Abu Dhabi Schools Mandate Annual Contracts with Parents for 2025 Academic Year

Parents are invaluable partners in education with their child. It is vital that a positive and participative environment is provided for parents to become involved in their child's learning and school community. This policy identifies the minimum level that schools will implement to make sure that they are involving parents, both as the home educator of their child and as part of the school community.

All schools should comply with this policy in its entirety by the start of the 2025/2026 school year (first semester). Non-compliance with this policy will make the school legally liable and subject to penalties that apply. In promoting parents as role models for appropriate behavior, schools ask parents to adhere to the following code of conduct:

Parents are to uphold the school vision, mission, and values by maintaining a respectful, professional, and cooperative relationship with the school community, staff, students, and other parents. They are to model positive behavior, communicate positively, and resolve any issues or conflicts in a calm and respectful manner. Keeping the positive learning environment of the school also involves steering clear of defamatory or culturally insensitive remarks, especially on social media, and adhering to the school's overall policies, including ones that incorporate the UAE's cultural norms and legal requirements.

Parents have a share of responsibility, as does the school, for the academic success and welfare of their child. This involves guaranteeing regular attendance and punctuality, honoring school timetables, promoting academic integrity, and cooperating with school personnel in the matter of further learning support where necessary. Parents also need to remain actively engaged by keeping abreast of their child's progress, attending meetings when invited to do so, and having open and supportive dialogue with the school to ensure their child's ongoing development. Parents can be requested to exit the school campus or be barred from entry if the conditions are not respected or disregarded.

Adek has also posted a list of what schools must prioritize to enable parents to remain engaged in their child's learning and development. Schools must ensure that communication between parents and staff is always respectful, professional, and accessible. Parents must be able to contact directly their child's teacher to inquire about progress, and also reach out to any staff members who are involved in offering additional support.

The teachers should also inform parents when there are issues related to academics or behavior, so they can collaborate to help the student. Schools will offer student performance reports to parents in electronic form and give parents the chance to discuss matters with teachers at least once a term. The schools should also promote home-based support for learning to enhance parent-student interaction. Parents should be given the chance to give feedback on how to improve their child's wellbeing while at school.

Parents need to be encouraged to send their children with healthy food and balanced meals, and schools need to encourage sustainable practice. Parents should focus on any food allergies and restrictions and not send things that are forbidden.

Schools will also inform parents about their mental health policy. This involves ensuring parents are aware when a teacher or school counsellor identifies that there is a need for counselling support, clarifying confidentiality and consent requirements, and detailing what occurs if consent is not provided.

Schools ought to encourage parents to actively participate in their children's involvement in extracurricular activities and remain engaged in their online learning process. This encompasses assisting them in using digital devices responsibly after school hours. Schools also ought to educate parents regarding the maximum weight capacity for students' school bags.The education department was keen on having schools communicate with parents through newsletters, phone calls, text messages, emails, letters, websites, and meetings.

Schools are required to ensure timely and proper payment of school fees approved by the education department without the imposition of VAT. Schools should also seek consent from parents prior to sharing any information about a student with a third party. Schools need to inform parents that they have a responsibility of care when it comes to safeguarding students and are mandated reporters. This implies that if there are any suspicious circumstances such as repeated unexplained absences or a student being suddenly removed from school without explanation schools are mandated to report these as possible cases of maltreatment to the appropriate authorities.

Schools will notify parents of its bus services and advise parent responsibilities and related information on dropoff and pick-up procedures and authorized persons, parking, utilization of non-school bus transportation. Schools will maintain a mass notification system to rapidly inform parents in emergency situations. Schools will also maintain a record of all written communication with parents according to Adek rules.