Safa Community School awarded KHDA Outstanding rating for the first time

Safa Community School is celebrating having been awarded the highest possible KHDA rating of Outstanding for the first time, following its inspection in term one of the 2023/2024 academic year.

Safa Community School

Opened in 2014, Safa Community School is an all-through, British, English Curriculum School led by Principal Leanne Fridd, offering provision to just under 2,500 students between FS1 and Year 13. In its previous three inspection rounds by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the school received the second-highest rating of Very Good. This is the first year that Safa Community School has been rated the top category of Outstanding, solidifying its place among the ranks of the UAE’s very best schools.

Leanne Fridd, Principal of Safa Community School Dubai

Further adding to its recent accolades, Safa Community School was also the winner of the prestigious Happiest School in the UAE award in the 2023-2024 edition of the Top Schools Awards in November 2023. See why Safa Community School won the Happiest School in the UAE award here.

Safa Community School at The Top Schools Awards recognised as the UAE’s Happiest School

Safa Community School staff and students have been thrilled by the result, and the school published the following message on its social media on 4th January 2023:

“This achievement is one of our proudest moments. It is a reflection of all the hard work that is put in day in and day out by every single member of the Safa team. As a school that is continuously growing, we are only getting better and better as the years go by. Thank you to our parent community for all the support shown over the years.”

 

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What do KHDA inspection ratings mean?

The KHDA regulates private schools in Dubai and every year inspects Dubai schools in partnership with the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB). The aim of the inspections is to raise the standard of education within the emirate’s schools using a common framework across all schools and curricula. Schools are rated on a scale of 6 results from Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak to Very Weak. These are based on a number of factors, including academic attainment, school leadership and communication, facilities and curriculum delivery, and student happiness.

Only 20 out of a total of 220 Dubai private schools received the top accolade of Outstanding in the last inspection round 2022-2023. Safa Community School will now join that elite number in the 2023-2024 round of inspections, which is ongoing. Schools may either move up or down in their rating each year, based on that year’s inspection. Read all the latest KHDA inspection ratings for schools in Dubai here.

Safa Community School’s full inspection report has not yet been released, but the KHDA announced the result, along with photos from a recent congratulatory KHDA visit and an overview of the school’s achievements, on its social media on 4 January 2023, with the following caption:

“This academic year, Safa Community School achieved an Oustanding quality rating, the highest accolade for a school – enriching students’ personal and academic development and adding to world-class education in Dubai. Our DG Dr Abdulla Al Karam visited to congratulate the team.”

The KHDA then went on the share some details about why the school was awarded Outstanding this year:

“Safa Community School is now rated Outstanding, taking its place among the best schools in Dubai. How is the school getting #BetterAndBetter?:

1. Student Outcomes: Robust assessment systems provide clear identification and monitoring of student outcomes, even after students have graduated.

2. Staff and Student Retention: In it’s 10th year of operation, the school’s average retention rate is 96 per cent.

3. Curriculum: Broad curriculum and extra curricular design provides opportunities for all students to excel and find their own future pathways.

4. Governance and Leadership: A committed and supportive governing board holds school leaders to account, ensuring they provide a personalised approach to education.

5. Inclusion: An inclusive environment, with a focus on student and staff wellbeing, ensures that everyone is cared for.”

 

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Having opened as a Primary school in 2014, Safa Community School’s Secondary opened in 2017. The school’s new dedicated Sixth Form Centre, which opened in 2022, is a tour de force, matching significant investment in high technology infrastructure and specialist teaching faculty with breadth of subject and qualification pathways. Read more about Safa Community School in our review here.