First launched in the UK to give schools clear, actionable insights, The Engagement Platform (TEP) has recently been piloted in the UAE – adapted to the country’s fast-growing, multilingual and highly competitive school sector.

Early results have been very positive, with participating schools already using the data to shape priorities and strengthen student engagement. One of them, Summit International School, saw an immediate impact. Principal Lee Dabagia shared his experience.

Building trust through anonymity

When Lee Dabagia, Principal at a UAE international school, agreed to take part in a new pilot survey programme, he was looking for a tool that could provide real insight without the usual barriers to staff and student honesty.

“People can be wary of internal surveys,” Dabagia explained. “They worry about whether responses can be traced back to them. But because this survey was clearly anonymous, we finally got honest answers – which is exactly what we need in order to make meaningful changes.”

Seamless onboarding for staff and students

For employees, the onboarding process was seamless. Dabagia praised how easy it was to get nearly 200 staff set up, including quickly adapting the survey for Arabic speakers. The result was a 94% staff response rate – remarkably high given previous hesitancy around surveys.

The student survey was equally well received. “It was easy to use, and that’s vital because wellbeing is such a major focus in schools right now. Having a tool that students find accessible, with an easy user interface, made a big difference,” he said.

Turning data into conversations

But the most valuable outcome wasn’t just the high participation rates – it was the conversations the results sparked. “One department that we assumed had a very positive outlook turned out to be struggling. I would never have known that without the data. The survey gave me the opening to have a proper conversation, and we’ve since worked through those issues. It’s made the department stronger.”

Benchmarking against other schools

Beyond individual insights, Dabagia found reassurance in benchmarking results against other schools. “As leaders, we know every school ebbs and flows during the year, but normally we only see our own picture. TEP’s live benchmarks allowed us to see how we compared with other schools, which was really comforting. It showed we’re doing well overall, and where we need to improve.”

Striking the balance between anonymity and action

Dabagia believes TEP’s greatest advantage is how it combines anonymous feedback with data that can drive change: “It’s anonymous enough for staff to answer honestly, yet specific enough to provide meaningful insights. It gives a global view of your school and also lets you look into the pockets that you normally wouldn’t see. This helps you create real dialogue and conversation about where change is needed and what exactly needs to change.”

Join the TEP community

Learn more about TEP in our upcoming webinar on 7 October, where we’ll share insights from the pilot and what’s next for schools in the region.

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