InspectionReport

SunriseEnglishPrivateSchool

AcademicYear201314

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SunriseEnglishPrivateSchool

InspectionDate
SchoolID#

1114May2014
120

LicensedCurriculum

CentralBoardofSecondaryEducation(CBSE)

NumberofStudents

2,894

AgeRange
Gender
Principal
SchoolAddress

3to17years
Mixed
ThakurSMulchandani
POBox7135,Shabiya,Mussafah,AbuDhabi

TelephoneNumber

+971(02)5529989

FaxNumber

+971(02)5527837

OfficialEmail(ADEC)
SchoolWebsite

sunriseenglish.pvt@adec.ac.ae
sepsauh.com

Dateoflastinspection 58November2012

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Theoveralleffectivenessoftheschool
Inspectorsconsideredtheschoolinrelationto3performancecategories
BandA Highperforming(overalleffectivenessgrade1,2or3)
BandB

Satisfactory(overalleffectivenessgrade4or5)

BandC

Inneedofsignificantimprovement(overalleffectivenessgrade6,70r8)

TheSchoolwasjudgedtobe:

BANDC;

GRADE6

Themainstrengthsoftheschoolare:

studentspositiveattitudesandgoodbehaviourandtherespecttheyshow
others
astrongmoralcodedemonstratedbystudentsandtheirunderstandingof
othersviewpointsandvalues
commitment made by the schools management to provide high quality
training to develop the teaching strategies that are beginning to have
someimpact
positive ethos, and the well established systems for ensuring the health,
safetyandsecurityofallstudents
accurate and realistic selfevaluation that provides a strong basis from
whichtoplanmorepreciseimprovementinitiatives.

Themainareasforimprovementare:

attainmentandprogressinArabic,mathematicsandscience
the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that all students are
sufficiently engaged, supported, challenged appropriately so that they
makegoodprogressinlessons
theeffectiveuseofinclassassessmentssothatstudentsknowwhatthey
needtodotoimprove
curriculumplanningtoensurethatstudentswithdifferinglearningneeds
areadequatelysupported
the use of rigorous lesson observations to set improvement targets for
individualteachersinordertodevelopgoodteachinginallsubjects
thequalityanduseoflearningresourcesinKG,scienceandinthelibraries.
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Introduction
Theschoolwasinspectedby6inspectors.Theyobserved126lessons,conducted
severalmeetingswithseniorstaff,headsofdepartment,teachers,supportstaff,
students and parents. They analysed test and assessment results, scrutinised
students work across the school, analysed the 2284 responses to the parents
questionnaire. They also considered many of the schools policies and other
documents.Theleadershipteamwasinvolvedthroughouttheinspectionprocess,
which included 3 joint observations of lessons, and a joint discussion about
teachingandlearningacrosstheschoolwiththeHeadofGovernors.

DescriptionoftheSchool
Sunrise English Private School, situated in Mussafah, opened in 1988 as a Villa
schoolandmovedtoitscurrentsitein2006.Theschoolsstatedaimiskeepalive
the spirit of learning, through moulding the total personality of the students in
perfectdiscipline.Thereare2,894students;52%areboys.Thereare174childrenin
the Kindergarten (KG), 1,464 students in Grades 15 796 students in Grades 69,
and460studentsinGrades1012classes.AlmostallstudentsareIndian,arounda
thirdareMuslimandnonespeakArabicasafirstlanguage.Thereareverysmall
numbers of students from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
TherearenoEmiratistudents.Theschoolhasidentified8studentswitharangeof
physicalandlearningspecialeducationalneeds(SEN).
TheschooloffersaCentralBoardofSecondary(CBSE)curriculumalongwiththe
Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum for Arabic, Islamic education and UAE
socialstudies.AdditionallanguageclassesarealsoprovidedinHindiandFrench.
Theschoolhasrecentlyintroducedlifeskillsclasses,whichincorporatearangeof
curriculumareasincludingmoralstudiesandsocialstudies.Theschoolcarriesout
regular internal assessments in all grades. There is Continuous Comprehensive
Evaluation,(CCE),inaccordancewithCBSErequirementsinGrades9and10and
moderatedtestsinGrades11and12.In2013,theschoolarrangedforallstudents
from Grade 3 to 10 to participate in Australian Council of Educational Research
(ACER) tests to gain an international attainment benchmark for English,
mathematicsandscience.
The school has 189 teachers and 59 support staff including bus drivers, security
officersandtheadministrationteam.Studentfeesareintheveryaffordableto
affordablecategoryandrangefromAED4,500AEDtoAED8,000AED,exclusive
of transport fees. It has recently been awarded the Sustainable School Award
fromADECforitslowconsumptionofenergyandwateranditsmaximumpaper
recyclingandreusestrategy.
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TheEffectivenessoftheSchool

Studentsattainment&progress
Studentsattainmentandprogressisunsatisfactoryinallcoresubjectsapartfrom
English,Islamiceducationandsocialstudieswheretheyaresatisfactory.
The work seen in lessons shows that students are working below international
standards in mathematics and science, particularly in the earlier years. The gap
begins to close as students move from grades 8 to 12. This is due to students
motivation, the opportunities they have for practical work in older classes and
better teaching in those grades. Students have insufficient opportunities to
develop 21st century skills. Their ability to think through a problem, and work
independentlyorcollaborativelytofindarangeofsolutionsislimitedasaresult
oftherestrictedopportunitiesprovidedinlessons.
CBSEdatashowsthatstudentsattainmentinEnglish,mathematicsandscienceat
Grade 10 is higher than similar schools and has been steadily rising in the past
threeyears.IntheGrade12examinations,theschoolachievesinlinewithsimilar
schoolsinmathematicsandscience,buttherehasbeenadeclineinthepastyear.
Results from ACER tests show students across the school attaining in line with
internationalstandardsinEnglish,butbelowinmathematicsandscience.
Students speaking, listening, reading and grammar skills in English are age
appropriate. Many students are able to construct extended stories and reports,
thoughtheyareseldomgiventheopportunitytodoso.Attainmentandprogress
inArabicisunsatisfactoryacrosstheschool.StudentsreadingskillsinArabicare
satisfactory. There are too few opportunities for students to communicate in
Arabic and their writing is limited to individual words and short sentences.
Attainment in Islamic education and UAE social studies is satisfactory as
confirmed by internal assessments and work seen in lessons. Students
attainmentininformationandcommunicationstechnology(ICT)variesacrossthe
school,asstudentsdonothaveregularaccesstotechnologyintheschool.
Assessment strategies are limited to end of unit tests as required by CCE and
detailed records are kept of these. There are insufficient and, sometimes,
inaccurateanalysesoftheseassessmentstomonitorstudentprogressandtoset
challenginggoalsforindividualsorgroupsofstudents.Assessmentforlearningis
notusedwellenoughinlessonstodeterminetheneedsofindividualstudentsor
tosettargetsforimprovement.

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Studentspersonaldevelopment
Students personal development is good. Their behaviour is very good; they
demonstrate positive attitudes and a strong commitment to learning and are
immensely respectful of each other and the adults around them. Students are
affordedgoodopportunitiestotakealeadershiprole.Forexample,theheadboy
ofKGconfidentlyledanassemblyabouttheimportanceofhealthyeatingforthe
KGclasses.Thepositiveandcaringethosisexemplifiedbytheschoolsheadboy
andgirl,whospeaktoeverychildbeforetheyleaveattheendofthedaytoask
howtheirdayhasbeen.Thisleadstoaharmoniouscommunityfeelingacrossthe
schoolwithalmostnoincidentsofinappropriateconduct.Studentsdemonstrate
astrongmoralcodeandsensitivitytowardsothersviewpoints.Theyareableto
compareandcontrasttheirlivesintheUAEwiththoseoftheirextendedfamilies
elsewhereintheworldandidentifytheadvantagesofboth.Theyareproudtolive
in the UAE and have a satisfactory understanding of Emirati culture and values.
Attendanceisaboveaverageat97%.
Thequalityofteachingandlearning
The quality of teaching and learning is inconsistent and is unsatisfactory overall.
Teachers have secure knowledge of their subjects. The strong relationships
between teachers and students reflect mutual trust and respect. The best
teachingisseenintheuppergradeswheresubjectspecialistsmotivatestudents
through their knowledge and a focus on the requirements of the examination
board.Evenintheselessons,teachersdonotalwaysplansufficientactivitiesthat
promote students critical thinking skills, through discussion, independent
problemsolvingorresearchtasks.
Manylearningobjectiveslackfocusandthereislittlediscussionwithstudentsas
to what the learning expectations are for the lesson. Opportunities are not
routinely used to assess the progress students have made in meeting these
objectives.Inmostlessons,teachersdonotuseeffectivequestioningtechniques
to challenge or deepen students understanding of the planned work. Teachers
plans regularly refer to a range of activities involving group discussion and
collaborativework.Theplannedactivitiesareusuallynotappropriateforthisstyle
of learning as most involve single word, factual worksheet exercises that are
oftencompletedbyonestudentineverygroupwhilsttheotherswatch.Inmost
lessons, teachers talk for far too long, which leads to too few opportunities for
studentstoaskquestionsandbeactivelyinvolvedintheirlearning.
Manyteachersarebeginningtousethenewinteractivewhiteboardstodeploya
widerrangeofresourcesforteachingandlearning.Thereisinconsistencyinthe
quality and effective use of this new technology across the school. In the KG
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classes, there remains an overemphasis on one activity to support all learners.

Teachers do not use activity corners and there are too few opportunities for
childrentodeveloptheirfinemotorskillsortoexploretheworldaroundthem.
Thereislimitedregularassessmenttodeterminestudentsindividualneeds.Inthe
significant majority of lessons the needs of different groups of students,
especially those who find learning difficult, are not provided for. Many of the
students workbooks have identical work. Written work is rarely marked
effectively; where comments are made, they are usually about the students
handwriting or neatness. Teachers do not provide students with sufficient
feedbackandguidanceabouthowtheycanimprove.
The school has invested in a great deal of external, high quality professional
developmentfortheteachers.Thehighstaffturnoverhasresultedininconsistent
applicationofthenewstrategies.
Meetingstudentsneedsthroughthecurriculum
The schools implementation of the curriculum is appropriately broad and
balanced. It includes a core curriculum, matched to CBSE requirements and is
extendedwiththeMoEcurriculumforArabicfornonnativespeakersandIslamic
education as well as music, art and physical education. Students also have the
opportunity to learn their mother tongue or a foreign language. The art
curriculum focuses on a narrow range of skills that do not allow students the
opportunitytobecreative.
The school has developed curriculum policies, schemes of work and scope and
sequence calendars for the year supported by generic lesson plans covering
specific skills to be developed across each grade. The KG curriculum has been
reframed at the start of this academic year to include themebased activities to
include sand and water play, roleplay, creative development, circle time and
construction.ThesearenotfullyembeddedinKGlessonsastheyhavenotbeen
adequately resourced. Students in grades 11 and 12 have access to a range of
subjectchoicesincludingpsychologyandadditionallanguages.
Studentsalsohaveaccesstoawiderangeofextracurricularactivities.Thereare
strong links with the Indian Embassy and students regularly perform at various
culturalevents.Thecurriculumisfurtherenhancedbytheschoolsparticipationin
healthawarenessandenvironmentalcampaigns.
Curriculum planning does not routinely identify how to cater for the specific
needsofthelessableandhigherachievingstudents.Thisleadstosomestudents

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struggling to access the content of lessons whilst others have insufficient

challenge.
Theprotection,care,guidanceandsupportofstudents
Thearrangementsforprotection,care,guidanceandsupportaresatisfactory.The
schoolprovidesaverycaring,safeandsecurelearningenvironment.Thereare2
counsellorswhoarevigilantandprovidegoodsupportandguidanceforstudents,
particularly those with emotional and social needs. There is a consistent and
effective behaviour management system, including a students discipline
committeethatmonitorsandsupportstheroutinesacrosstheschool.
There is a clear child protection policy and all staff have had training on its
implementation. Procedures for monitoring attendance are robust. The school
makes all necessary checks on staff members. The high teacher turnover rates
meanthatsomechecksarestillbeingprocessed.Staff,studentsandparentsare
aware that corporal punishment is forbidden and any such complaints are dealt
withthoroughly.
Theschoolhaseffectivefirstaidfacilitieswithtworesidentnurses,safesystems
for thestorage ofmedicines and effective record keeping systems.There is less
use of the nurses expertise in wider health awareness campaigns across the
school.TherearetwoprayerroomstocaterfortheneedsofMuslimstudentsand
staff. The school has recently appointed a special needs coordinator who is
getting to know the academic needs of students with specific learning needs.
There is insufficient monitoring and tracking of the progress made of students
withSENorthosewhoareable.
Thequalityoftheschoolsbuildingsandpremises
The schools premises are spacious with wide corridors that are light, airy and
allow easy access for the large numbers of students. Most classrooms are of
adequate size and are well lit and ventilated. There are insufficient specialist
rooms for science activities and there is limited indoor space for physical
education. There is a large covered outdoor area for physical activities and
teachers make good use of this by running multiple lessons at the same time.
There is an additional outdoor play area for the KG, which is regularly used to
developchildrensmotorskills.Theschoolslibrariesaresmallandnotorganised
wellenoughtogivestudentseasyaccesstothereadingmaterial.
Securityisahighpriorityfortheschoolandallexternalgatesarefullystaffedat
all times. There is an additional closedcircuit television (CCTV) system to ensure
nounauthorisedentrytotheschoolbuildings.Teachershaveabiometricsignin
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and exit system. The school has two dedicated health and safety officers who
ensurethatallequipmentistestedandmaintainedandtakeresponsibilityforthe
regularevacuationprocedures.Theykeepdetailedrecordsofallchecksandcarry
outregularriskassessmentsofthepremises.Thereareclearproceduresforthe
safeuseandstorageofpotentiallydangeroussubstancesandequipment,which
arecloselyadheredtobystaff.
Theschoolsresourcestosupportitsaims
The school has a full complement of qualified teachers. Many are new to the
school and have not had the required induction training. There are a number of
additionalsupportstaffbothinclassroomsandtosupportthelearningneedsof
studentswhoarealsonewandrequirefurthertraining.Sincethelastinspection
theschoolhasinvestedinalmostahundrednewinteractivewhiteboardsforthe
classrooms,aswellaslaptopsforstudentsandteachers.Someoftheseresources
arenewandhavenotbeeneffectivelydeployedacrosstheschool.
Thereareinsufficientlearningresourcesinclassroomstomeettheneedsofthe
curriculum.IntheKG,resourcesarelimitedtominimalartequipmentandafew
booksandflashcardstopromotereading.Thereareinsufficientscienceresources
to enable all students to participate in practical activities. The libraries are
inadequately resourced, having only old textbooks and unappealing reading
materialavailable.
The schools buses are well maintained, safe and equipped with a range of
cameras and medical equipment. There are supervisors on every bus and good
systemsforkeepingattendancerecordsonthebuses.
Theeffectivenessofleadershipandmanagement
Theschoolsleadershipandmanagementensurethatthedaytodayorganisation
oftheschooliseffectiveandpriorityisgiventoensuringthecare,safetyandwell
beingofallstudents.Theprincipal,whohasbeeninpostforashorttime,iswell
supported by an able senior leadership team, which has begun to robustly and
accurately evaluate the schools performance in all areas. The schools self
evaluation has involved all teachers as well as the Board of Governors. It is an
accurate reflection of the schools current state of development, including the
challengesitfacesintermsofitscorepurposeofimprovinglearningandstudent
outcomes.TheBoardofDirectorsworkscloselywiththeseniorleadershipteam
andensuresthatfinancialplanningiscloselylinkedtoimprovementplanning.
Theschooldevelopmentplanidentifiesthecorrectpriorities,particularlyinterms
of ensuring consistency in the quality of teaching and learning and improving
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student attainment across subjects. Many of the school improvement initiatives

areattheearlystagesofimplementation.Somehavebeenembeddedinlessons,
suchastheintroductionofastarteractivity,itistooearlytojudgetheirimpacton
studentlearning.
Theschoolhastakensomestepstoimproveteachingthroughextensivetraining
for all teachers. The training has not taken adequate account of teachers
individualneedsanditsimpactisnotmonitoredcloselyenough.Seniorstaffcarry
out lessons observations regularly. These are not rigorous enough and are not
usedtosetimprovementtargetsforindividualteachersinordertodevelopgood
teaching in all subjects. The experience of the large middle leadership team has
notbeenemployedwellenoughtoaffectimprovementsinteaching.Otherschool
prioritieshavenotbeenplannedpreciselyenoughorbeenmonitoredintermsof
theirimpactonimprovingstudentlearning.
Mostparentshaveapositiveviewoftheschoolandmakebestuseoftheregular
opportunities they have to meet with class teachers to discuss their childrens
attainment and progress. A minority of parents do not feel that there are
sufficientopportunitiesforconsultationsabouttheschoolspolicies,particularly
theschoolsadmissionpolicy,whichdoesnotgivepriorityplacestosiblings.

Progresssincethelastinspection
Sincethelastinspection,theschoolhasensuredthatithasaclearunderstanding
ofitsstrengthsandweaknessesbycarryingoutanaccurateselfevaluation,which
has led to clearer school improvement priorities. The school, supported by the
Board of Governors, has substantially increased its ICT resources; classroom
resourcesremainunsatisfactory.
Trainingforteachershasbeenapriorityandtheschoolhasinvestedinextensive
traininginteachingstrategies;specificallydifferentiation,classroommanagement
andearlylearningstrategies.Someofthesestrategiesarebeingimplementedin
classrooms;notsystematicallybyallstaff,particularlythosewhoarenewtothe
school.StandardsofattainmentinEnglishhaveimprovedbuttherearestillgaps
instudentsattainmentinothercoresubjects,includingArabic.Analysisofdatais
still limited and does not always lead to developments in teaching and learning.
Theschoolnowhasaclearchildprotectionpolicy,whichisrobustlyimplemented.
Theschoolsleadershipteam,supportedbyitsgoverningbody,hasdemonstrated
satisfactorycapacityforimprovement.Itwillcontinuetorequireexternalsupport
andtrainingtoensurethatthenecessaryimprovementstothequalityofteaching
andlearningareeffectivelyimplemented.

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Whattheschoolshoulddotoimprovefurther:
1. Improvetheattainmentofstudentsacrosstheschool,particularlyin
Arabic,mathematicsandsciencebyensuring:

i. thereisappropriatesupportinalllessonsforstudentswhoareless
able, and that more ablestudents are challenged to extend their
learning
ii. teachers consistently use a range of assessment strategies
including probing questions that require students to justify
responses,andassistthemtodevelopcriticalthinkingskills;
iii. teachersplanappropriatelearningactivitiesthatallowstudentsto
workbothindependentlyandcollaboratively
iv. all new teachers have access to an effective and targeted training
programme.

2. Strengthenthequalityofleadershipandmanagementthrough:

i. more rigorous analysis of students attainment and progress in all

subjectstosetprioritiesforimprovementplanning
ii. linking performance management with the lesson observation
process to set improvement targets for individual teachers and
monitorandsupportprogresstowardsthem
iii. developing the role of middle managers so their experience and
expertiseinteachingcansupportotherteachers.
3. Improvingthequalityanduseofresourcesforlearning,particularlyinKG,
science,andinthelibraries

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InspectionGrades

Inneedofsignificant
improvement

Poor

Very
unsatisfactory

Satisfactory&
Improving

Unsatisfactory

Satisfactory

Satisfactory

Highperforming

Good

BandC

VeryGood

BandB

Outstanding

Performance
Standard

BandA

Standard1:
Students
attainmentand
progress

Standard2:
Studentspersonal
development

Standard3:The
qualityofteaching
andlearning

Standard4:The
meetingof
studentsneeds
throughthe
curriculum

Standard5:The
protection,care,
guidanceand
supportofstudents

Standard6:The
qualityofthe
schoolsbuildings
andpremises

Standard7:The
schoolsresources
tosupportitsaims

Standard8:The
effectivenessof
leadershipand
management

Summary
Evaluation:The
schoolsoverall
effectiveness

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