Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) will reinstate formal inspections of private schools starting in the 2026–27 academic year, giving schools no more than 24 hours’ notice before a quality assurance team arrives.
The return to inspections follows a deliberate pause during 2025–26, when KHDA suspended visits to allow for what it described as “greater collaboration and reflection on how we define and support quality in education.”
Over that period, the authority continued monitoring schools through self-evaluation forms, data analysis, and reviews of internal and external assessment results.
Under the new approach, every eligible private school will receive one of two types of visit. The first is a full inspection, carried out by a team of specialist experts applying the UAE School Inspection Framework, resulting in a comprehensive report and an overall school rating.
Schools completing their third year of operation in Dubai will receive this type automatically. The second is a shorter monitoring visit by a smaller team, focused on specific audit trails and data-identified areas of concern. Schools receive a concise report with recommendations, but no new overall rating is issued.
KHDA said the short-notice format is designed to give inspectors an accurate picture of day-to-day school life, rather than a period shaped by intensive preparation. The authority said its methodology for deciding which type of visit each school receives will draw on KHDA data, school profiles, achievement figures, and self-evaluation submissions, reviewed by education specialists and subject to structured moderation.
“As we reintroduce quality assurance visits in the 2026–27 academic year, we remain committed to working in partnership with schools and the wider community to ensure every child benefits from a world-class education. The renewed approach strengthens parents’ confidence in the quality of educational choices available and supports the ambitions of our Education 33 Strategy.
“The differentiated approach recognises that schools are at different stages of their improvement journey. It allows us to focus more closely on the areas that matter most for students, while ensuring feedback is grounded in the day-to-day reality of school life. This makes the process more meaningful, more relevant, and ultimately more effective in supporting continuous improvement,” Fatma Belrehif, CEO of the Education Quality Assurance and Compliance Agency said.
The visits are framed as supporting Dubai’s Education 33 Strategy, which places learners at the centre of the education system, with a specific focus on outcomes for Emirati students. Inspections will continue to be guided by the 2015–2016 UAE School Inspection Framework.
