Darul Hadis Latifiah Northwest

School report Darul Hadis Latifiah Northwest Plum Street, Oldham, Lancashire, OL8 1TJ

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Pupils’ achievement Good 2 Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Quality of curriculum Good 2 Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This school is good because

 Students enjoy their learning. Their achievements are good because teachers usually provide interesting lessons.  Students’ good behaviour contributes to the good progress they make in all parts of the curriculum. They settle quickly into lessons and benefit from the positive relationships they make with teachers.  The broad and balanced curriculum encourages students to develop and use important skills in literacy and numeracy. They are being well prepared for the future.  School managers have made a good start. There is already clear evidence that, through the management of staff performance and other initiatives, students’ achievements and the quality of teaching are improving rapidly.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The latest information about students’ previous achievements is not always easily accessible to teachers for planning lessons.  Occasionally, teachers do not use information about students’ previous learning to ensure work is matched accurately to their different levels of ability; this sometimes restricts the degree of progress students make.  Students’ good learning in their lessons about how different people work and live, is not supported by sufficient opportunities to gain experiences outside of school.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets schedule 1 of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended by the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection occurred with one day’s notice. Inspectors visited eight lessons and made other shorter visits to classes, lasting altogether over five hours.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior staff, the proprietor and teachers. They talked formally and informally with students and looked at their work.  Staff views were gained through scrutiny of their returned questionnaires and by discussions. Before the end of the onsite inspection, responses from 13 parents and carers, through the Ofsted on-line questionnaire (Parent View), were noted.  Inspectors observed the school’s work. Important documents, policies and records were seen.

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Inspection team

Terry McKenzie, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Yusuf Seedat Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Darul Hadis Latifiah NW School is an independent secondary day school located in a residential and commercial district of Oldham. It was set up in August 2012 to provide an Islamic faith based education for Boys. Students are mainly of Bangladeshi origin. The school is registered for a maximum of 110 students aged from 11 to 16 years.  The school aims to, ‘help learners develop a lifelong enthusiasm for learning, aiming for excellence in all aspects of school life to enable all irrespective of race, class and ability to achieve their personal best. The school sets out to support this through the development of a successful learning partnership between learners, staff, parents and the local community through the influence in teaching of the Islamic faith’.  Currently 47 students attend, aged between 11 and 14 years. The school intends to establish a Key Stage 4 facility in the very near future.  None of the students have a statement of special educational needs. Parents and carers pay all

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Information about this school

fees; the local authority funds none of the students.  The school does not make use of any off-site, alternative provision.  This is the first full inspection since the registration took place.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure leaders and managers provide students with opportunities to make the best possible gains in their learning by: - making the existing information about students’ previous achievements, more readily available to teachers to use in their planning - training and supporting teachers to make better use of information about students’ previous achievements so they can accurately match work to their different levels of ability and challenge them more effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Prepare students even more thoroughly for the opportunities, experiences and responsibilities of adult life by supplementing the good learning in school, concerning how different people work and live, with more chances to study and learn in the wider community.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Students’ achievements are good as a result of good teaching. School records indicate that, in all year groups, most students enter with standards slightly lower than expected. Many have previously been educated at home or have missed portions of primary education. Nevertheless, following entry, rigorous checks are made to establish the standard at which each student is working. Regular appraisals of attainment and progress are undertaken. The indications are that, in this first year of operation, all year groups have made sufficient progress to bring their attainment in line with national expectations, including in literacy and numeracy. Consequently, the majority of students, including any disabled students and those with special educational needs, are rapidly catching up and make good progress.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Students learn particularly well in science where teachers have a very clear understanding of how much progress should be made. When students fail to meet targets, teachers intervene rapidly to prevent them from falling further behind. The school maintains a close watch on students’ reading developments. Additional help is provided through lunchtime reading support classes. The progress made by most in English is rapid. The literacy skills gained ensure that students successfully benefit from all areas of learning. During the inspection, inspectors listened to students read from their course materials and found they read accurately and with confidence.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

In most classes students learn quickly and efficiently. In the best lessons, progress is very rapid indeed because teachers challenge them at their own level of ability. Achievement is not outstanding because where the quality of teaching is not as good, students’ progress is slower and they gain less from lessons.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Students’ behaviour and personal development are good; they usually behave well around the school and in class. Often, their behaviour is outstanding and is usually very well supported by the strategies staff use to ensure orderly behaviour. When behaviour is not as good it is generally because in lessons teachers do not give enough work for the students to do.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Strong relationships exist between students and with the staff. During the inspection, students were polite and welcoming to the visitors, engaged readily in conversation and were forthcoming with views and opinions. For example, they were quick to voice support for the school, but did not hold back in suggesting how things could be improved even further. Being a faith-based school much is done to ensure the spiritual progress of students who are clear about knowing right from wrong. They demonstrate great respect for others as was evident when a visitor suffered a minor accident during the inspection and the students showed great concern. Success gained in learning boosts their self-confidence; their self-esteem grows as a result, and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments are good. Much is done to reach into the local community with activities such as fund raising. Links are being formed with other groups in the town, particularly those of

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

different faiths, to ensure students understand other people from different backgrounds and beliefs. Students learn through the curriculum about how others live and work in society and throughout the world. They find out through their studies about the public institutions and services of England. The proprietor has robust policies in place making it clear that extremist views and opinions will not be tolerated in the school. The proprietor has ensured that where political issues are brought to the attention of the pupils, steps have been taken to offer a balanced presentation of opposing views.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Students say that they feel very safe in school and that there is little bullying. Effective systems are in place for them to report any concerns about harassment. They say that staff deal with any issues quickly and efficiently. Through their personal, social, health education and citizenship courses students learn about different kinds of bullying and are advised on how to deal with it. Students’ attendance is slightly above average compared to all other secondary schools for this age group. Unauthorised absences are almost unknown. They report that they very much enjoy coming to school.

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Quality of teaching Good

The quality of teaching is good. The headteacher sets high standards and the quality of teaching is improving quickly and results in students making good progress. Teaching is mainly good but not outstanding because of the somewhat variable quality. In the best lessons teachers use a wide range of teaching and learning styles so that students remain interested. The pace is brisk with no time wasted. In these lessons students respond very well and remain intense in their concentration, making outstanding progress in learning. When questioned, they report they thoroughly enjoy the challenge of these outstanding lessons. Where teaching is very occasionally weaker it is because teachers talk for too long and provide too little variety for students. In these lessons students lose some of their concentration and make slower progress.

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Quality of teaching Good

Teachers know the students well and record the progress that they make. However, the school systems for storing the details of students’ attainments and progress are not always made fully accessible to teachers. Occasionally, therefore, teachers do not use the information in the best possible ways to match classwork as closely as possible to individual students’ interests and levels of ability. Consequently, some opportunities for students to make the maximum possible progress are missed. Nevertheless, school managers have plans in place to review the information systems and make them easier for teachers to use in their planning.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The good curriculum provides opportunities for all to make good progress, so none are left out of learning. Currently, there are no students in Key Stage 4 but plans are in place to provide externally accredited courses such as GCSE. The Key Stage 3 curriculum is broad and balanced, being mainly based on the National Curriculum, together with the significant focus on religious education that adds a great deal to students’ understanding of spiritual matters. Furthermore, the faith-based work provides them with chances to consider how others live and work in communities beyond their own. There is an emphasis on English, mathematics and science, extending beyond the regular timetable. For example, a lunchtime reading club is compulsory for any student who is falling behind. An after-school science club is very well attended and enthusiastically supported by students of all abilities. Some teachers provide highly effective additional support to any who are

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Quality of curriculum Good

slower in their learning or need extra help with reading and writing.

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Quality of curriculum Good

Generally, teachers’ plan lessons well, giving consideration to how their courses support developments in basic skills such as reading. Schemes of work, in place for all subjects, are constantly being updated and improved to ensure that established and new teachers have the best guidance and support. A programme is in place to bring visitors into school to talk with students and share experiences of working and living in the wider world. The school provides work-related learning and careers education for all, but the experiences of these more practical aspects of education are limited and students have insufficient opportunities to study and work outside of school.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

The arrangements for students’ welfare, health and safety are good and all the regulations are met. All of the required checks are made on the suitability of staff and a suitable central register of checks is maintained. The proprietor is diligent about safeguarding of students, with staff correctly trained and aspects of training revisited regularly during staff meetings. Staff and students know who to report concerns to, and the arrangements for recording, reporting them to the local authority and storing records are robust. Policies and documents associated with students’ welfare, health and safety are all in place and an annual timetable for their review by the proprietor has been established.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

Arrangements for dealing with bullying are in place with the anti-bullying policy making it clear how staff should be aware of bullying in its different forms and how to deal with it. The health and safety of students and staff is maintained through the effective implementation of an appropriate set of policies that have been drawn up in accordance with the latest government guidance, including those relating to risk assessments, first aid, fire safety and the maintenance of fire- fighting equipment. Regular practice evacuations are correctly recorded.

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Leadership and management Good

The quality of leadership and management is good and all regulations in this part are met. The headteacher has already established good leadership and management in the relatively short time since the school opened. He knows the school well and his focus on improving the quality of teaching through the management of staff performance has resulted in students learning well and making good progress. Teachers have been given training in accordance with their development needs. Some aspects of leadership are outstanding, for example there is clear evidence that the school is continuously improving and staff morale is high. Plans are in place to upgrade the system for gathering and disseminating information about students’ attainments and progress.

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Leadership and management Good

The headteacher has been required by the proprietor to evaluate the quality of the school and establish planning for improvement, and this has been done. The priorities identified by the headteacher are accurate and in line with the findings of the inspection, for example, to support teachers to challenge students more individually and in smaller groups. Further improvements to the curriculum, to provide a wider range of teaching and learning opportunities, are being planned.

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Leadership and management Good

The premises and accommodation of the school are entirely suitable with classrooms and facilities for practical work. Hot food is not prepared or served on the premises. Although there are no showers on site, the regulation is met because physical education is undertaken at a sports centre where showers are provided with all related activities fully risk assessed. There are suitable arrangements in place to provide information to parents, carers and others. The procedure for handling complaints complies with the regulations.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding A school which provides an exceptional quality of education and significantly exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 2 Good A school which provides a high quality of education that exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 3 Adequate A school which meets minimum requirements but needs to improve the quality of education it provides. Grade 4 Inadequate A school where minimum requirements are not met and/or the quality of education has serious weaknesses.

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School details

Unique reference number 138568 Inspection number 420261 DfE registration number 353/6001 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. Type of school Muslim Faith Day School School status Independent School Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 47 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Mr Mohammad Abdul Musabbir Chair Not applicable Headteacher Mr Amjad Malik Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Annual fees (day pupils) £2,000 Telephone number 0161 627 4422 Fax number 0161 627 4422 Email address darulhadislatifiah@gmail.com guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If

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School details

you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

inspects to 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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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