Al Mumin Primary and Secondary School

School report Al Mumin Primary and Secondary School 15–17 Spring Gardens, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 3EJ

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Pupils’ achievement Good 2 Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Quality of curriculum Good 2 Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This school is good because

 Strong teaching ensures that pupils achieve well including in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT).  Pupils like and value the good range of subjects which provide well for their Islamic and secular learning.  Outstanding provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development helps pupils to blossom into thoughtful, mature young citizens whose behaviour is exemplary.  Outstanding provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils ensures that they routinely enjoy healthy lifestyles and learn to adopt practices that ensure their safety.  Good leadership and management have maintained the good quality of teaching and ensured that achievement is good since the previous inspection while making significant improvements. For example, provision for pupils’ welfare is better and there are now more extra-curricular opportunities available. Furthermore, leaders have successfully

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This school is good because

developed the school by establishing a secondary school site.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Activities are not always well planned to fully challenge pupils of different abilities so all can learn well. The marking of workbooks does not always specify the next steps pupils must take in order to improve.  Although leaders monitor the quality of teaching regularly, their evaluations focus too little on the impact of teaching on the learning and progress of pupils with different levels of ability.

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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

 The inspection was intended to be carried out with one day’s notice. However, it started a day later than planned because of unforeseen road closures preventing the inspection from starting on time.  Inspectors observed 17 lessons taught by 14 different teachers. Meetings included those with leaders, staff and pupils.  The school’s documentation was checked including schemes of work, records of pupils’ progress, self-evaluation and the provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety.  Twenty-four responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were considered. Questionnaire responses from 13 staff were also analysed.  The Department for Education (DfE) asked inspectors to focus on the recent material change to the school’s registration regarding the school moving its nursery provision to its new secondary school building to check arrangements for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection team

Saleem Hussain, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jo Sharpe Additional Inspector Yusuf Seedat Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school was established in August 2003 providing for pupils in an urban residential area of the city centre of Bradford. A secondary school provision was opened in October 2013. This is located a short walk away from its original premises and houses pupils of secondary- school age and children in a nursery. A reception class and pupils of primary-school age are currently located at the original premises. The proprietor is hoping to accommodate all pupils in the secondary school building towards the end of 2014.  The school is registered as an independent day Muslim faith school for up to 460 boys and girls aged from three to 18 years. All pupils are Muslims and the school provides an Islamic and secular education.  Currently, there are 179 pupils on roll, comprising 18 in the Nursery class, 16 in the Reception class and the remainder who are in Years 1 to 11. There are currently no pupils above compulsory school age. A total of 34 children are in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Information about this school

and government nursery funding is received for these children.  There are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  Pupils are of mainly Asian heritage and all speak English as their primary language.  The school’s core aims are: ‘to educate pupils within the teachings of Islam; to provide a caring, safe and well ordered environment for pupils to develop their educational skills and practice Islam; to ensure that learning is demanding and enjoyable; to promote academic and moral excellence in a caring Islamic environment; and to teach each pupil to be well mannered, honest and truthful’.  The school uses a local sports centre for physical education.  The school was last inspected in December 2010 by the Bridge Schools Inspectorate when it was judged as providing a good quality of education. Bridge Schools Inspectorate reports can be accessed on their website ( www.bridgeschoolsinspectorate.co.uk ).

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  ensuring that teachers always plan activities to fully challenge pupils of different abilities  ensuring that teachers always mark pupils’ workbooks giving specific guidance on the next steps they must take in order to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders make more rigorous checks on the quality of teaching by always checking on the impact of teaching on the learning and progress of pupils with different levels of ability.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Achievement is good because teaching and the range of subjects provided are good. Attainment on entry to the school for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is very low. From these very low starting points, most pupils achieve well over time, including boys, girls, those from different ethnic backgrounds and differing abilities. For example, they skilfully engage in many practically based learning experiences which pupils enjoy and which enables them to learn well. Pupils make good progress and develop their knowledge and understanding in most subjects over time. Achievement in English, mathematics and ICT is good. Teachers promote the development of reading skills very well. For example, there are many opportunities in different lessons for pupils to read aloud or make presentations to their peers. Classroom support is effective. Lower-ability pupils are provided with focused support to ensure that any gaps in learning between them and

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Pupils’ achievement Good

similar pupils nationally are closing. It is pleasing to report that in the first year of GCSE examinations at this school a number of higher-ability pupils were entered for examinations early in Year 10, achieving very good results. Pupils generally perform well in GCSE examinations compared to others in similar schools. These factors illustrate that pupils are being well prepared for their future economic well-being.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in developing all of the key skills expected of them.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Pupils’ achievements in relation to their Islamic studies are good. Pupils make good gains in developing their knowledge and understanding of the Qur'an, Arabic, the principles of Islam and their obligations as young Muslims. Pleasingly, a number of pupils have memorised the Qur'an since the school opened.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Outstanding

Pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and personal development across the school and at each site are outstanding. Pupils mature into very well-rounded young citizens because of the school’s superlative provision for their personal development. Attendance and punctuality are very good. Pupils are always eager to work hard throughout the school day. They maintain high levels of perseverance and concentration in their work. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage show much curiosity in their learning and develop their independence quickly. The school is a very orderly community. Behaviour is exemplary, in and around both school sites. These factors make a very strong contribution to the school’s family ethos and enable pupils to achieve well. Incidents of serious misbehaviour, racism or bullying are extremely rare. Pupils report that they feel very safe in school and know what to do if they feel harassed or bullied. They understand very clearly what

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Outstanding

constitutes unsafe situations and know how to stay safe.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Outstanding

Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. There are many opportunities in Islamic studies, assemblies, registration periods and personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) lessons to support their personal development. Pupils develop their self-confidence through taking up responsibilities which they actively seek. For example, they lead adhan (the call to prayers) regularly, act as monitors and prefects or represent their classes as members of the school council. Pupils develop a very clear sense of right and wrong. In PSHCE lessons and assemblies pupils regularly consider moral issues such as bullying, discrimination and human rights. Pupils are taught to respect the civil and criminal law. The school has an excellent link with a community police officer who regularly gives talks to pupils on issues such as crime and good citizenship. Pupils’ social development is enhanced through participating in group tasks in the

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Outstanding

classroom, opportunities for pupils to discuss each other’s work and interacting with the wider community through school trips. Pupils make a strong contribution to the wider community. For example, they often fund-raise for good causes and take part in community projects. The school provides pupils with a broad general knowledge of public institutions and services in England. For example, pupils learn about parliament and local government. The proprietor has ensured that partisan political views are not promoted in school. Many opportunities are taken by staff in lessons to promote British values such as democracy. Pupils develop high levels of appreciation and respect for different cultures, values and traditions. Islamic studies include good attention to developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of all of the major world faiths. Discussions with pupils indicate that they are highly committed to playing their part in promoting racial and cultural

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Quality of teaching Good

The quality of teaching is good in all key stages, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Consequently, most pupils make good progress and achieve well over time. Teachers are successful in maintaining a strong environment for secure learning. Pupils’ behaviour is managed extremely well and teachers expect pupils to achieve well. They possess good subject knowledge which they use, for example, to provide interesting, often practically based learning activities which engage pupils well. Pupils are able to get through much work. Pupils learn well the basic skills in reading, writing, communication, mathematics and ICT. Skilful questioning and prompting ensures that all groups of pupils work hard and learn to think for themselves. Resources are well used to support learning. Effective planning consistently enables pupils to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding well in all areas of study. However, activities are not always planned with fully

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Quality of teaching Good

challenging tasks at the right level for pupils with different levels of ability to enable them to make outstanding progress. Consequently, pupils do not always achieve as well as they can.

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Quality of teaching Good

Assessment is good. Teachers check pupils’ learning and progress accurately and ensure that they know how well they have done. Pupils’ workbooks are marked frequently although occasionally, opportunities are lost to let pupils know specifically what they must do in order to improve.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The range of subject and other activities provided are good in all key stages, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school provides pupils with many enjoyable and memorable experiences for its pupils. The needs of all pupils are met well and they have many good opportunities to make good progress. Planning is well organised and detailed for both the secular and Islamic studies enabling pupils to achieve well over time. Provision for PSHCE is outstanding and this makes an excellent contribution to pupils' personal development. Opportunities to develop basic skills in English, mathematics and ICT are good. A good range of GCSE courses of study are offered for older pupils including in science, religious studies and Urdu. Educational visits enrich learning. For example, pupils regularly visit science and other museums. Pupils also visit Bolling Hall as part of their studies around the Victorian era. Lunch-time and after-school activities include

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Quality of curriculum Good

netball and football. The school has good arrangements in place to provide careers guidance and work experience in a number of vocational areas.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The school’s strong Islamic curriculum includes fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), tareekh (Islamic history), aqeedah (theology), seerah, (the life of the Prophet), adab and akhlaq (Islamic etiquettes), hadith (the practices of the Prophet), study and recitation of the Qur’an and tahfeez (memorisation of the Qur’an). Modern Arabic is also taught. Inspectors were very impressed with the contribution which Islamic studies makes to pupils’ personal development.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Outstanding

Provision for welfare, health, safety and safeguarding is outstanding. All of the regulations in these regards are met and all of the required policies are in place. Pupils are very happy in school and feel highly valued. Comments included ‘teachers are friendly and help us in every way’. Pupils are exceptionally well cared for. Arrangements for staff recruitment are of a very high standard and the school carries out all of the required checks to ensure that adults in school are suitable to work with children. The results of checks are clearly recorded on a single central register. The designated officers for child protection and all other staff are appropriately trained. Several staff are fully trained in first aid including paediatric procedures. Detailed risk assessments are carried out regarding the premises, practical lessons and educational visits. Fire risk assessments and drills are undertaken as required. The school’s policy to promote outstanding behaviour is very effective.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Outstanding

Pupils commented that the system of points, star charts, certificates and prizes motivates everyone very well. The school’s anti-bullying policy is also very effective. Pupils learn how to deal with bullying including that which can occur through the use of computers and mobile phones. Pupils confirm that they routinely enjoy healthy and very safe lifestyles.

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Leadership and management Good

Leadership and management are good. The effectiveness of leadership can be seen in pupils’ good achievement, outstanding behaviour and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It can also be seen in improvements since the last inspection regarding welfare, health and safety which is now outstanding and aspects of the subjects studied such as provision for physical education. Leaders consistently communicate high expectations and ambition to everyone. Teachers are rightly pleased with the arrangements for further training. Leaders regularly check and evaluate the quality of teaching. This is effective in maintaining a good quality of teaching. However, the impact of teaching on the learning and progress of pupils in each lesson is not always clearly identified for pupils of different abilities. Consequently, teaching is not improving as much as it might do so that all pupils can make more rapid and sustained progress over time. Self-evaluation

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Leadership and management Good

is accurate and insightful. Leaders recognise that although the provision of subjects is good, it does not give all pupils the opportunity to make outstanding progress in developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills. Plans are developing very positively in these areas. The school works closely with parents, carers and others to ensure that pupils achieve well. All parents and carers responding to Parent View said that their children are happy at this school. Inspectors are extremely impressed with the school’s innovative approach to informing parents and carers regarding the day-to-day behaviour of their children. A system of smiley faces and texts which appear on mobile phones is an excellent innovation.

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Leadership and management Good

The proprietor has ensured that all of the independent school standards and the statutory requirements for the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. All of the requirements regarding the provision of information for parents, carers and others and for the complaints procedures are met.

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Leadership and management Good

The school’s premises and accommodation are well maintained. In relation to the recent material change regarding the school moving its nursery provision to the secondary school building, inspectors judge that leaders have done this successfully. The current provision, accommodation and other relevant arrangements have been considered and were found to meet the independent school standards. The arrangements are suitable for up to 100 children in the Early Years Foundation Stage to be accommodated at any one time.

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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 134429 Inspection number 441439 DfE registration number 380/6117 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 school School status Independent day school Age range of pupils 3–18 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 179 Number of part time pupils 14 Proprietor Mr Saiful Islam Chair Mr Saiful Islam Headteacher Mr Munir Azam Date of previous school inspection 6–9 December 2010 Annual fees (day pupils) £1,500 - £2,000 Telephone number Primary school: 01274 733150 Secondary school: 01274 962548 Fax number Not applicable Email address Primary school: pri@almumin.bradford.sch.uk Secondary school: sec@almumin.bradford.sch.uk

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School details

guidance 'Complaining about inspections', 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.

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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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