has a Parents Association Committee. Interested parents can then get involved in school activities and functions.

• Telephone: +971-3-781-0444
• Email: info@liwaschool.com
• Website Liwa International School
• Facebook Liwa International School
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Please note that the cover image belongs to Liwa International School

What are school hours?

Liwa International School Abu Dhabi timings are Monday to Thursday 07:30 am to 03:00 pm.

Does the school organise after-school activities?

Yes, Liwa International School organises after-school activities. Please refer to the guide to learn more.

How many grades are there in the Liwan International School?

The school currently has over 2,500 students, most of them are Emirati.

What is the academic calendar of Liwan International School?

The academic calendar of Liwan International School starts in August and ends in June.

What is the tuition fee charged by the school?

The tuition fee at Liwa International School ranges between AED 16,870 and AED 30,460.

How does the school communicate with parents?

The school has several modes of communication between teachers and parents, such as parent-teacher meetings, social media pages, WhatsApp groups, etc.

Does the school have any cafeteria or canteen?

Liwa International School has four canteens at school where students can buy affordable food items.

Does the school arrange field trips?

The school arranges several field trips throughout the academic calendar.

How many teachers are there in the Liwa International School?

There are 162 full-time teachers and 67 teaching assistants.