Nominations
Winner
Raha International School
Best IB School in the UAE, 2019
Raha International is this year’s IB School of the Year. It is the only K12 all-through school in Abu Dhabi to have been rated Outstanding twice consecutively and, whilst ADEK reports are not the last word on what makes for a fabulous school, in practice, it’s a pretty strong marker.
It is also worth noting that, historically, ADEK has been tougher on schools than its KHDA counterpart in Dubai.
Raha International School exceeds our benchmarks for both SEND and Emirati intake. Schools will argue how important these are – but, bluntly, in our view, both should be considered by schools. Only by doing this can we begin to steer the discourse away from the pure focus on examination results. Raha International School is forthright in pioneering the values of academic, cultural and SEND inclusion and this deserves recognition.
Raha impresses with the quality of its extra-academic and child attainment. Arts productions sparkle and the school plays a genuine, serious and successful part in the Sports leagues (with not a few wins to its name) – as well as internally with Taaleem’s own leagues.
Raha is a Taaleem school, a group where any profit is re-invested within its schools.
“To be recognised for the fact that we always go above and beyond is just really important to us...” Iain College, Executive Principal, Raha International
Winning this Award, and the recognition that comes with it, in its own way, should contributes to recognise home grown, world class, outstanding schooling. No bad thing.
Iaian College is another of Dubai’s leading Principals – decent, inspired, caring, driven – and at Raha for exactly the right reasons.
Raha was a unanimous decision by our journalists, although there was discussion around the issue of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme which is not currently provided by the school. Should we be recognising a school that arguably has a piece missing from its otherwise outstanding picture of provision and attainment? I think, arguably, it’s the fact we feel so supportive of all that Raha has and does achieve for its children that this has trumped our advocacy of technical stream education.
Backstage Interview
Facts
ADEK Rating: Outstanding
KHDA weakness: Arabic subjects
Subject breadth/meeting the needs of children: Outstanding
Fees: AED 36K – 57K (Note: Abu Dhabi fees are 20% lower than equivalent Dubai fees)
Number of students: 2035
Age of role: 3 years – 18 years
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate
School type: Private, for-profit
Number of students with SEND: 10%) (Above 5% in an international school we rate as outstandingly inclusive for SEND)
Number of Emirati children: 15% (Above 10% in an international school we rate as outstandingly inclusive to the local population)
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