Dubai school heads prepare for KHDA inspections at 24 hours' notice

Dubai's private schools are preparing for the return of inspections this term, with principals told that inspectors can arrive on as little as 24 hours' notice, Gulf News reported on 14 October 2026.

Schools previously had about a week's warning. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which regulates private schools in the emirate, has not given a start date. It is expected to collect updated information from schools in October on attainment, leadership, staff training and teaching.

The visits resume after a two-year pause. Aisha Miran, KHDA's director-general, said schools and teachers had asked for fewer inspections so they could put improvements in place, and the authority now wants to see how they used that time, Gulf News reported.

KHDA announced the new system on 9 October. Each school will get one of two visits, chosen with the help of AI tools from the data it submits. A comprehensive visit ends in a detailed report and a new overall rating on a six-point scale running down from Outstanding to Very Weak. A shorter follow-up visit gives feedback but no new rating. Schools in their first or second year get specialised visits; those entering a third year get the full inspection.

Inspectors will look closely at early years, the progress of Emirati pupils, inclusion of pupils with special needs and the teaching of Arabic, Khaleej Times reported. In the last cycle, 81 per cent of pupils in Dubai's private schools attended schools rated Good or better, and none was rated Very Weak.

Fatma Belrehif, chief executive of KHDA's Quality Assurance and Compliance Agency, said the visits were designed to be "more flexible and responsive to each school's needs".

Leigh Girven, principal of Greenfield International School and Taaleem's executive principal for IB schools, said short notice meant inspectors would see "everyday practice rather than a curated version of the school". Punit MK Vasu, chief executive of The Indian High Group of Schools, said: "There will be absolutely no disruption to our students."

The ratings matter to parents' bills. Dubai froze private school fees for 2026-27, and under earlier rules a school's latest rating decided whether it could raise fees and by how much, Gulf News reported. A school that kept its rating could rise by up to the Education Cost Index, one that improved by up to twice that, and one that slipped not at all. KHDA has not said whether the formula will return, and Miran said "the final decision will use the latest data".

Of the 16 Dubai schools Prospectus profiles, GEMS Wellington International School and Repton School Dubai hold Outstanding KHDA ratings and GEMS World Academy is rated Very Good.