Dubai, August 26, 2012 – The Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) has released the fifth annual inspections handbook to help schools prepare for inspections.  Compiled in consultation with principals, teachers and parents in Dubai, the handbook will give clear information about how inspections are conducted and set out the criteria schools will use when evaluating their own work.

In line with the UAE 2021 Vision, the handbook spells out additional areas of focus for inspectors in the upcoming inspections cycle. Stronger emphasis will be placed on the quality of support schools provide for their special education needs students, as well as on the progress these students make across all subjects.

Schools will have to provide more comprehensive data about all groups of students, concentrating on the academic progress and achievements of Emirati students. Inspectors will closely examine the performance of Emiratis as compared with their classmates.  

Jameela Al Muhairi, Chief of DSIB, said: “This handbook is essential in guiding schools’ self-evaluations and making sure they are focused on the quality of provision they provide.  Our pursuit of high quality education for all children in Dubai will continue and we will spare no effort in raising schools’ awareness of how this goal can be achieved.”

Accompanying the handbook is the 2012/13 self-evaluation resource for schools, designed to help schools complete the self-evaluation form they must submit prior to their inspection visit.  Together with each school’s previous inspections report, inspectors will use this self-evaluation form as the starting point for conducting inspections.

DSIB inspected 138 private schools in the 2011/12 academic year, visiting 13,789 classes and speaking to around 1850 students and school staff.  More than 50,000 parents, teachers and students completed the DSIB questionnaires, which inspectors used to guide their judgement in specific aspects of school quality.