Safa British School KHDA rating and inspection history

Al Safa · British · School profile

KHDA rated Safa British School Very good in its 2023–24 Full Inspection Report. KHDA has 14 inspection reports on file for the school, from 2008–09 to 2023–24. The previous report, 2022–23, gave the same rating, as has every report since 2019–20.

KHDA rating, 2023–24

Very good

Same as in 2022–23 · 14 reports on file, 2008–09 to 2023–24

Full Inspection Report 2023–24 (opens in a new tab)

Of the 89 British schools in Dubai with a KHDA rating, 23 hold Very good.

Counted from each school's latest Full Inspection Report, whatever its year.

Overall rating by year, 2008–09 to 2023–24

Safa British School: overall KHDA rating by academic year, newest first

YearOverall ratingChangeReport
2026–27Inspections resume this year. No report yet.
2024–25 and 2025–26KHDA paused full inspections. The 2023–24 rating is still the latest.
2023–24Very goodSame as 2022–23SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2022–23Very goodSame as 2019–20SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2020–21 and 2021–22No inspection.
2019–20Very goodUp from GoodFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2018–19GoodSame as 2017–18SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2017–18GoodSame as 2016–17SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2016–17GoodSame as 2015–16SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2015–16GoodSame as 2014–15SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
Six-level scale starts in 2015–16. Earlier reports used four levels.
2014–15GoodSame as 2013–14SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2013–14GoodSame as 2012–13SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2012–13GoodUp from AcceptableFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2011–12AcceptableSame as 2010–11SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2010–11AcceptableSame as 2009–10SameFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2009–10AcceptableDown from GoodFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)
2008–09GoodFirst reportFirstFull Inspection Report (opens in a new tab)

Every overall KHDA rating since 2008–09, newest first. Each rating belongs to the year of its report.

The Change column compares each rating with the previous inspected year; years without an inspection are skipped.

Checked 24 September 2026.

Wellbeing and Inclusion ratings by year, on the school profileHow ratings moved across Dubai: rating changes by yearWhy the year of a rating matters

KHDA judgements, 2023–24 and 2022–23

Alongside the overall rating, KHDA also rates wellbeing, inclusion and leadership on the same six-level scale. These are the 2023–24 judgements, next to the 2022–23 ones.

One judgement besides the overall rating changed between the 2022–23 and 2023–24 reports:

  • Leadership: Very good 2022–23, Outstanding 2023–24

KHDA judgements, 2023–24 and 2022–23

Judgement2023–242022–23
Overall ratingVery goodVery good
WellbeingOutstandingNot rated
InclusionOutstandingOutstanding
LeadershipOutstandingVery good

The judgements are KHDA's, from its inspection framework. Dubai School Atlas adds no score of its own.

Ratings by phase for this school, on the school profileHow a KHDA rating is decided

What inspectors wrote, 2023–24

Short passages from KHDA's 2023–24 Full Inspection Report on Safa British School, word for word, each with the page it is on. These lines point to the report; they do not replace it. The report records five strengths and three points to improve. Quoted below: three strengths and two points to improve.

Open the 2023–24 report on KHDA's site (opens in a new tab)

  1. Strength · Leadership and self-evaluation

    Inspirational leadership, highly committed governors and fully engaged parents.

    Full Inspection Report 2023–24, page 5

  2. Strength · Personal development and wellbeing

    Students’ outstanding attitudes, behaviour and relationships.

    Full Inspection Report 2023–24, page 5

  3. Strength · Curriculum and challenge

    The broad and ambitious curriculum which supports students’ strong academic success.

    Full Inspection Report 2023–24, page 5

  4. To improve · Islamic Education

    Raise attainment and progress in Islamic Education and Arabic.

    Full Inspection Report 2023–24, page 5

  5. To improve · Teaching

    Improve the consistency of teaching by identifying and sharing the best practice that already exists across the school.

    Full Inspection Report 2023–24, page 5

Quotes come from the Full Inspection Report only; KHDA's shorter Parent Report is not quoted here.

Every finding of the report, by topic, on the school profileHow to read a KHDA report

What parents told KHDA (survey, 2019–20)

95 parents responded

The 2023–24 inspection report has no parents’ survey section; this is how the 2019–20 report, the newest with one and 6 years old, sums up parents’ answers, in the inspectors’ words.

  • Almost all parents who responded to the survey are satisfied with the quality of education provided by the school. Full Inspection Report 2019–20, page 21
  • Brief comments written by parents express their satisfaction with the school, but raise concerns about homework and preparation for the new school. Full Inspection Report 2019–20, page 21
  • Almost all say that their children are happy and feel safe. Full Inspection Report 2019–20, page 21
  • A significantly high proportion of parents feel that school leaders and staff listen to them and act on their views. Full Inspection Report 2019–20, page 21
  • Most parents feel that the school provides good value for money. Full Inspection Report 2019–20, page 21

There are no reviews on this page. Dubai School Atlas does not collect or publish parents' opinions; the closest public evidence is KHDA's own survey, shown above with its year. Where to talk to parents about Dubai schools

What the KHDA scale means

KHDA rates every private school in Dubai on six levels: Outstanding, Very good, Good, Acceptable, Weak, Very weak. Good is the level KHDA expects of every school, and Acceptable is the minimum.

The six levels explainedSix-level scale in the glossary

Sources

Checked against KHDA on 24 September 2026.

How Dubai School Atlas reads KHDA documentsHow corrections are handled

Spotted a rating, year or quote that does not match the report? Write to hello@dubaischoolatlas.com naming the school and the report year; no child's details are needed.

Questions about the KHDA rating of Safa British School

What is the KHDA rating of Safa British School?

Very good, given in the 2023–24 Full Inspection Report. Very good is the second highest of six KHDA levels, from Very weak to Outstanding.

When was Safa British School last inspected?

The latest report with a rating is from 2023–24. KHDA’s visits resume in 2026–27. A full inspection brings a new rating; a shorter monitoring visit does not.

Has the rating changed?

Not since 2019–20: every rating from that year to 2023–24 is Very good.

Is Very good a good rating?

In KHDA's framework, Good is the level expected of every school and Acceptable is the minimum. Very good and Outstanding sit above Good; Weak and Very weak sit below Acceptable.

Where are the parent reviews?

There are none here. Dubai School Atlas does not collect parents' opinions; it shows KHDA's own parent survey as the 2019–20 report sums it up. The parent communities guide lists where families talk about Dubai schools.

When will the next rating be published?

KHDA has not published a schedule. The next full inspection brings a new rating, and this page updates when the report is published.