Shining Star International School

Established in 2014, Shining Star International School, Abu Dhabi has been operational for six years. It follows the CBSE curriculum and offers classes from KG1 until Grade 12. Presently, it has 1,120 students, 84 teachers and 4 teaching assistants. The teacher to student ratio across all sections is 1:13. Most teachers, as well as 79% of students, are from India. The remaining students are from Pakistan (14%) and Bangladesh (3%).

Even though it is a relatively new school in Musaffah, Shining Star aims to offer sound and holistic education to students. The curriculum incorporates a wide variety of subjects and extra-curricular activities to help children develop a broad range of skills. The school leadership adopts a challenging curriculum to address the learning needs of students with varied abilities.

Shining Star School Abu Dhabi is easily accessible for families living in:

• Al Mafraq
• Al Shawamekh
• Al Shamkha

Al Shamkha is tucked away from the central areas in Abu Dhabi and is closer to Musaffah, a popular industrial area in the UAE capital. It is a popular district for buying commercial properties in Abu Dhabi. The freehold area also has residential apartments.

Those looking to live near the school can check out:

• Apartments for rent near Shining Star International School

Shining Star has an excellent infrastructure in place to best support its students. There are 72 classrooms equipped with OHP and smart boards for IT integrated learning. There is a large, spacious multipurpose auditorium that can be used for workshops, activities, events and games practice sessions. Primary and Secondary students have access to computer labs equipped with the latest technology and high-speed internet.

To facilitate the learning of Science concepts, students have biology and chemistry labs. Coding, building and programming are taught with the help of a robotics lab. The campus also has a well-stocked, purpose-built library with books for students of all ages. There are around 24,000+ books in the library.

Students can use the green pitch to play outdoors. Shining Star also has a kitchen garden, a greenhouse and a vegetable garden.

Shining Star International School is located in Musaffah between Al Jidah and Al Razim Street. Musaffah is famous as an industrial area, but it is home to several schools. Shining Star School is close to Abu Dhabi – Al Ain Road (E30).

The school aims to transform young learners into inspirational leaders of tomorrow. Shining Star School Musaffah empowers students with the right knowledge and teaches them life skills.

Shining Star Abu Dhabi is an inclusive school and believes that all kids have an equal right to quality learning. Depending on their specific needs, students get special privileges including front seating, a concession on homework and slight modifications in exams. Kids with vision problems are given books with larger fonts to help them read properly.

The qualified teaching staff provides **Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) for students of determination. Learning Support Assistants (LSA) provide additional help to students in need.

To accommodate students from various backgrounds, the school teaches five languages including Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, English and Malayalam.**

Shining Star School Musaffah also has a Student Wellbeing Programme that ensures each student is looked after carefully. SSIS offers competitive co-curricular activities including:

• Yoga
• Martial arts
• Football
• Cricket
• Abacus
• Robotics classes
• Nature clubs
• Book clubs
• Art and craft camps
• Drama, music and dance
• Chess
• Language
• Photography
• Vocational studies

After a positive response to Shining Star International Abu Dhabi, the school opened a new campus in Wathba. Three other Shining Star schools are planned to open in Dubai, Sharjah and New Delhi.

The school offers classes from KG1 to Grade 12. The student’s age on 31st March of the academic year determines the class he/she will be placed in.

The school, as stated earlier, follows the CBSE curriculum, which is the largest examination programme in the world. This curriculum not only is followed in India but across 28 countries.

In Grade 12, students study these core subjects:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Physical Education
• Mathematics
• Business Studies
• Accountancy
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Political Science

Similar subjects are incorporated in the syllabus for Grade 9 and Grade 10 students.

The curriculum is integrated with Sustainable Development Goals as the school believes Agenda 2030 is a collective responsibility of students, teachers and the school leadership. Students engage with the UN Foundation during their Global Classroom Projects to develop their inquiry, innovation and critical thinking skills.

The curriculum is incorporated through NCERT textbooks.

ADEK inspected Shining Star International School Abu Dhabi from 14th May to 17th May 2018 and rated it as Acceptable. Previously, the school was rated Weak and the current rating shows a huge improvement.

According to the Shining Star International School ADEK report, students’ achievement is acceptable while their personal, social development and innovation skills are good. Teaching and assessment and curriculum of the school is also acceptable. Leadership and management were rated good. Provision to ensure the protection, care and support for students is acceptable at Shining Star School.

Students respect the heritage and culture of the UAE. The curriculum is adequately planned for review. As for all subjects, clear links are established between the content taught to students and the Emirati culture. Teachers present ideas to children with clarity.

The management is leading the school effectively. School’s partnership with parents, governance and planning processes are good.

Key strengths of Shining Star International School according to ADEK are:

• Its internal assessment processes
• Its leadership, partnership with parents, self-evaluation processes and governance
• Students’ relationship, respect for the heritage and culture of the country
• Social contributions made by students
• Links created between subjects and Emirati culture

The report also highlighted areas that need improvement.

• The school needs to raise a student’s achievement by improving the quality of teaching and assessment
• Students must be given more opportunities to develop their learning skills and make use of modern learning technology
• Shining Star must improve its systems to identify Gifted and Talented students
• Teachers must use the assessment data to plan lessons and consistently support and challenge students at all levels including SEN and Gifted and Talented students
• The school must improve the teachers’ feedback system
• The school should work on improving the curriculum for all subjects
• Shining Star International School should provide additional opportunities to promote innovation, research and scientific investigation skills across the curriculum
• The school can further improve the impact of leadership and management by delegating more responsibilities to heads of departments
• Monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and contributing to professional development is needed
• Working with parents as partners to raise awareness regarding the importance of raising achievement is recommended
• The school must provide additional learning technology and reading resources

• The first term begins in August and ends in December.
• The second term commences in January and ends in March.
• The third term starts in April and concludes in July.

Shining Star International School academic calendar is available on the official website.

Shining Star International School welcomes all students. Interested applicants can fill the online registration form. Once the form is submitted, the applicant receives an auto-generated confirmation email.

To proceed with the merit-based admission process, parents need to submit a few documents. After submitting the documents, the applicant has to appear in an assessment. Please note that admissions are offered depending on the availability of seats.

For admission in KG1 and Grade 1, there will be a direct assessment. For admission in Grade 2 to Grade 9, an aptitude test is conducted. These tests involve basic subjects such as English and Mathematics. Applicants have to submit the application form with supporting documents to the admission office before the entrance test. Depending on the assessment result, students and parents may be asked to meet the senior leadership team of the school.

Admission for Grade 11 is based on Grade 10 board exams results and the entrance test takes place at the school. The school accommodates special appointments for overseas candidates according to their availability in the UAE.

Once the Shining Star International School admission process is completed, candidates will receive an admission slip with the admission reference number and the class offered.

Documents that should be submitted with the application form include:

• Application form (printed copy of online registration form)
• Five coloured passport size photographs
• Coloured passport copies of student and parents (first page, valid visa page and address page)
• Coloured copies of both sides of the Emirates ID card of student and parents
• Coloured copy of student’s medical insurance card
• Coloured attested coloured copy of the birth certificate (notary requirements)
• Last report card of the student’s previous school
• Complete health form of the student with copies of immunisation records
• Recent water and electricity bill as proof of address.

Parent Registration Form available on the school website must also be submitted as a part of the process.

Before starting the enrollment process, parents must ensure that their child meets the following age placement criteria.

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)

Shining Star International School fee structure varies according to the grade. Here’s an overview to give you a better idea:

Additional charges include:

The school offers a 10% discount on annual tuition fee for parents who make a one-time payment. The school also gives a 5% sibling discount on annual tuition fee for the second child and a 7% discount on the annual tuition fees for the third child.

The school has limited scholarships for students. Students with the following qualities can apply for the Anmol Ratan Scholarship Programme.

• Students with a 90% aggregate in Grade 6 to Grade 11
• Students with national or international recognition in robotics, mathematics, science and artificial intelligence
• Candidates with an aptitude for public speaking, debating, declamation and elocution
• Students with exceptional talents in visual and performing arts such as painting, dance, sculpture, drama or singing

All scholarships are merit-based and are decided by the school management. Further details about scholarships are available on the official website.

There is an in-house café where students get fresh, hygienic, snacks and nutritious food.

The school offers a safe transport service to students. Details including bus routes, pick-up timings, bus schedule and transportation fee are communicated to parents at the time of admission. All school buses have female attendants and GPS trackers.

The decision regarding the bus service is made by the transport operator and depends on the school transport policy. Parents can reach out to the operations executive of the transport vendor based at the school during school hours for more information.

The school has premium sports facilities for students. The school has astroturf running tracks, football, volleyball and badminton courts. Students can also use the cricket pitch.

Students at Shining Star International School can take part in a variety of extracurricular activities. These activities support their learning abilities and help develop new skills. Students can practise yoga for their mental and physical growth. International Yoga Day was recently celebrated at the school.

Different competitions such as Quran recitation competition, inter-house football competition, best out of waste competition, world art day are also held at SSIS Abu Dhabi.

Shining Star International School students are part of different inter-school competitions. One student won the Love You Mom Art competition at Dalma Mall Abu Dhabi while SSIS got the third position in the inter-school public speaking competition held by EEG.

Shining Star School Abu Dhabi organises field trips to provide students with an entertaining educational experience. Teachers closely monitor and supervise students during their field trips.

Kindergarteners were taken to Emirates Park and Zoo, where they were thrilled to see animals in their natural habitat. Such trips help young learners enhance their connection with other living organisms.

Shining Star International School has several after-school activities. Some of these are free while some are offered at a small monthly fee. Students engage in following activities after-school dismissal:

Chess|

|Photography|Abacus Maths|

To handle medical emergencies and health-related problems during school hours, there is an in-house school clinic managed by a full-time qualified nurse. The school health centre has a well-equipped medication, treatment and diagnosis room.

Shining Star International School connects teachers and parents and is delighted with the support it gets from parents. The Parent Council plays an active role during in-house school functions. Shining Star International School Parent-Teacher council was formed on 12th September 2015 and a new council is created each academic year.

Parents Portal is updated with the latest information for parents.

Parents receive a registration form for The Parent Council at the beginning of each year, which are then reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Parents with a diverse set of skills are chosen for the job.

• Telephone:+971-2-559-6444 | +971-2-559-9080
• Email: info@ssis.ae
• Website Shining Star International School
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Note that the cover image belongs to Shining Star International School