Q: 1 :Pre-course Work on Case Study

FACTS & FIGURES

Golden Star School was founded in 1999. The school is located in the heart of Dubai and situated in Al Garhood area. Together with its branch in Bur-Dubai (Nad Al-Sheba area), the school is suitable to serve the most populated areas in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. It is fully accredited by the Ministry of Education in the U.A.E. It is a privately owned and self-supporting institute that is administrated by a Board of Directors, Home to over 2000 students. It offers a high-quality education to students aged 3-18. Following the English Curriculum (ENC),. All students study a broad and balanced curriculum, drawing on the very best of British. Our senior students study for the IGCSE and also for the A-Level, the gold standard of pre-university qualifications worldwide, but many students also take the SAT and commonly apply for undergraduate schools in the USA and Canada.

Golden Star is fully accredited by two of the worlds most highly regarded accreditation bodies; the Council of International Schools (CIS) based in Europe and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), based in the USA.

Golden star achieved outstanding inspection rating by KHDA for the past 3 years and the schools Distance Learning Profile, as evaluated by KHDA, on 19-May-2020 was Developed

Our Purpose

To create a balanced and positive learning experience that will last a lifetime.

Our Vision

A Community of Learners growing in Tolerance, learning for life and aiming to be the best they can

Our Mission

Our fundamental task is the education of the whole person, blending learning with tolerance in our daily life. We aspire to create an open, happy, stimulating and mutually respectful community environment in which students can develop to the full range of their skills and abilities and talents in a balanced and integrated.

Our Values

The Individual our people are our strength, we support and invest in them

Equality, Diversity and Inclusiveness we foster a culture of respect

Excellence and Achievement we are ambitious for our College & our students

Innovation we value innovation in education

Sustainability Social, economic and environmental sustainability

As an international school, we have students coming from all over the world to take advantage of our quality programmes as reflected in the graph attached.

The school itself has two main sections: Primary for KG 1 to Grade 5 and Secondary for Grades 6 to 12 with 1,200 students out of which are 99 students with determination.

The number of teachers is 100, with British as the largest nationality and 36 teaching assistants and the teacher-student ratio is 1:12

The Largest nationality group of students is Arab and the number of Emirati students is 6 students.

Number of guidance counsellors: 2

Teacher turnover 16%

CHALLENGES & STRATEGY

Golden Star school created a strategic planning process that is subject to regular reviews. The strategy and key strategic objectives are aligned with the national vision and development plans. It groups strategic themes and corporate objectives.

Golden Start defined why it exists by defining its inspirational Vision A Community of Learners growing in Tolerance, learning for life and aiming to be the best they can, Mission and Core Values, in addition, we defined how we intended to deliverer purpose and what has it already achieved and what is intending to achieve in the future

The formulation of the Purpose, Vision, Mission, & Values is performed and governed by top management of the school as part of our 2023 plan.

The Vision & Mission has been communicated to all the staff and available to all the stakeholders through our website Early 2019, the purpose was communicated with the community

The purpose, vision, Mission and Values are posted in the office, Orientation talks and website to give clear understanding to all the staff of our purpose.

Leaders review the direction of the school on an ongoing basis as part of the development planning process making sure that we are committed to:

• Our values and we strive for equality, diversity as embodied in our motto.
• supporting inclusion in our students.
• Appreciate tolerance and respect for others through the promotion of an inclusive community.
• Value our colleagues and ensure quality in everything we do.
• Value our students and parents and strive to meet their needs by providing the highest quality of education.
• Strive for success and continuous improvement in all we do

Strategic challenges Golden Star is facing are:

• Responding to the different global megatrends impacting education.
• The economic impact of Covid-19 which resulted in pay cuts and unsolicited unpaid leaves where many parents are unable to pay school fees and had to return back to their home country.
• Attracting and retaining the highest-quality teachers and principals regionally and in the UAE market in particular.
• Providing support to teachers of Arabic, Islamic Studies, and UAE Social Studies to develop their pedagogical skills in line with IB expectations.
• The increasing competition between private schools in Dubai.
• Meeting the KHDA Inspection framework standards.
• The constant introduction of new technologies in education, which creates a financial burden on the school and the difficulty of Incorporating Technology into the school teaching practices.
• Keep students motivated and keen to learn especially with the remote learning environment.
• The challenge is to create the school experience whereby the different approaches are not just conjoined, but each enriches the other.
• Engage in evidence-informed inquiries about effective practices drawing on the Australian Professional Standards.
• Build partnerships with early childhood providers and local secondary schools to promote seamless transitions for learning.
• Establish strong, innovative and strategic partnerships that expand opportunities and contribute directly to greater.

Our Competitive advantage

• Great results
• Great reputation in Rockwood, in UAE and in Europe
• Fabulous choir and orchestra
• Great Science and Engineering departments who are very successful in competitions
• Great IT Department and we have Microsoft Mentor Status
• Great standards
• Great staff-flexible, enthusiastic, highly skilled
• Great support from parents, community and our partners
• Beautiful new school

OPERATIONS, PARTNERS & SUPPLIERS

The school itself has two main sections: Primary for KG 1 to Grade 5 and Secondary for Grades 6 to 12.

Supporting Dr. John Mill, the Principal, are Mr.Tim Williams, Head of Primary and Mr. Geoff , Head of Secondary. They are responsible for all aspects of curriculum, teaching and learning in the specific sections. Other senior pedagogical leaders include Ms. Jennifer, Head of Inclusion and Ms. Huda, Head of Technology Integration. The Academic Leadership Team is assisted by a highly qualified and experienced administrative and facilities team.

Partners & Suppliers:

We make sure we build Relationships and Ensure Support for Creating Sustainable Value.

We have several partnerships locally, regionally and Globally and these partners are classified according to their strategic importance and contribution to the achievement of our purpose, vision and strategy. This includes universities, government bodies, private sector etc.

In addition, we have identified Suppliers that provide the needed products and services including textbooks from ibresources.org, supplier for furniture, stationaries, food and drinks, security and cleaning services, masks and sanitizers. Gloves, lab equipments, computers, printers ink.

Key Assets and Resources

Whilst our current facility is of a high standard, with specialist facilities in sport, ICT, Science and the Arts, we have recently undergone a major expansion project, which will see a brand new, state-of-the-art Swimming Pool, Sports Hall, Theatre and Early Childhood Centre opening over the next couple of years. The school is also renowned for the quality of its enrichment programme, also for its focus on community service and global citizenship.

The assets including the school building and infrastructure. Our Facilities include: Auditorium, six-lane, shaded competitive Swimming Pool, shaded Learning Pool, two large Sports Fields, fully equipped Gymnasium, Tennis Courts, two Libraries, Art Studios, Food Technology Laboratory, Music Rooms, shaded KG Play Areas, Science Laboratories, Design and Technology Workshops, ICT Laboratories, Dance and Drama Studio, two Cafeterias, spacious and modern Classrooms, two Mindfulness Rooms, and indoor and outdoor Play Areas.

The Primary Library at Golden Star School is a very busy, well-used place. Students have library lessons every second week and the opportunity to come with their homeroom class for a weekly book borrowing session. We are constantly growing our collections and gladly accept donations which go through a vetting process to find the most appropriate location for these books. The Secondary Library is at the heart of our school and we are dedicated to providing a range of high-quality resources to support the academic and recreational needs of our school community. Our library has comfortable areas for students to curl up with a good book and dedicated areas for more formal study and research.

Students are encouraged to become regular users of the library for both study and relaxation purposes. We encourage and promote a love of reading and our fiction collection aims to meet all interests and reading levels. The library also houses a range of print and electronic resources and a growing non- fiction collection to support all aspects of the curriculum. Our staff and students have access to a range of high-quality digital subscriptions which they can use in the library or from home.

Community activities:

To ensure that our school contributes to the local and global community we adopt several initiatives with the involvement of our students, teachers and parents.

MARKET, OFFERINGS AND CUSTOMERS

Golden Star strives to offer a comprehensive, relevant, integrated, and balanced IB curriculum. The Golden Star curriculum is unique and reflects our vision, mission, and commitment to personal development and academic excellence. The structure and content catered to the cultural and social sensitivities of the complex demographic population of our schools. It is a language-rich, student-centred, skills-driven and outcomes-focused curriculum intended to promote intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, innovation, independent thinking, and lifelong learning.

Our curriculum is structured to integrate the school core values, the UAE curricula (Arabic, Islamic Education, Social Studies, & Moral Education), as well as Islamic values and the UAE culture into the British curriculum. Through this approach, we aim to provide a framework that enables the school to serve its diverse and complex population while also embracing the UAE National Agenda.

Our program (K-12) enables the students to develop their language skills and reading literacy from an early age because:

• In KG, English is emphasized and a strong foundation is laid.
• From KG, the curriculum is delivered in English as the language of instruction.
• Students receive differentiated Arabic lessons across the school.
• Social Studies and Islamic Education are taught in English and Arabic.
• Students are routinely engaged in various activities that promote reading habits.

We strive to provide extensive learning opportunities to our students, so we also offer a wide range of Elective Courses to inspire and cultivate the skills, interests, and personal goals of our High School students.

A variety of academic support programs, curriculum modifications, and intervention strategies enable the teachers and other learning support staff to fulfil the school's mission of addressing, supporting and identifying the special educational needs, including the gifts and talents of our students through a flexible admissions policy and commitment to inclusion.

Co/Extracurricular activities are designed and implemented across all grade levels to further enhance the learning process, foster holistic learning, emphasize on 21st-century skills, promote enterprise and entrepreneurship, develop innovation and creativity skills, uphold social responsibility, and reinforce our students' ability to make real-life connections and applications.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES

Our governance model is led by the school board. The board consists of 9 voting members and 7 non-voting members.

The management of the school is involved in setting and improving systems through various teams formed at relevant levels. These teams supported and facilitated by members of the school board and management team and meet regularly for an example Board meeting, Innovation committee meeting, complaints committee, Inclusion committee, innovation committee, staff affairs committee, parents council and students council.

Our performance management system PMS is used to manage the school strategic and operational performance through a set of Key performance indicators that are cascaded down to the school academic and non-academic staff. This includes a review of the students performance results and KHDA inspection report.

Please answer the all points:

A) What are the main strategic intentions or strategic priorities for the case study school?

B) What are the main challenges facing the school?

C) Who are the main stakeholders of the school?

D) What are your first impressions of the case study school in terms of its performance and key strengths?

E) What are your first impressions of the case study school in terms of its key weaknesses and gaps?