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UAE’s Best Schools announced. Top Schools Awards 2023 Finalists Revealed. Sport, Music, Academics, STEAM, Innovation, Happiness and much more.
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A Very verbose FAQ. How we have made our decisions and how to read our recommendations.

Top Schools Awards Jet Pack and Rocket Boy 2023 2024 - the icons of our Award for STEAM in schools

1. A note to schools

One final note, aimed particularly to schools who are frustrated, even upset, at not receiving a Top Schools commendation. Please do not be. The following should be borne in mind. Where a school does not appear in our list of Top Schools it does not intrinsically mean that the school is a poor one or equally, not an outstanding one. This list has been drawn up using a balance of fixed criteria drawn from multiple independent sources, including visitors to our sites and the feedback we have received from individual school teachers, parents and students. In some cases, schools may well not appear because of a multitude of factors that mean they simply do not meet our strict criteria. For example, a school may have very high teacher turnover which is reflected in poor feedback for 2022 despite this being resolved moving into 2023.

Equally, in many categories, our published criteria weights inclusion, happiness, child progress, compassion for children and “giving back” very highly. This is a subjective decision and we take ownership of it. We believe each matters so much.  This is our editorial mission that drives our passions as educationalists. You may think these are trivial. The following paragraph probably best understands our subjective beliefs.

Increasingly the KHDA and ADEK are, very creditably in our view, rating schools more highly that can measure the genuine progress (added value) schools achieve for children above expectation. The same holds true of well being, although we go a stage further in seeking out our happiest schools – or at the least those that recognise the importance of this to the nth. In a cost-of-living crisis, and following the trauma of the Covid years, we also believe passionately that schools should at least have funds to support families through financial crisis – and ideally be fully and transparently publishing details of bursary provision. Finally, we are concerned that inclusion, in too many schools, carries such a high price tag in required extra support that it effectively refuses entry to families or is used as a tool to exclude them. Having spoken with parents at their wits end to find a place for their determined child and facing closed doors wherever they turn we cannot but be moved, and to see this as a harm to children.

It does not follow that because a school does not feature in our Best Schools in the UAE for 2023-2024, it means necessarily that it will not feature in next year’s top schools – or indeed that it is not a good or outstanding school in its own right.

Finally, we, with very few exceptions, had to be extremely disciplined 

It does, however, follow, in our view, that all the schools shortlisted this year deserve very considerable praise and recognition for their absolutely outstanding and extraordinary achievements for children. Schools, parents, teachers, leadership – and students, deserve to feel extremely proud of all that they have achieved for their schools, and in turn for education in the UAE, and we wish them every success when we announce our final winners in September and October 2023. Watch this space.

GEMS_INARTICLE  

Finally, a genuine and humble thank you to every single school and educator in the UAE. Everyone of you changes our world for the better every day in ways that most of us never get a chance to, and never will.

You are the Catchers in Catcher in the Rye.

You, very bluntly, are our heroes. 

 

2.. Our methodology and how we have made our decisions

To rate schools we have the used the following formula:

  • First, there is an element of a popular vote with this award. We have shortlisted the most visited schools on our site. This means to be on this list, it has to be in the top 25% of schools, relative to their location, most visited on SchoolCompared.com. This tends to be tied to school innovation and performance. If a school is doing well and innovating, people will talk about it, and want to find out more.

 

  • Second, we have weighted heavily the independent feedback we receive from parents, teachers and students. This requirement has not been included for all new schools and we have weighted the feedback from our own visits to schools in pre-launch or early opening phase. Our questions: What are these new schools bringing that will be different, how ready are they, and how impressed are we by the community and culture we see being created before our eyes.

 

  • Third, we have fine-tuned our list to include commendations based on the reviews, visits and independent intelligence gathering of our editors and journalists at SchoolsCompared.com and WhichSchoolAdvisor.com. The SchoolsCompared.com team has then prioritised our view of schools in ten areas: facilities, the care of children, the calibre and strategic vision of leadership, engagement with parents, whole and individual child investment (including the breadth of subject provision and ECA provision), the happiness we have found when we have visited schools and their academic, genuine inclusion, progress and added value, bursary provision and planning – and whole child -performance and attainment. Prospective parents should note that we have adjusted our scoring to reflect fee levels so that we expect more from higher fees schools when it comes to, for example, facilities.

 

  • Fourth, we have opened our awards to schools themselves to identify where they believe they are contributing, above and beyond, to education in the UAE – and most importantly the children and families under their care. Where schools have submitted applications for consideration, we have weighted those that are evidence based, with data, and compelling reasoning. We have also received independent applications from other interested partners including parents, consultants and students themselves. An application from a school does not ensure its shortlisting (and we are apologetic to those who are not included because we know you pour your hearts into applications). Many schools we have shortlisted chose not to submit evidence. However, we do weight those schools who show sufficient passion, belief, courage and conviction in their achievements, and who have invested the significant time required, to have “put pen to paper.”  All schools, in our view, should be celebrating their children, and be showing that they have the courage of their convictions, in whatever way they can. It takes time, care, trust and a drive to want to celebrate your teachers, school and children to provide us with the depth of information we ask for. 

 

  • Fifth we have used the most extraordinary Education Intelligence tool ever created in the UAE in the shape of EDSTATICATM
    You can learn more about EDSTATICATM here. In simple terms this provides unique independent comparative intelligence about schools across the UAE across almost every aspect that matters. It is based on pure data, without hyperbole or interpretation, and is used by schools, educationalists, consultants and investors to understand the A to Z of our schools and the education sector as a whole. For those schools and educationalists who have not experienced it, you are really missing out on something that is so helpful and enlightening. 

 

  • Finally, we have included only those schools which have secured a Good school or above rating from ADEK or KHDA Inspectors where this is applicable. In Sharjah, although not made formally public, we have used equivalent inspections where we have been able to secure them. Again, this requirement has not been included for new schools where we have alternatively weighted the views of our own visiting teams.

Parents and schools should note that we have weighted all schools by the length of time they have appeared on our site to ensure that, in particular, new schools are not unfairly excluded. Schools and school groups should also note we can only work with the information we have. Some schools and school groups are far more transparent than others. We cannot reward success or innovation if we are not told about it.

As a final note while we have tried to be fair and balanced and to base our decisions on the criteria above, this is ultimately our shortlist, and as such based on our judgments, albeit ones that we believe should carry significant weight for parents shortlisting schools for their children. What we will not say is that all these schools will offer the perfect education for every individual child. Every school has its own very individual strengths and weaknesses – and, as a result, will fit the needs, potential and ability of different children to a greater or lesser extent. There is, as always, no short cut, after shortlisting, to visiting schools to understand the fit for your individual child(ren).  

3. A note for Parents. How to read our recommendations to shortlist your perfect schools

In the following, parents should note that:

  • All of our recommended school reviews can be translated into multiple languages – please see the flag symbol at the top of the page to read the SchoolsCompared.com site in your chosen language. We have also provided links to our sister site, WhichSchoolAdvisor.com – we do not always agree on things, but they exist to help you as much as we do and their knowledge is powerful, independent and compelling. 
  • All of the schools on SchoolsCompared can be compared across multiple categories to create a manageable short list. This includes the ability to compare schools on the basis of fees, and scoring across provision at different school phases.
  • More detailed information can be found within our individual reviews of each school, but also in our many news story and Guides. 

Return to contents page: click here.

Next: The Judges

About The Author
Jon Westley
Jon Westley is the Editor of SchoolsCompared.com and WhichSchoolAdvisor.com UK. You can email him at jonathanwestley [at] schoolscompared.com
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