St. Joseph's School, Abu Dhabi

St. Joseph’s School (SJS), Abu Dhabi associated with the Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1967. Initially, the school was located alongside the church building on the Corniche strip. But following the Abu Dhabi Municipality’s decision to redevelop the site, Saint Joseph’s moved to its present location in Al Mushrif.

The school’s day-to-day working is managed by the Carmelite Sisters of St. Theresa, led by the present principal, Sister Carmen. St. Joseph’s follows the CBSE curriculum from Grade 2 until Grade 12. The school is also a part of the Catholic Church owned St. Mary’s Group of Schools.

St. Joseph’s Private School educates boys and girls in a co-educational setup from Grade 2 until Grade 6. However, from Grade 7, the school offers education for girls only. Around 1,120 students are receiving CBSE-based education. 77 teachers serve the student body and the teacher to student ratio is 1:14.

St. Joseph’s Private School’s ADEK rating for the academic year 2017 – 2018 was ‘Good.’ The school hasn’t been inspected again since then.

Enjoying a central location in Abu Dhabi, Saint Joseph’s School is in proximity to several family-friendly neighbourhoods, including

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

Al Nahyan is the nearest area; it is roughly a 7-minute drive from the campus. Named after the ruling family of the UAE, the neighbourhood is a central part of Abu Dhabi’s rental real estate landscape. It is located on the edge of the famous Mangrove reserve.

However, if you find it more convenient to be stationed closer to the school, here are a few options for you:

• Apartments for rent near St. Joseph’s School
• Villas for rent near St. Joseph’s School
• Villas for sale near St. Joseph’s School

St. Joseph’s School’s campus is spread across approximately 400 x 400  sq.m. There are 48 digitally-equipped classrooms and additional facilities like:

• 3 Science laboratories
• Maths lab
• Computer Science lab
• Music room
• Activity room
• Library
• Staffroom
• Clinic
• IT suite
• Prayer room
• Bookshop

Also, you can purchase St. Joseph’s School uniforms from LuLu at Al Falah Plaza.

St. Joseph’s School location is right beside the famous St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. The school is situated near the intersection of Airport Road (Street 2) and 17th Street Abu Dhabi. You will find a couple of schools in the same neighbourhood, including Al Nahda National School for Boys and Abu Dhabi Indian School.

SJS AUH is based in Al Mushrif – a residential community that is home to several churches. One can find a variety of affordable apartments and villas in the district, most of which are up for rent.

There are multiple reasons for choosing SJS School. Despite being a Catholic school, students have shown a remarkable understanding of the Emirati culture and Islamic Values. To encourage a sense of belonging amongst students, the school has designed four houses – Bluebell, Rose, Shamrock and Sunflower.

Besides this, St. Joseph’s School has cultivated a positive relationship with parents like other top schools in Abu Dhabi. There are numerous ways to be a part of the school and your child’s academic life.

Furthermore, the school has established a different campus committee to ensure your child’s safety and grooming.

St. Joseph’s School United Arab Emirates offers primary and secondary level education. You can enrol your child from Grade 2 to Grade 12.

Students are offered the CBSE curriculum affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education in New Delhi from Grade 2 until Grade 12. Teaching and learning strategies revolve around Cognitive, Psychomotor and affective domains of learning.

St. Joseph’s Private School Al Mushrif is one of the pilot schools selected for the Student Competence framework (SCF) and is happy to incorporate and align the SCF introduced by ADEK into the curriculum. Continuous and comprehensive assessment of learning at SJS is based on Student Competence Framework that equips students with skills, behaviours and competencies required for the 21st Century.

Other than this, SJS uses summative and formative assessment techniques to judge students’ academic learning progress.

Apart from optional courses, students study core subjects like Maths, English Language and Literature, Science, Arabic as a Second Language, Hindi, French, Islamic Education and Social Studies.

Students enrolled in Grade 11 and 12 study subjects according to their chosen stream.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is the primary regulatory authority that oversees the operation and development of both public and private schools in Abu Dhabi.

Through the Irtiqaa Program, the ADEK carries out periodic evaluations of schools to ensure consistency in the quality across six aspects, namely:

• Students’ achievement
• Students’ personal and social development and their innovation skills
• Teaching and assessment
• Curriculum
• The protection, care, guidance and support of students
• Leadership and management

Due to Covid-19 situation, the school hasn’t been inspected for the academic year 2019 – 2020. However, St. Joseph’s School’s ADEk rating for the year 2017 – 2018 was ‘Good’. We expect the school to at least maintain the rating in upcoming years, or even take it up a notch.

According to the latest ADEK report, the positive aspects of the school are:

• The achievements of the students in English, Science, Islamic education and UAE Social Studies.
• Students’ relationship with the teachers, their personal and social growth, and their positive attitude towards learning.
• Students’ appreciation and understanding of the heritage and culture of the UAE and Islamic values.
• The level at which SJS Al Mushrif is offering protection, care, guidance and support to students.
• Praiseworthy leadership of the principal and the senior team.

Nonetheless, the report highlights few areas where St. Joseph’s School Abu Dhabi must put in their efforts:

• Raising achievements in all subjects, particularly Arabic as a second language.
• Improve students’ enterprise, creativity and innovation skills.

St. Joseph’s academic calendar shares the important highlights of the school. From field trips to national and Islamic holidays, you can view all major events on the calendar. The academic year starts in April and ends in March.

• The first term starts in the first week of April and ends in the first week of July, followed by a 2-month summer holiday.
• The second term resumes in the last week of August and concludes in the third second week of December, followed by a 3-week winter break.
• The third term begins in the first week of January and ends in the second week of March, followed by a 2-week spring vacation.

St. Joseph’s School timings are 07:20 am to 02:00 pm.

To start the admission process at St. Joseph’s School, you need to register your child online. Once the registration is complete, admission of your child is subject to approval from the Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi. Therefore, the school holds no responsibility if your child’s admission is rejected.

After your ward’s seat has been confirmed at the school, please submit the following mandatory documents and pay the tuition fee.

• Four recent passport size photographs (with white background)
• Copy of passport with valid residence visa (both first and last pages)
• Original and copy of Emirates ID (front and back)
• Copy of attested birth certificate
• Copy of immunisation records
• Copy of insurance card (front and back)
• Copy of attested transfer certificate
• Copy of progress report of the previous year
• If the applicant is locally transferred within Abu Dhabi, eSIS number and ADEK Marksheet from the previous school should be submitted.

For parents, please provide the following checklist documents:

• Copy of passports of both parents (first and last page) as well as the valid residence visa
• Copy of Emirates ID (front and back)
• Copy of the most recent electricity bill

Transfer Certificate Attestation:

• For admissions from India, the Transfer Certificate needs to be attested by:
  • The District Education Officer/CBSE Regional Office. The Transfer Certificate has to be verified by the Education Office/CBSE Regional Office of the Zone/District/Area issuing the T.C.
  • The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UAE)
• For admissions from other countries, the Transfer Certificate must be attested by the respective school and the Ministry of Education, followed by the Ministry of Foreign affairs and the UAE consulate/embassy located in the country.
• For admissions from any other Emirate besides Abu Dhabi, the Transfer Certificate must be attested by the respective school and the Ministry of Education.

If you’re interested in St. Joseph’s School admissions, please ensure that your child meets the following age placement guidelines.

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

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

St. Joseph’s School’s fee structure for the current academic year is:

SJS School Abu Dhabi has outsourced transportation services to Velocity School Buses Transportation (VSBT). The company owns and operates one of the largest and newest fleets of school buses in Abu Dhabi.

Transportation fee is charged in three instalments or before the 10th of the first month of each term. Please note that monthly payments are not entertained. You can pay the fee via cheque or visit the Velocity office directly. If you submit a cheque, kindly mention the mobile number, your child’s name, grade and ESIS number at the back of the cheque.

If you have any query regarding bus service or transportation charges, you can visit a representative of Velocity Transportation at the school who is available from 08:00 am to 01:00 pm.

Sports facilities at St. Joseph’s Private School Abu Dhabi are limited to outer shaded areas. But they are enough for students to carry out physical education and other sporting activities.

To provide students with enriching experiences, St. Joseph’s School in Abu Dhabi organises extra-curricular clubs for students.

Students are encouraged to take part in at least one club. However, kids will remain part of the chosen club until the end of the academic year. Also, the club activities will be held during the zero period (1 hour) every Thursday; no activities will be held during the regular study hours.

In 2002, St. Joseph’s School in Al Mushrif founded the ‘Verte Club.’ The club was formed with the specific objective of providing a forum through which students could reach out to influence and engage their parents and neighbouring communities to promote good environmental behaviour. The main goals of the Verte Club are:

• To keep their surroundings clean and green.
• To promote the ethos of conservation of water and energy.
• To imbibe habits and lifestyle for minimum waste generation.

Activities that fall under this club are:

Verte Club at St. Joseph’s School is a member of the Sustainable Schools Initiative (SSI) started by the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi. Being its member allows the school to reduce the ecological footprint and increase its ‘ecological handprint’ to achieve sustainability. The club has the honour of winning the prestigious ‘Green Audit’ award for the years 2014-2015 and 2018-2019.

SJS Al Mushrif takes children on fun and educational trips to widen their knowledge base. In the past, students have visited various culturally-rich sites and popular tourist destinations in Abu Dhabi.

The state-of-the-art medical centre at St. Joseph’s School Al Mushrif is equipped for all medical emergencies that may arise during school hours. A nurse from New Medical Center (NMC) is entrusted to look after the clinic full time.

The trained nurse works closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that the highest standards are maintained. Students are provided first-aid treatment and parents are informed immediately in case of minor injuries. It is the parents’ responsibility to disclose any medical condition their child has in the medical form that is submitted at the time of admission.

The clinic is responsible for periodic medical check-ups and maintaining complete records of students. SEHA nurses visit the school every year to vaccinate students.

St. Joseph’s School Al Mushrif Abu Dhabi acknowledges parents’ contribution to their child’s academic journey. Hence, the school organises parent-teacher meetings to discuss the students’ performance and mutually decide how to improve it. Also, parent orientation is held each year.

Another major effort made by SJS Abu Dhabi to ensure that parents are at the forefront of the school’s plan is to create a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Parents work with the teachers to push forward the school’s efforts.

By joining this association, you can raise your views, suggestions and complaints as a parent regarding any aspect of the school and its management.

• Parents are requested to email their suggestions, viewpoints, inputs and concerns to the PTA representative of the particular grade and cc info@stjosephsschool.ae.
• The school authorities and the PTA representative, will look into the aspects of the e-mail and do the needful follow-up action in 1-2 working days.

Other than this, you can join the WhatsApp group made for each grade to receive instant notification regarding school events and policies. Or you can create an account on the St. Joseph’s School Parent Portal to view features like calendar, attendance report, fees history, exam results and much more.

• Telephone Number: +971-2-446-3646
• Fax Number: +971-2-446-1772
• Emails
  • General Enquiries: stjoseph@emirates.net.ae
• St. Joseph’s School Website
• St. Joseph’s School Facebook
• St. Joseph’s School Twitter
• St. Joseph’s School Instagram
• St. Joseph’s School YouTube

Note that the cover image belongs to St. Joseph’s School