International Indian School Abu Dhabi

• IIS location
• Years offered
• IIS curriculum
• ADEK rating
• How to apply?
• Fee structure
• IIS scholarships
• IIS transportation
• PTA and contact information

International Indian School Abu Dhabi is a private co-educational school managed by Global Education Solutions. Not to be confused with the Global Indian International School, the International Indian School educates children from Kindergarten to Grade 10. The school opened its doors for students in May 2016 and since then has made considerable efforts to ensure quality education.

As the name suggests, the school follows the Indian curriculum, i.e. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In the kindergarten stage, the school adopts the Early Year Foundation Framework (EYFS) with the Montessori Approach. The holistic education programme allows the school to foster internationally minded students with a great understanding of local and international cultures. Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) rated the school performance as good.

International Indian School has a considerable range of facilities for academic and non-academic activities. Currently, the school has over 600 students from different parts of the world. Most students at this school are Indians, followed by Pakistanis and Egyptians. The school also has about 3% of students requiring special educational needs. As a newly established school, most students are in the kindergarten stage whereas only 2% of the current student force is in middle school. The teaching staff at International Indian School, Abu Dhabi, has 42 teachers and 17 teaching assistants. This makes the teacher to student ratio of 1:15, ensuring individual attention and care.

Read this guide by Bayut to learn more about the International Indian School.

The school is situated on the western side of Baniyas, a mixed-use gated community for luxurious living. The area is surrounded by several mid–rise to high-rise residential buildings with luxurious and spacious apartments. However, Baniyas also has many 3-bed to 6-bed independent villas. Those living far from the school will find this place ideal to live as this spot has access to several facilities, such as restaurants, shopping malls, schools and tourists spots. The residential communities located near the school are:

• Bawabat Al Sharq 
• Zone 20 of Mohammed Bin Zayed City
• Zone 14 of Mohammed Bin Zayed City

Bawabat Al Sharq is the nearest residential community to the International Indian School. It is a sub-community of Baniyas district, with residential apartments and villas. It is a family-friendly community that is located at a drive of 10.7 km. Residents have access to a plethora of amenities, including schools and nurseries, shopping malls, medical centres, mosques and supermarkets. Those looking for other options can opt for different zones of Mohammed Bin Zayed City, including Zone 20 and Zone 14.

• Apartments for rent near International Indian School Abu Dhabi
• Apartments for sale near International Indian School Abu Dhabi
• Villas for rent near International Indian School Abu Dhabi
• Villas for sale near International Indian School Abu Dhabi

International Indian School Abu Dhabi has a wide range of standard facilities supporting the academic and non-academic needs of students.

Classrooms are airy, bright and spacious with comfortable furniture. To support the science-based subjects, the school has fully equipped science labs. The faculty ensures excellent handling of scientific apparatus for their safety. Moreover, the campus has high-tech gadgets, such as VR headsets, to assist students.

The campus also has a library, called the Learning Resource Centre, where students spend their time learning and reading. It is equipped with an abundance of resources, including academic and non-academic books, journals, periodicals and newspapers.

Art is an essential component of the educational programme at the International Indian School. There is an art room, music room, drama room and talent room. There also exists a multi-purpose auditorium that acts as a centre for various extra-curricular activities. These rooms are equipped with adequate resources to keep students busy. The auditorium is fully air-conditioned and is used by students to exhibit their artistic, creative and sports-related skills.

The campus has a fully functional canteen with proper seating arrangements. This area serves as a hub for social gatherings and friendships. Students can buy healthy and nutritious food items from the canteen or enjoy homemade meals with peers.  To encourage physical activities, especially among kindergarten and primary students, International Indian School has covered playground facilities. There is a dedicated Astroturf based football field, basketball field, shaded playground and green areas. Other facilities at the campus include a prayer room, school clinic and special education room for students of determination.

International Indian School Abu Dhabi is located on 42nd Street in Baniyas West. The school is in proximity to the Green Apple Supermarket and Police Impound in Baniyas West. Those looking to visit the school can access it via the Abu Dhabi – Al Ain Road. This road connects the school with the rest of Abu Dhabi.

The school is a part of the Global Education Solution (GEC) – a reputable education provider around the world. GEC aims to offer technology, process and knowledge to offer inclusive human development. To achieve its ambitions, GEC manages several schools in Abu Dhabi, including the International Indian School. It ensures that all of its schools have the resources to attain academic excellence.

The school has a broad-ranged curriculum based on best international teaching practices. It has designed the curriculum in such a way to balance the academic and non-academic disciplines in the life of a student. The curriculum is based on the internationally recognised Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). It is an Indian curriculum practised in over 24 countries. Students completing their education studying the CBSE curriculum are accepted in top educational institutes around the world.

An alluring feature of this school is its affordable fee structure. International Indian School offers standard quality education with standard facilities at a nominal tuition fee. The value-based fee structure of this school ensures that children from low to middle-class families have access to quality education.

International Indian School Abu Dhabi offers a supportive learning environment where children thrive and prosper. The school understands that each student is unique and should be dealt with differently. It elevates the school experience for students by offering support in self-directed learning. The teaching and learning at school are interdisciplinary and handled expertly by the professional teaching fraternity. Furthermore, the school offers extra support and care to students of determination. The campus has separate support learning rooms with facilities to aid in their learning process.

All these aspects have made International Indian School a viable option for parents. ADEK has also appreciated the strengths of this school and rated it as a good school.

ADEK has issued a revised set of guidelines and protocols for the safe reopening of schools for the academic year 2021-2022. Most COVID-19 protocols remain the same; however, some changes are made to facilitate the learning process. The revised protocols are as follows:

•  At the start of the academic year, ADEK offered flexible learning modes to students. However, from January 2022, all schools in the UAE are discontinuing distance learning.
• All students, faculty members and administrative staff, irrespective of their age or vaccination status, have to produce a negative nasal PCR or Saliva test 14 days before returning to school. The same applies to third-party contractors.
• ADEK has issued new vaccination guidelines for the academic year 2021-2022. Students aged 3 to 15 do not need to get vaccinated to return to their schools physically. However, students above 16 years of age need to get two vaccine doses and must complete 28 days of the second dose before returning to schools. Vaccination certificates must be verified on the Al Hosn App.
• Parents can now pick up and drop off their children from the classroom if the school allows. However, schools should ensure that parents do not have access to other facilities on campus.
• Moreover, ADEK has reduced the minimum physical distance to 1 metre. However, schools should continue to take precautions by maintaining a safe distance. Staff members and students above six years old should wear a mask at all times.
• Schools are now allowed to conduct swimming and sports lessons, holiday camps, extracurricular activities, after-school clubs and catering services under strict health and safety measures. Schools must clean and sanitise the changing and sports areas after each group of children.
• Students are asked to enter the specific gates wearing facemasks. The school has to check their temperatures at the entry points. Students with body temperatures over 37.5-degree centigrade are not allowed to enter. They will be sent home with their parents.

International Indian School Abu Dhabi educates students aged 4 to 14 years old. The school offers the following phase of education:

In the kindergarten stage, the International Indian School Abu Dhabi follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. It is a popular kindergarten education framework practised in many schools throughout the world. The curriculum allows the school to incorporate the best teaching methodologies in early years’ education and provide a multicultural environment. The teaching methods are based on experience to help students develop intellectual and life learning skills.

Indian International School also uses the Montessori Method that results in the development of confident, capable, resilient and self-assured students. The core areas in the kindergarten stage education are:

• Sensorial
• Language
• Cultural
• Practical life experience
• Mathematics
• Outdoor play activities
• Music and movement
• Physical education
• Free zone activities
• Art and craft

From Grade 1 and above, the school follows the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. The globally recognised Indian curriculum is a skill and enquiry based educational programme. The school tailored the curriculum to meet the needs of each individual through pedagogy and assessment. CBSE curriculum allows the International Indian School to promote creative and critical thinking skills along with strong collaborative, communication, media and interpersonal skills.

The key features of the International Indian School educational programme are:

• Learner centric
• Skill and enquiry based
• Experiential learning
• Meets individual learning styles
• Delivers real word experiences
• Uses analysis and discovery approach

Furthermore, it targets the five main areas of learning through work and action. These areas are:

• Critical thinking
• Perspectives
• Research project
• Social empowerment
• Life skills

Students are assessed through a specifically designed scale. The scale is based on a nine-point scale for scholastic and a five-point scale for co-scholastic areas. The school focuses on:

• Transitioning from summative to a range of assessment tools
• A continuous and comprehensive evaluation
• Research projects
• Combination of formative and summative assessments
• Co-scholastic assessments (literacy skills, life skills, performing arts, attitude and value system, scientific skill, health and physical development, virtual arts)

Despite being a curriculum for internationally minded students, the curriculum incorporates knowledge of Arabic, Islamic studies and UAE culture. Hence, the students studying at this school have a high sense of national identity.

Distance Learning

As per the instructions of The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), all schools across the UAE will discontinue distance learning from January 2022.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education (ADEK) is a governmental education body developed in 2006. ADEK aims to improve the quality of education offered by private institutes in the Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dharfa regions. Through the Irtiqaa programme, it inspects the performance of educational institutes every 18 to 24 months. It issues a report that provides a detailed overview of the following six performance standards:

• Students’ achievement
• Students’ social and personal development and innovation skills
• Assessment and teaching
• Curriculum
• Leadership and management
• Care, protection, support and guidance offered to students

The performance is rated based on a six-point rating scale. The rating scale varies from outstanding to very weak. A brief explanation of the ADEK rating is as follows:

ADEK last inspected the performance of International Indian School for the academic year 2018-2019. The overall effectiveness of IIS Abu Dhabi was good, with no change in any of the six performance standards. The protection, guidance, care and support offered to students is very good, while the rest of the performance standards were found to be good.

Some positives of the International Indian School highlighted by ADEK in its latest report are:

• Achievements of students in most subjects offered at this school
• Students’ understanding of UAE heritage and culture, and their behaviour and attitude towards peers and studies
• The support offered to students, especially students requiring Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• The learning resources, school building and facilities and school environment

However, ADEK identified room for improvement. To assist the school, it offered the following recommendations to International Indian School Abu Dhabi:

International Indian School needs to work on the students’ achievement in Islamic Education and Arabic. For this purpose, the school needs to pay attention to the Quran recitation skills of students. The school can also allow for team-based or collaborative opportunities where students can discuss and have more reading and writing opportunities. Teachers also need to effectively use the assessment data for better teaching and planning. This will cause timely and helpful feedback to students. Other ways for improvements include providing full curriculum entitlement to primary and middle stage students.

Another area where the school can improve is the students’ innovative skills and use of ICT. Students should be given adequate independent learning opportunities to use ICT devices and develop critical thinking skills. Other ways to work on ICT skills include providing access to ICT labs for projects and incorporate computers in classrooms for students’ use.

The school should also focus on the development of middle leadership with clear responsibilities. For this purpose, subject coordinators must have clear job descriptions and provide appropriate training to them. They should also use the assessment data to assist students’ development.

The academic year of International Indian School Abu Dhabi starts in April and ends in March, like most Indian schools in the UAE. The school divides the academic and non-academic activities into three terms:

• The first term marks the start of the academic year in the first week of April and ends in the last week of June. After the first term, students go on a two-month summer holiday that ends in the last week of August.
• The second term starts right after the summer break in the first week of September. It concludes in the second week of December. Students go on a three-week spring break till the first week of January.
• The last term commences in the second week of January and ends with the final examinations at the end of March.

International Indian School Abu Dhabi is a highly inclusive school that accepts admission requests from all. Before applying, the school encourages parents to visit the school to see the facilities and the environment by themselves. The school offers a virtual school tour on its official website. You can contact the school administration to learn more about the status of face-to-face school tours.

To apply, fill the expression of interest form available on the school’s website. Here, parents are requested to provide the required information. The school strictly follows the age-grade guidelines to enrol your child in the best grade. The age-grade guidelines are given below:

This is based on the age of the students on 31st March (for schools beginning in April) Source: International Indian School

* This is to cater to students transferring from systems that admit students of a younger age)

Parents need to provide the following documents to proceed with the admission process:

• Two copies of the candidate’s passport with UAE residence visa
• Two copies of the parents’ (father’s and mother’s) passport with UAE residence visa
• A copy of the valid Emirates ID card of the candidate and parents
• Two copies of the candidate’s birth certificate (attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UAE Embassy)
• Two copies of attested school reports
• Attested original transfer certificate (for admission in Grade 1 and above)
• Two copies of the vaccination record
• Candidate’s medical insurance card
• The medical record from the previous school (if the candidate previously studied in Abu Dhabi)
• Six passport size photographs of the candidate
• Two passport size photographs of mother and father

The school contacts the parents of the successful candidate with the offer letter. Parents are required to pay the deposit within the time mentioned in the email. Failure to do so would result in the cancellation of admission. Please note that International Indian School Abu Dhabi only offers admission if a seat is available. Parents may also need to provide an original Emirates ID for registering their child in the E-Sis system.

For more information, read the admission process at International Indian School, Abu Dhabi.

The International Indian School Abu Dhabi fee is as follows:

Please note that the tuition fee is payable in four easy instalments. For more information, view the fee structure of International Indian School Abu Dhabi.

The school does not offer any scholarship programme to its students. International Indian School Abu Dhabi is a value-based school that offers quality education to students at an affordable price. The average tuition fee ranges from AED 10,500 to AED 12,000, which is lower than many schools in Abu Dhabi. The nominal tuition fee makes up for the lack of scholarship programmes at this school.

There is a school canteen where students can buy hot and cold lunch and snack items. All these items are scrumptiously delicious and nutritious, considering the needs of growing students.

Students can also bring home-packed lunch boxes filled with nutritious items. Food items containing nuts and other allergic substances are prohibited at International Indian School.

International Indian School understands that students come to school from different parts of Abu Dhabi. To he students and their parents, it offers a reliable transport facility to students at affordable rates. Currently, it charges AED 450 per month for transport facility. For more information, contact the school’s administration.

International Indian School is a day-only school that opens for students at 8 am and closes at 2:10 pm. The school offers no boarding or hostel-related facilities to students. Families of International Indian School living far from the school can benefit from school transport service. Also, parents can move to nearby communities mentioned in residential communities near the International Indian School Abu Dhabi section.

The school does not offer holiday camps to its students. Parents can opt for external holiday camp providers to keep their kids busy during long winter and summer breaks.

Sport is an essential part of the extra-curricular programme at International Indian School Abu Dhabi. Sport allows students to remain fit and physically active. Most students at this school are fond of sports and the school has ample facilities to keep them engaged. For kindergarten students, the school has a covered play area. The play area is equipped with swings and other recreational equipment. For older students, there is a basketball field and an Astroturf soccer pitch.

International Indian School Baniyas West arranged an event where experts taught karate to students. Students under their supervision are trained for the yellow belt. The school also arranged an award ceremony to recognise and celebrate the achievements of talented students.

International Indian School offers a comprehensive extra-curricular programme that focuses on the all-round development of students. The programme is carefully crafted to include a wide range of activities that attract students with different interests. The school pays special attention to raising students’ awareness of important matters. Awareness programmes on Mental Health and Anti-bullying are some popular awareness campaigns arranged by IIS Abu Dhabi.

Other noteworthy extra-curricular activities at this school are:

Here are glimpses of some extracurricular activities at this school:

Field trip serves as an opportunity for students to learn beyond the walls of classrooms. Students explore and interact with their physical environment to learn new things. They also correlate the lessons taught in classrooms with what they observe in the real-world environment. International Indian School arranges age-appropriate field trips for its students.

One noteworthy field trip was a trip to Warner Bros World in Abu Dhabi. It is a theme park where children can meet the mascots of their favourite cartoon characters. This trip was for students in Grade 2 to Grade 7. Primary students were also taken on a trip to KidZania in Abu Dhabi.

Currently, the only after-school care programme available at International Indian School Abu Dhabi is in the form of extra-curricular activities.

There is a school clinic equipped with medical equipment and other facilities to treat students and staff with mild to moderate sickness and injuries.

Communication between parents and teachers is imperative for the success of the school. It also results in the academic success of students, as teachers and parents can communicate within time. One important mode of communication at International Indian School, Abu Dhabi, is the parent portal. The parent portal allows parents easy access to key information, such as academic record, upcoming events and their notifications, teachers’ feedback and much more.

Other modes of communication at the school include parent-teacher conferences, the official website, social media platforms and WhatsApp groups.

The school designated WhatsApp groups are an easy way for parents to urgently communicate with parents. These groups contain parents of the students studying in the same class and teachers. These groups are also used to notify parents about examination schedules, holidays update and other information.

• International Indian School Address: 42nd Street near Police Impound, Baniyas West, Baniyas, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• Telephone Number: +971 2 5854499
• Email Address: contact@iischoolabudhabi.com
• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Note that the cover image belongs to International Indian School