Madani Girls' School

Madani Girls' School 77 Evington Valley Road, Leicester, LE5 5LL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Students achieve well and make good progress.  Teaching that is typically good ensures that students make good progress in lessons.  Students known to be eligible for the pupil premium make very good progress and achieve well.  The school caters well for disabled students and those with special educational needs. Good support is helping them to catch up with the standards reached by other groups of students.  The governors support the school well. They have the right skills to challenge leaders to make the right decisions to raise the quality of teaching and learning.  School leaders know what the school is doing well and their actions are having a positive impact on teaching and learning.  Students are exceptionally polite. Through their outstanding behaviour in lessons, they encourage each other to do better. They feel safe and secure in school.  Attendance is high and levels of persistent

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More-able students do not always do as well in mathematics as in English.  In some lessons, teachers do not match tasks and activities to students’ differing ability levels.  Students are not always given time to respond to teachers’ comments in their books and make quick corrections.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 24 lessons, of which three were seen jointly with senior leaders.  Discussions were held with the executive headteacher, the Chair and representatives of the Governing Body, a local authority representative, senior leaders, staff and groups of students.  Inspectors looked carefully at a wide range of documents, including the school improvement plan, the system to track students’ progress, records relating to behaviour and attendance, information on teachers’ performance, safeguarding records and a sample of students’ work.  There were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), so Inspectors looked at the school’s own record of feedback from parents.

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Inspection team

Neil Stanley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Susan Tabberer Additional Inspector Stephen Howland Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Madani Girls’ School is significantly smaller than most secondary schools.  The school has an Islamic ethos.  The overwhelming majority of students are from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly the Gujerat region of India, Somalia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average. This additional funding is for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, in local authority care, or from some other groups.  A large proportion of pupils speak English is an additional language.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is below average, as is the proportion supported by school action plus or through at statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress at the end of Year 11.

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Information about this school

 No students are educated at other sites.  The school was created in its present form in October 2012 when the mixed Madani High School was split into separate girls’ and boys’ schools. This was to make sure the school’s admissions policy complied with equal opportunities legislation. The school’s structure was ratified in June 2013.  The girls’ and boys’ schools occupy separate wings of the same building, which has a shared reception area and other shared facilities, such as the mosque and library.  The girls’ and boys’ schools are governed by a federation with a single governing body and led by an executive headteacher.  Madani girls’ school shares its unique reference number with the predecessor mixed school. This is why this report makes reference to the previous inspection report of Madani High School in 2009.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding to accelerate students’ progress, particularly the most able in mathematics, by making sure that:  students have regular opportunities to respond to comments in their books and make quick improvements as a result  lessons are planned with a range of activities that stretch and challenge students of all abilities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When students join the school in Year 7, their standards are broadly in line with those found nationally in English and mathematics. By the end of Year 11, their standards are above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of students achieving five GCSE A*-C grades, including English and mathematics, is above the national average and is rising. The overwhelming majority of students gain five GCSE A*-G grades. The school does not enter students early for GCSE examinations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school makes very good use of pupil premium funding to raise the achievement of eligible students. Overall, the progress of these students is very strong and, by the end of Year 11, their attainment in both English and mathematics is in line with, and often better than, other students in the school and well above similar students nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students targeted for Year 7 catch-up make good progress and the gaps between these students and others in the school are closing rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school regularly checks the progress made by disabled students and those who have special educational needs. As a result of extra help that is matched closely to their learning needs, these students are all making at least good progress. The gap between their progress and that of others in the school is closing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students from different ethnic groups make similar progress in all subjects, including English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of students gaining grades A*-C in GCSE English is well above average. The percentage of students who make and exceed expected progress in GCSE English is also well above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A large proportion of students are avid readers and the school library is a very busy place at break and lunch-time. Teachers organise popular reading groups where students can discuss and share their reading. This is one reason why attainment in GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature is strong.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers’ expectations of what students can achieve are high in all subjects. In a Year 7 languages lesson, for example, despite French being unfamiliar to many students, most of the teaching was in French. This challenged the students and they made rapid progress as a result.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of students gaining grades A*-C in mathematics is in line with the national average. Although the numbers making expected progress are above average, those exceeding this level of progress are average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s most able students do very well in English and exceptionally well in English Literature, where numbers gaining grades A*/A are well above average and very high given students’ starting points. However, they do not do as well in mathematics, where numbers of students gaining the highest grades are in line with the national average. This is because work is not always planned thoroughly enough in mathematics to stretch and challenge the most able.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in most subjects, including English and mathematics, is usually good and sometimes outstanding. This is because teachers encourage students to think for themselves. For example, in a religious education lesson, students were given the opportunity to think through the issues independently so that they asked the right questions and selected the most relevant information.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are given many opportunities to comment on the work of others. They do this with encouragement and respect and, as a result, pupils are confident about sharing their work. This was particularly effective in a Year 11 history lesson on the general strike, where students worked in pairs to give each other detailed feedback. This helped them make very quick improvements to their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers often use probing questioning in lessons to check students’ understanding. This was evident in a science lesson on terminal velocity, where the teacher used questioning to help students understand where they had gone wrong and to give more challenging questions to those whose understanding was more secure. As a result, all pupils were making rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms are vibrant environments and teachers were seen referring to wall displays to help students improve their work. This was seen in an art lesson, where a former student’s work inspired the students and helped them find ways to improve their own work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of information about disabled students and those who have special educational needs. A team of consistently strong teaching assistants provides very effective support for learning in class and in small group work. This helps students to concentrate and gives them the confidence to ask questions. As a result, they are all helped to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set regular homework. This helps students work on their own to build on what they have learnt in class and they make good progress as a result.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Many classes include students with a wide range of abilities. However, teachers do not always plan a wide enough range of activities to support the less able and stretch the most able. This is one reason why fewer students gain the top GCSE grades in mathematics compared to English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark students’ books regularly and often identify strengths and targets for improvement. However, students do not always get regular opportunities to respond to those comments and make immediate improvements to their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students’ excellent behaviour in lessons and their polite, calm and respectful manner around the school make a substantial contribution to the school’s positive environment and both their personal and academic achievements.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students relish their learning. The school has an exceptionally positive climate for learning which allows students to be very confident asking questions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 With exceptionally respectful relationships, students support each other to improve. In a number of lessons, they were observed helping each other to use appropriate and accurate vocabulary.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students listen very attentively to each other and greatly respect each other’s opinions. They share their ideas confidently in class and support each other if they are not right.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students do not feel that bullying is a problem in this school. However, they say they are confident that if any did arise it would be tackled quickly and effectively by teachers. Students are aware of different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying, racism, sex and gender bullying and other forms of harassment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are extremely keen to take responsibility. The school council has successfully campaigned for additional trips and educational visits, charity non-uniform days and improved locker facilities. Because of this, students say they feel listened to by the school’s leaders.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils show a very strong sense of responsibility to their local community. This is reflected in their work in raising money for charity, especially through the Young Philanthropy Programme, where students argued that money should be donated to a local charity that supports women and children who are victims of violence and abuse.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students say they feel exceptionally safe and secure in school and they display a very good understanding of the issues relating to safety. Students talk about how they would keep themselves safe in different situations, for example when using the internet and social networking sites.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students’ great enjoyment of school is reflected in their attendance, which is well above average for all groups of students. Levels of persistent absence are very low. Students’ punctuality reflects their enthusiasm for their school and their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students are keen to talk to visitors to the school. In discussions with inspectors, they were extremely articulate, mature and thoughtful.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say the school has a clear and fair approach to encouraging good behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 Madani Girls’ School is well led by its executive headteacher and senior leaders who have ensured that, following a period of instability, pupils’ achievement and progress have improved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher has well-developed plans to ensure the school strengthens leadership across the school within this academic year. This has the capacity to add consistency to the quality of subject leadership and so make further improvements to the quality of teaching and levels of achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and what it needs to do to improve. In jointly-observed lessons, senior leaders’ judgements about the quality of teaching were consistent with those of inspectors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The performance of staff is well-managed. The school has a fair approach to awarding pay rises and promotion for staff that is linked appropriately to pupils’ achievement, and it provides effective support and training to help staff develop their skills. As a result, the quality of teaching and achievement of students are improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school successfully emphasises the importance of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, students were seen discussing poverty and social responsibility in a Year 8 lesson on the novel, ‘Stone Cold’ and, in the light of this, making links to what Islam says on the topic of begging.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has strong links with parents and attendance at parents’ evenings is very high. Parents say they value the detailed feedback given by teachers at this time.

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The leadership and management are good

 Despite its size, the school provides an appropriately broad and varied curriculum for its students. This means they are well equipped for their future studies.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has good links with its local authority and the educational community in Leicester. The local authority has supported the school well through its reorganisation and also provides specific support to newly-qualified teachers.

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The leadership and management are good

 Newly-qualified and less experienced teachers say this is a good school in which to start their careers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding meet national requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is good. The governors play an important role in school life. They regularly visit and meet with staff and parents to gather evidence about how the school is doing. Governors see themselves as accountable for recent changes in the school’s structure and they have spent time explaining their decisions to staff and parents.  Senior leaders keep governors well informed about the achievement and progress of students. They use information about students’ progress, including specific data, to hold leaders to account.  Governors check pay decisions for teachers. They demand that pupils’ progress justifies better pay and promotion.  Through rigorous planning and prudent budgeting, governors are checking that school leaders ensure the school’s financial stability.  Governors make sure that the school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding meet national requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 129645 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 429629

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 300 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Hussein Suleman Executive Headteacher Saqub Sheikh Date of previous school inspection 18 March 2009 Telephone number 0116 2498080 Fax number 0116 273 5647 Email address office@madanihigh.leicester.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If 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 and as part of the inspection.

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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

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, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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