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Strengthening School Improvement Through System-Wide Capacity Building: Ajman Private Education Affairs Office (APEA)

Written by Ahmed Saeed | Sep 3, 2026, 10:20:49 AM

Strengthening School Improvement Through System-Wide Capacity Building: Ajman Private Education Affairs Office (APEA)


Project Overview

Etio works with the Ajman Private Education Affairs Office (APEA) to deliver a comprehensive capacity-building programme designed to support continuous improvement across the Emirate's private school sector. The initiative aligns with the UAE Unified School Inspection Framework and will support more than 1,000 educators, school leaders, and administrators across approximately 50 private schools in Ajman.

The programme forms part of APEA's wider commitment to raising educational standards, strengthening leadership capability, and embedding sustainable school improvement practices throughout the Emirate.

The Challenge

As education systems continue to evolve, schools require increasingly sophisticated approaches to self-evaluation, quality assurance, leadership development, and data-informed decision making. For school regulators and improvement agencies, the challenge is to provide support at scale while ensuring that individual schools receive targeted assistance aligned to their specific development priorities.

APEA sought a partner with extensive expertise in school inspection, performance evaluation, and educational improvement to help strengthen professional practice across its private school sector and ensure schools are well equipped to meet inspection expectations while delivering better outcomes for students.

Our Approach

Etio designed a two-tier capacity-building model that combines large-scale professional development with targeted school improvement support.

Tier 1: System-Wide Professional Development

The first phase provides structured professional learning opportunities for school leaders, middle leaders, teachers, and assessment specialists. Delivered in both Arabic and English, the programme focuses on key areas including:

    • Understanding the UAE Unified Inspection Framework
    • Effective classroom observation
    • High-quality school self-evaluation
    • School improvement planning
    • Data-informed decision making and student achievement analysis
    • Inspection readiness and quality assurance practices

Each workshop is designed to provide practical tools and actionable outputs that participants can immediately apply within their schools.

Tier 2: Targeted Improvement Clinics

Recognising that schools face different challenges, the second phase offers specialist improvement clinics focused on common areas identified through inspection findings and school development priorities. These include:

    • Moving from Acceptable to Good performance ratings
    • Arabic language teaching and learning
    • Inclusion and SEND provision
    • English and Mathematics improvement
    • Student wellbeing and personal development

This targeted support enables schools to address specific areas of need while contributing to wider system improvement goals.

 

Why Etio?

Etio (part of Tribal Group plc) brings extensive international experience in educational quality assurance, inspection, and school improvement. Etio works with governments, regulators, and educational institutions worldwide to strengthen performance, build capability, and drive sustainable improvement.

Our experience supporting inspection frameworks and conducting school reviews across the UAE and wider GCC uniquely positions us to help education systems translate inspection expectations into lasting improvements in teaching, leadership, and student outcomes.

Supporting world-class educational excellence

Through this partnership, APEA and Etio are creating a sustainable framework for professional growth and school improvement across Ajman's private education sector.

Ultimately, the initiative aims to improve educational quality and student outcomes while supporting Ajman's ambition to be recognised as a leading centre for excellence in private education.

Her Excellency Aisha Sultan Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Ajman Private Education Affairs Office, stated that the agreement forms part of the Office’s commitment to investing in educational competencies and staff, as the fundamental pillar for achieving excellence and sustainability in the education sector. She affirmed that the partnership with Etio represents an important step towards enabling private schools to develop their institutional and educational capabilities and strengthen continuous improvement practices, positively impacting education quality, the student experience and student outcomes.

 

 Contact one of our Education Review Specialists to discuss your forthcoming school review projects.