Our Team

It is with tremendous excitement and a deep sense of responsibility that I welcome you to The Hope English School, a member of the Northpoint Education family of schools.

As your newly appointed Principal, I feel incredibly privileged to join this wonderful learning community. Throughout more than three decades in education, I have had the opportunity to lead and serve diverse school communities in Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Supported by a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration, and advanced qualifications in school leadership, I bring these experiences to Hope with one overriding commitment: to ensure that every child feels safe, valued, challenged, supported, and inspired to achieve at the highest possible level.

Central to achieving this is a strong partnership between school and home. Parents are their children’s first and most enduring teachers, and I firmly believe that when families and schools work together with trust, openness, and a shared sense of purpose, extraordinary things become possible. Our parents are not simply visitors to Hope—they are valued partners in their children’s educational journey.

As we move forward together, our collective focus will remain on high-quality teaching and learning, student achievement and progress, wellbeing and safeguarding, inclusion, strong leadership, and meaningful parent engagement. We will celebrate what Hope already does well while having the courage and determination to continually improve.

Our vision is ambitious. Together, I believe we can establish The Hope English School as a shining oracle of educational excellence in Sharjah—a school recognised for outstanding learning, strong values, caring relationships, and young people who are prepared to make a positive difference in their world. Most importantly, every decision we make will return to one simple question: Is this what is best for our children?

To our students, staff, and families, I am excited about the journey ahead and look forward to working alongside you as we write the next chapter in the proud story of The Hope English School.

Welcome to learning. Welcome to community. Welcome to Hope.

Ms. Mercy Bhagyam is a dedicated Primary Head Teacher with over 20 years of experience in education. I am passionate about nurturing young minds and creating a positive, inclusive learning environment where every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to succeed. I firmly believe that each learner is unique and can achieve excellence with the right guidance, encouragement, and opportunities. Throughout my career, I have completed a range of professional development programmes in leadership, child-centred learning, and curriculum development. My teaching philosophy focuses on fostering curiosity, building confidence, and supporting holistic development in every student. As a school leader, I work collaboratively with teachers, parents, and the wider community to promote academic achievement, strong character, and meaningful values. I am committed to cultivating creativity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning.

Maha Iskandarani is an experienced primary education specialist with extensive professional experience across diverse school settings and curricula within the UAE. She has strong expertise in Arabic language instruction, Islamic Education, and curriculum development aligned with the UAE national educational standards. Her professional practice is grounded in evidence-based pedagogy, with a particular focus on literacy development, differentiated instruction, and assessment for learning. Maha has designed and implemented structured reading intervention plans, attainment trackers, and formative and summative assessment tools to support diverse learners. She demonstrates advanced competence in applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to formulate measurable learning outcomes and to design instructional activities that promote higher-order thinking skills. In addition to her classroom practice, Maha contributes to teacher professional development through the development of instructional resources, lesson models, and practical training materials. Her academic interests include action research, data-informed instruction, reflective teaching methodologies, and continuous improvement of instructional quality to enhance student learning outcomes.

I am a passionate educational leader with over 22 years of experience dedicated to early childhood and primary education. My role is to nurture the academic, social, and emotional development of our youngest learners at The Hope English School. With a Master’s in Educational Leadership and key international certifications, I am committed to fostering inclusive, stimulating, and safe environments. My approach combines innovative, cross-curricular teaching with strong pastoral care and data-informed practices to ignite a lifelong love of learning.