Rawdhatul Uloom Islamic Primary School

Rawdhatul Uloom Islamic Primary Independent school progress monitoring inspection report

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DfE registration number 889/6003 Unique Reference Number (URN) 119848 Inspection number 393697 Inspection dates 17 April 2012 Reporting inspector Declan McCarthy achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk No. 090137 Independent school progress monitoring inspection report

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005. 1,2

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

The inspection was conducted at the request of the Registration Authority for independent schools in order to monitor the progress the school has made in implementing its action plan following the previous inspection.

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Information about the school

Rawdhatul Uloom is an independent Muslim day school. It is situated near Blackburn city centre. The school was established in 1992 and was registered in 2000. The school makes provision for girls and boys aged between four and 11 years of age and at present there are 146 pupils on roll. There are 23 pupils in the Reception class. There are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs or learning English as an additional language. The school aims ‘to create a friendly, caring, Islamic environment in which boys and girls can feel happy and confident and where staff and pupils enjoy working with each other.’

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Context of the inspection

The school was last inspected in November 2010. At that time it failed to meet the regulations in relation to assessment, and the Early Years Foundation Stage was judged as inadequate. The school produced an undated action plan on 15 January 2011. This was evaluated on 26 January 2011 and judged to be inadequate. The school then modified its action plan and sent this to the Department for Education on 28 April 2011. The modified action plan was subsequently reviewed on 7 June 2011 and found to be inadequate. The school then submitted a further revised action plan on 18 October which was evaluated on 20 November 2011 and found to be inadequate. The school provided further evidence in January 2012, which was evaluated on 26 January 2012 and judged to be satisfactory. The action plan was accepted on 1 February 2012. This is the first monitoring visit to determine the extent to which the school has implemented its action plan.

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action plan

The inspection in November 2010 found that the quality of assessment was not adequate to inform parents, carers and their children of the progress pupils were making. The school conducted its own regular tests and reported on progress to

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action plan

1 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/contents . 2 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/18/contents . Independent school progress monitoring inspection report parents and carers. However, the school’s means of evaluating its own performance had not been made clear to parents, carers or to pupils. As a result, neither parents, carers nor pupils fully understood the test results and the extent of the progress being made by pupils.

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action plan

In order to remedy the weaknesses in assessment the school proposed to assess children in the Early Years Foundation Stage against the Foundation Stage Profile at the end of the Reception, comparing this to baseline assessments on entry. The school intended to evaluate the progress children had made by tracking attainments and through planned observations. The school also proposed to record and assess the progress of pupils in Years 1 to 6 regularly each term by carrying out formal assessments and observations, using class tests and individual teacher’s assessments. The school intended to inform pupils, parents and carers of this system.

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action plan

The planned strategies have been fully implemented. Parents and carers now benefit from regular open days where they are informed about their children’s attainment and progress against National Curriculum Levels. They also benefit from a revised annual report which outlines the attainment and progress within each of the subjects taught. Pupils are also more informed about the assessment system against National Curriculum levels and now evaluate their own progress on a termly basis. As a result they are better informed about how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve.

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action plan

The inspection in November 2010 also found that the overall quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision was inadequate. Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage were inadequate as the school had not ensured that staff were suitably qualified or trained to the required standards. In addition, there were no suitable self-evaluation procedures with clear priorities to bring about improvement to children’s outcomes. Although the school worked in partnership with parents and carers it did not inform them sufficiently well of their child’s progress to enable them to reinforce learning at home. The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage was also inadequate because the learning environment was limited in size and there was no free flow access to the outdoors. Resources were limited and planning did not always ensure that children received their entitlement to all six

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action plan

areas of learning. While teachers’ planning was satisfactory, teaching did not always challenge the more able children as fully as it might. Occasionally, learning activities were too teacher-directed with fewer opportunities for children to choose their own activities.

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action plan

In order to address these weaknesses in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the school proposed to produce planning and schemes of work to show how the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage would be put into practice. It proposed that long-term planning and schemes of work would show coverage of all six areas of learning. Independent school progress monitoring inspection report These strategies have been fully implemented. Long-term planning, schemes of work and short-term topic planning identify learning opportunities in each required area of learning. Effective implementation was observed in learning activities to promote knowledge and understanding of minibeasts. Children’s literacy and communication skills were promoted through discussions about the different minibeasts they found in the sand tray. Their physical development, including fine motor skills, was promoted through the use of scissors for cutting out butterfly shapes. Children’s

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action plan

mathematical development was promoted as teachers encouraged children to count the number of legs on minibeasts. Their creative development was promoted when they used poster paint and markers to draw their own minibeasts on the easels. They also developed skills of sharing, taking turns and co-operation within this topic based on increasing their knowledge and understanding of the world.

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action plan

The school also proposed to plan according to individual children’s needs and capabilities through assessments and planned spontaneous observations. Planning would show focused activity and short term planning would include weekly plans covering the six areas of learning.

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action plan

Scrutiny of long term planning and planning of sequences of lessons and activities, demonstrate that this strategy has been fully implemented. All planned learning includes a variety of opportunities and extension activities to ensure that tasks are always matched to individual learning needs. In activities seen, children were challenged to develop their understanding through questioning, and more able children were provided with activities, such as sequencing the life cycle of a butterfly using scientific language such as chrysalis, egg and pupa accurately.

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action plan

The school proposed to appoint a Level 4 qualified member of staff for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This has been implemented in full with a new early years specialist appointed with a Level 4 qualification and training in paediatric first aid. In addition, all members of staff are trained to Level 2 with two undergoing further training at Level 3, and an additional member of staff training in paediatric first aid.

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action plan

The school proposed to provide frequent opportunities for parents and carers to discuss their child’s progress through open evenings and good dialogue, providing information through letters and encouraging parents and carers to write special moments in their ‘wow ‘ books.

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action plan

These strategies are fully implemented as regular open days are held for parents and carers to discuss their child’s progress. Daily informal dialogue with staff takes place at the start and end of each day. Parents and carers also receive regular newsletters and literacy and numeracy booklets to explain what their children are learning. Parents and carers also help out during guided reading three times a week.

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action plan

The school proposed to go through the stages of self-evaluation which included recognising strengths, providing evidence and observations. Independent school progress monitoring inspection report This strategy is fully implemented. The head teacher conducts regular observations of learning activities in the Reception class and holds meetings with the Early Years Foundation Stage staff. These observations identify clear strengths and areas for development which inform well-conceived priorities for improvement which are put into practice. This has had a positive impact on children’s learning and progress, particularly in ensuring that new resources are purchased for pupils.

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action plan

The school has also made steady progress in further areas for improvement provided for consideration at the inspection in November 2010. Pupils are now given more opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning as independent learners and through group work. There are more opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of different faiths and cultures through, for example, planned visits to a local church and through the Islamic curriculum topic of respect for other cultural traditions and religions. Resources in the Early Years Foundation Stage have improved with the purchase and use of three computers, tricycles, bicycles, and trays for water and sand for outdoor learning.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school has made good progress and now meets all regulatory requirements. Independent school progress monitoring inspection report

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School details

Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 73 Girls: 73 Total: 146

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School details

Number on roll (part-time pupils) Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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School details

Number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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School details

Number of pupils who are looked after Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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School details

Address of school 184 Whalley Old Road Blackburn Lancashire BB1 5NZ

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School details

Email address info@gardenofknowledge.co.uk

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