How to Read a KHDA Inspection Report in 15 Minutes (A Parent's Checklist)

You have found a Dubai school you like and its rating says Good. Before you pay a deposit, you want to know what that means for your child. The inspection report is where the answer is, but it is long. This is how to read it fast.

Where to find it

KHDA publishes inspection results through its education directory, under each school's listing. KHDA says full inspection reports are published for every private school in Dubai that has completed its second year of operation, and that parents also get a customised parent summary report outlining the key findings (KHDA, Inspection Key Findings 2023-24; Parent summary and wellbeing reports). Start with the parent summary: it is the short version.

Read in this order

1. 1The overall judgement and the inspection date. Is it recent? If the report is a few years old, ask the school what has changed.
2. 2The key strengths and the areas for improvement. Reports state these in plain terms. The improvement list tells you where the school is weakest right now.
3. 3The phase that matches your child. A school can be stronger in primary than in secondary, or the reverse. Read the section for your child's age.
4. 4Wellbeing and inclusion. KHDA rates both separately from the overall rating. See whether the school's wellbeing and inclusion judgements match its overall one.
5. 5Leadership and improvement. Look for whether leaders know the school's weak points and have a plan for them.

How inspectors reach their view

KHDA describes the method: inspectors observe a sample of lessons, analyse data, scrutinise students' work, run learning walks, and interview leaders, teachers, governors, parents and students (KHDA, Inspection Key Findings 2023-24). A report is therefore evidence from one visit, not a continuous measure. It is still the only independent, like-for-like view of every school, and it is the regulator's own.

Questions to take to the school

• What changed since the last inspection, and what is the plan for the areas the report names?
• How is my child's year group doing compared with the school overall?
• What support exists for children who need extra help, or who are ahead?
• How do you measure and report progress to parents each term?

Red flags to check

• A school that cannot say when it was last inspected or shows you a rating without a year.
• No published report for a school that has been open more than two years. Ask why.
• A school that explains away its improvement areas instead of describing a plan.