Rawdhatul Uloom

School report Rawdhatul Uloom Jamia Masjid-E-Farooq-Azam, North Street, Burnley, BB10 1LU

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Overall effectiveness Adequate 3

Pupils’ achievement Adequate 3 Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good 2 Quality of teaching Adequate 3 Quality of curriculum Adequate 3 Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good 2 Leadership and management Adequate 3

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This school is adequate because

 Pupils’ achievement is adequate. By the end of Year 6 attainment levels in English and mathematics are broadly in line with national averages. This is because few pupils make better than expected progress.  Teaching over time is adequate. It does not always provide pupils, particularly the most able, with sufficient challenge to reach their full potential. Marking is not always used to best effect.  The checking of pupils’ progress is not used well enough to pinpoint precisely where they need either extra support or more difficult work.  Leadership and management are adequate. Leaders have made improvements since the previous inspection but the school’s procedures for evaluating its work and driving improvement are not precise enough.  The role of subject leaders is under- developed. Leaders do not track pupils’ progress with sufficient rigour. Nor do they hold teachers closely enough to account for the progress of those in their class.

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This school is adequate because

 Pupils do not have enough opportunities to contribute to the local community or to meet others whose culture and beliefs differ from their own.

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The school has the following strengths

 This is a happy school. Pupils build good relationships with each other and with their teachers. They are keen to learn and their behaviour is mostly outstanding. They are most welcoming to visitors and very polite.  Pupils throughout the school make good progress in their Islamic studies. Children in the Reception class also make good progress.  The school successfully promotes pupils’ welfare, health and safety.

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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 was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspectors observed 17 part-lessons taught by 11 different teachers. They spoke with pupils informally and also met formally with two different groups of pupils. They held meetings with staff members and the Proprietor.  The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work and also listened to pupils of different ages reading. They examined a range of documents, such as records of pupils’ attainment and progress, and the school’s development planning, policies and procedures, including those related to safeguarding.  The inspectors took into account the 11 responses to Ofsted’s on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and one letter sent in by parents. The inspectors also considered eight responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Sarah Drake, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Yusuf Seedat Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Rawdhatul Uloom is an Islamic day school located in Burnley, Lancashire.  It caters for pupils aged between four and 11 years. From the age of nine, girls and boys are taught separately.  There are 104 pupils on roll, none of whom has a statement of educational needs. All are of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage; none speaks English as an additional language.  The school’s purpose is, ‘to win the hearts and minds of the children by providing a positive and loving environment, and to develop their character so that they fulfil the purpose of their existence.’  The school was last inspected in March 2011. The current headteacher was appointed in January 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to increase pupils’ achievement by: - formally checking and recording pupils’ progress at least once a term - using the information gained more precisely to adapt the planning of lessons - increasing the levels of challenge provided, particularly for the most able pupils - ensuring that marking consistently helps pupils to understand what they need to do to improve their work and reach the next level, and allowing them time to respond to teachers’ comments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by: - increasing the rigour with which leaders track pupils’ progress throughout the year - holding teachers more closely to account for the progress of those they teach - developing the role of middle leaders to share responsibility for both overseeing pupils’ achievement and driving forward improvement in the different subject areas - formalising leaders’ evaluation of the impact of the school’s work and developing measurable criteria against which to assess its future improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ social and cultural development by providing more opportunities for them to contribute to the local community and meet with people whose beliefs and culture differ from their own.

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Pupils’ achievement Adequate

Pupils’ achievement is adequate because the quality of teaching over time is adequate. The achievement of those pupils identified as needing extra support is similar to that of other pupils. With the small numbers in each class, children’s skills when they start in Reception vary considerably but, overall, they are typical of those expected for their age. They settle well in the supportive environment, become increasingly independent and make good progress. In 2013, the majority achieved a good level of development by the end of the year. Children confidently use their knowledge of the sounds that letters make to read words, carefully consider their choice of word to describe, for example, the feel of an avocado pear or shaving foam, and enjoy using small interlinking blocks to ‘play with numbers’.

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Pupils’ achievement Adequate

Older pupils make adequate progress. They develop a sound knowledge of the relevant skills for their age to support their learning in literacy and numeracy. Due to a break in the delivery of lessons in information and communication technology (ICT) during the updating of the ICT equipment and suite, pupils’ skills in this area are underdeveloped. However, all pupils now have lessons in ICT and those spoken with are very enthusiastic about the subject. As pupils progress through the school their understanding of, for example, number patterns, increases. Pupils read fluently and with good comprehension. By Years 5 and 6 pupils can confidently adapt sentences from direct to reported speech, and explain how this requires them to change the use of ‘pronouns’, ‘speech marks’ and ‘verbs’. Work in pupils’ books and the school’s end of year tests, show that most pupils are working within the levels expected for their age but few attain above

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Pupils’ achievement Adequate

In Islamic education, pupils achieve well because, in addition to discrete lessons, teaching in this area lies at the heart of the school’s purpose and runs as a thread throughout the day. Pupils show a good understanding of the sayings of the prophet, the words of different prayers and how to translate these into everyday life. One child in Reception, when playing outside, spontaneously greeted the inspector with ‘As-salamu Alaykum’ and, realising that she was not a Muslim, helpfully explained that, ‘this is what we say to welcome people’!

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

The overall behaviour and personal development of pupils is good. Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding as is their spiritual and moral development. Pupils fully understand and abide by the school’s Golden Rules. They develop a very strong moral compass and appreciation of life beyond the mundane. One wrote that they would put into the ‘special box’ they had made, ‘a blue sun on a winter’s day’ and ‘the whisper of the earth’. They are very supportive of each other, instinctively perform acts of kindness and behave extremely sensibly at break and lunchtimes. Pupils are joyful, and highly appreciative of their teachers’ help and support. One said, and others agreed, that, ‘Everything in school is perfect the way it is’. Pupils are attentive in lessons and enthusiastic learners. Attendance is above average, helped by parents’ positive response to the school’s actions in this area.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Pupils’ overall personal development is good, rather than outstanding. Pupils are tolerant and develop a broad general knowledge of public services and institutions in England. They are interested in the way of life of other people, show respect for other religions and fundraise for those less fortunate than themselves. However, their knowledge in these areas is largely built on theory because they have too few opportunities to contribute to the local community or to meet with those who hold different beliefs or belong to different cultures.

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Quality of teaching Adequate

Over time, teaching is adequate. Pupils do not achieve as well as they could largely because teachers do not make enough use of the information gained from checking pupils’ progress. As a result, there is insufficient challenge, particularly for the most able pupils, to enable them to achieve well. In the Reception class, children’s progress is checked in detail and their regularly changing ‘next steps’ clearly inform teachers’ planning and questioning. Elsewhere, although teachers check pupils’ work regularly in lessons and provide useful feedback to spur individuals on, checking pupil’ progress over time is less frequent. The work set in lessons is usually adapted to cater for pupils’ different needs but seldom offers pupils opportunities to dig down deep and use their knowledge and skills to work things out for themselves. Teachers acting as teaching assistants sometimes support those who find learning more difficult, generally doing so to good

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Quality of teaching Adequate

Lessons start promptly. Teachers make sure that pupils understand what the lesson is about and what they are expected to do. Pupils generally settle and sustain their concentration very well. Warm relationships and much use of praise create a good learning environment. Pupils want to please their teachers and they usually respond swiftly when called to attention. Most teachers use probing questions to gauge the depth of pupils’ understanding and to encourage them to expand on their answers. The marking of pupils’ work has improved over the current year but it is not yet used consistently to help pupils understand precisely what they need to work on next. Where guidance is provided, there is scant evidence of pupils responding to it. Although the expectations for the different National Curriculum levels are pasted in pupils’ books, they have only a vague understanding of how these relate to their own work. This hinders pupils from optimising their

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Quality of curriculum Adequate

The curriculum is suitably planned to enable pupils to make adequate progress in secular subjects. Schemes of work clearly set out which different aspects of a subject pupils will study and when. The provision for ICT has improved since the previous inspection but is not yet good and pupils seldom use ICT as a learning tool in other subjects. The school’s employment of an external consultant has also improved the provision for physical education. While outdoor provision is still limited, pupils do use resources in the local community to ensure compliance with this regulation and children in the Reception class have daily access to learning in the fresh air.

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Quality of curriculum Adequate

The Islamic curriculum supports pupils’ learning well, with clear progression in the depth of their understanding as they grow older. This also supports their personal development well. The study of Arabic enhances pupils’ understanding of Islam as well as their awareness of the different components of language. Pupils have suitable opportunities to study geography, history and art. Occasionally, they undertake educational visits, such as to Eden Camp in relation to the Second World War, which help to deepen their understanding of what they are learning.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

An intense atmosphere of care and support pervades the school and ensures that it promotes effectively pupils’ welfare, health and safety. All the parents who expressed their views agree. Safeguarding pupils from harm is at the core of the school’s ethos and everyday practice. Many policies include references to safeguarding. Staff training is thorough and up-to-date. All staff members have been checked to ensure their suitability to work with children and the school does not use supply staff. The school has recently installed a new fire alarm system and uses the installer to carry out annual checks, including those required for appliances. On a daily basis, staff take turns to complete a risk assessment of the accommodation before any pupils arrive. The school conducts regular fire drills. Pupils act in a sensible, safe manner, including on the steep stairs, and understand how to keep themselves safe, including when using computers. There is a

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

clearly worded policy about dealing with bullying and contact numbers for a children’s support charity are prominently displayed around school. All pupils spoken with were adamant that no such meanness occurs in school. They have every confidence to share any concerns with their teachers, knowing that they can depend on them for support.

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Leadership and management Adequate

The proprietor and headteacher have ensured that all regulations are met. This includes the provision of suitable premises and accommodation, establishing a suitable policy and procedures for handling complaints, and providing adequate information for parents about school policies, events and their children’s progress. However, leaders do not track pupils’ progress throughout the year with sufficient rigour. This means that leaders neither act quickly enough should pupils be at risk of falling behind nor hold teachers closely enough to account for pupils’ progress. This is the prime reason why pupils’ achievement is not yet good.

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Leadership and management Adequate

Leaders have improved the school since the previous inspection. For example, they have enhanced the curriculum and established systems through which to track pupils’ progress and record formal observations of the quality of teaching. However, currently there are no middle leaders to share responsibility for pupils’ achievement and for driving improvement in the different subjects. The headteacher only observes the teaching of a small number of staff.

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Leadership and management Adequate

The proprietor has a clear vision for the school and meets at least termly with the headteacher to evaluate the school’s strengths and areas in need of development. All staff attend a training week at the end of each term when they also consider that term’s successes and less successful areas. Recently, they have received training about safeguarding, planning and marking. However, the evaluation lacks sharpness and plans for the future have no timescales or measurable criteria against which to gauge their success. This means that the school remains adequate rather than moving forward at a more rapid rate.

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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 the quality of education has serious weaknesses.

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School details

Unique reference number 135219 Inspection number 440216 DfE registration number 888/6097 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 Islamic Primary School status Independent School Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 104 Proprietor Rawdhatul Uloom Chair Mr Ayub Patel Headteacher Mr Tokeer Bashir Date of previous school inspection 15 March 2011 Annual fees (day pupils) £1,080 Telephone number 01282 832170 Fax number 01282 832170 Email address info@rawdhaprimary.co.uk 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

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School details

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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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