Fujairah Private Academy, Fujairah

Mooted to be one of, if not the best school in Fujairah, the Fujairah Private Academy (FPA) is certainly its most prestigious. The school is owned by the government of Fujairah, and the rulers of the Emirate play a significant role in school governance. The school’s honorary patron is His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah who founded the school in 1982.

The school itself occupies beautifully designed Arabic buildings, their stone facades carefully designed to blend with the extraordinarily beautiful Hajar mountains that provide their backdrop.

FPA provides an English National Curriculum all-through education to students between FS and Year 13, is fully inclusive, and resolutely not-for-profit. The school currently serves 750 children, 85% of which are Emirati, between the ages of 4 and 18 years. The school is an accredited member of the British Schools in the Middle East Association and has also been awarded British Schools Overseas status by the Department of Education in England. The last BSO Report for the school can be found here.

One defining feature of the school is its long-standing Principal, Ms Jan Brettingham. In post since 2000, Ms Brettingham is described as being robust in her approach to education and highly motivated. She is reported to be highly respected by both staff and students. Tellingly, one former student, who graduated to study at the University of Oklahoma, describes her in glowing terms as “the Principal that built my future.”

The school structures its curriculum around learning Early Years (KG1 & Reception), Primary (Years 1-6), Middle School and Senior School (Years 7 – 18). Rarely, for a predominantly Emirati school, all phases of education are co-educational.

The curriculum at all phases is constricted in subject breadth, this exacerbated by students having to opt for subjects grouped in pairs. Whilst this is designed to focus attention on core subjects and limit class sizes, its impact is to compromise the ability of the school to respond to the needs and talents of individual pupils. Certainly many students will have to forego study in some subjects that ideally they would have liked to pursue. Post 16 A Level study targets the sciences, this reflecting the greater complexity faced by students for whom English is an Additional Language.

School transparency is limited, with significant public information not updated since the time of its BSO Inspection in 2013. This perhaps comes with the territory for a school that is so heavily oversubscribed, prestigious – and well known within Fujairah, that its public profile further afield is not prioritised. Our view, notwithstanding its reputation, is that all schools should provide a basic minimum level of information for prospective parents, this in no small amount to recognise each parent’s role within school life and the importance of a school being accountable and setting clear benchmarks for its provision. The school does not publish examinations data for its students at any phase.

Feedback from all stakeholders, parents, teachers and students is uniformly positive.

The school is steadfast in recruiting from the UK, and insists that all teachers have a B.Ed  or first degree followed by a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), together with (recent) significant experience in teaching. It insists that all teachers are flexible, energetic, tolerant and prepared to work beyond the school day in contributing both to the school’s ECA provision and broader school life.

We particularly like the English public school inspired House system which operates throughout the school – and the school’s ongoing investment in building its alumni, something far too few school in the Emirate’s pay attention to, but which can be hugely rewarding for graduates leaving the school in building their careers and networks.

BSO praise, whilst now outdated, recognises:

• The outstanding quality of learning environments
• Exemplary student relationships and behaviour
• Innovative strengths in English as an Additional language provision
• Nurturing, family atmosphere
• Outstanding quality of child welfare, health and safety

The school is rated by the BSO a “Good” school with some “Outstanding” and “Innovative” features.

We have written to the school for further information and clarification on whether there is a future BSO report planned for the school. Given that the Fujairah government has no equivalent to the outstanding public school inspection reporting conducted in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, we feel that investment in independent school inspections in Fujairah is important.

Our bottom line is that the Fujairah Private Academy is a school that balances tremendous strengths, and weaknesses, in equal measure. In its prestige, calibre of teaching staff, class sizes, care for children and governance it competes with Tier 1 schools. However, in its constricted syllabus, it fairs less well, notwithstanding that the rationale is cogent if the school is not going to double its faculty and maintain fees within the current mid tier banding. On this note, the school is transparent in recognising that many students are focused on post-graduate study in the US, for which AS level study to Year 12 in core subjects will, for most universities, be sufficient.

Given, however, the over subscription of the school, and its bursting waiting lists, it may well be too that the decision by prospective parents to shortlist the school for the education of their child(ren), will be a decision leaving both parents and students wide open to disappointment.