Jamiatul Uloom Al - Islamia

Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia 364-370 Leagrave Road, Luton, LU3 1RF

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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This is a good school

 Students’ achievement in secular studies is good and standards are above national averages. Students also achieve well in Islamic studies; in memorising the Qur’an (the Hifz course), their achievement is outstanding.  Good teaching, with high expectations that nurture a strong work ethic, motivates students to strive for excellence in all of their studies.  Teachers track students’ progress carefully and step in quickly with extra help if their learning stalls. Should students exceed their targets at any stage, higher challenges are set for them.  The curriculum actively promotes British values and develops students’ interest in, understanding of and respect for diversity in modern society.  Students’ behaviour is good. They are safe and feel secure at school. They know how to avoid risky situations and where to seek advice, if needed.  The proprietor, Chair of the board of trustees and staff are diligent in ensuring that the independent

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This is a good school

school standards are met. The proprietor’s mantra ‘we do our best’ shines through in all aspects of the school’s work and has driven the improvements since the last inspection.  The entire school community is harmonious, hardworking, calm and proud of its achievements.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not outstanding because students are sometimes rushed through a series of tasks without having sufficient time to consolidate and reflect on their learning.  The quality of presentation and handwriting in students’ written work and teachers’ marking across subjects is inconsistent.  While leaders plan the right actions to improve the school and move it forward, some actions take too long to complete because precise deadlines are not set.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out with half a day’s notice.  Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) and senior leaders jointly observed nine part lessons taught by seven different teachers. HMI looked at students' work, and held meetings with the proprietor, the Chair of the board of trustees, staff and groups of students.  To check compliance with the independent school standards, a range of documentation was seen including policies, schemes of work, teachers’ planning, tracking and assessment of students’ attainment and progress in secular and Islamic studies. Records about attendance, behaviour and safety were examined, together with the school’s development plan for future improvement. The school’s systems and procedures for safeguarding its students were scrutinised.  The views of parents and staff were taken into account. As no parents registered their views using Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, the school sent parents a paper copy. Responses from 33

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Information about this inspection

parents were taken into account.  The school had previously submitted a request to the Department for Education (DfE) to extend the number of students on roll from 40 to 80. This material change was considered as part of the inspection. In addition, HMI checked the school’s progress against its action plan to meet one unmet standard from the previous inspection.

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Inspection team

Linda Killman, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Jamaitul Uloom Al-Islamia in Luton is a day school for Muslim boys of secondary school age. It opened in September 2004 and is registered for 40 boys aged from 11 to 16 years. It provides a combination of Islamic and secular teaching. The premises are also used as a mosque when members of the community join staff and students for daily prayers.  The number of students on roll has increased significantly since the last inspection in September 2011. The building has been extended to provide more spaces for teaching and learning.  There are currently 44 students on roll. None are disabled or have learning difficulties. No students have a statement of special educational needs.  All students are from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian or Sri Lankan heritages; all are bilingual and speak English as their first language fluently.  The school uses no alternative off-site provision. Any staff absence is covered by staff currently employed

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Information about this school

by the school.  The school aims to provide the highest standard of Islamic and secular education with emphasis on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development based on Islamic teachings and doctrines. It seeks to ‘spread and promote the noble teachings of the Blessed Qur’an and Sunnah of Rasulullah Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallaam’ and to safeguard the Muslim community from ‘detrimental activities and conducts to Islam’.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move some of the teaching from good to outstanding by: ensuring that the urgency for students to complete a range of tasks within a lesson is balanced with time to reinforce learning or to deepen students’ understanding and mastery improving consistency in the marking of students’ work across subjects so that all reflects the best practice mirroring the high expectations in modern foreign languages for careful handwriting and good presentation in all subjects written in English.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the leadership and management team sets challenging deadlines for the completion of actions in the development plan and includes dates for progress checks at regular intervals.

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The leadership and management are good

 The proprietor, Chair of the board of trustees and senior leaders are ambitious for students to be successful in their Islamic, religious and secular studies. They pull together as an effective team, striving for excellence in helping students to achieve their aspirations and flourish as good British Muslims who are well prepared for later life having gained good academic qualifications.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership of teaching is good. Staff attend relevant courses beyond the school as well as participating in regular in-house training. Leaders ensure that staff are up-to-date with new guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) on welfare, health and safety, the independent school standards and changes to the curriculum. Teachers are responding well to the headteacher’s encouragement to use a wider range of methods and approaches in their teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and learning by observing lessons, looking at students’ work, and evaluating information about students’ progress and achievement. Teachers have opportunities to watch teaching in subjects other than their own and learn from each other. Some inconsistencies in teaching are evident but the determination to improve is strong.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff and parents are overwhelmingly positive in their views about the school. All staff are proud to work at the school and have confidence in its leadership and management. Relationships with parents are extremely positive, as demonstrated by the fact that no written complaints have been received since the school opened. Leaders are accessible and pride themselves in responding quickly to any concerns. They ensure that parents are fully informed about any necessary changes in school which affect their sons.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is relatively small and staff share the workload evenly. They are all accountable for different aspects of the school’s work. Middle leaders have well-informed understanding of strengths and areas that require development in their subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders keep the curriculum under constant review in order to improve it. The range of subjects taught has increased since the last inspection, with 13 GCSEs now available for students to study. Leaders ensure that breadth and balance in the curriculum is maintained. Students’ communication, literacy and numeracy skills are progressively developed. A comprehensive extra-curricular programme actively promotes British values, reinforcing what is taught in school by giving students chances to apply their learning to everyday life situations.

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements for promoting students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. As a result, students are able to talk about tolerance, discrimination and extremism openly and confidently. They understand and respect that different people in society may hold different views from their own and that this does not weaken their profound allegiance to their own religious beliefs.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding procedures and policies meet requirements and are effective. The school has engaged with the national Prevent strategy, using the police and other agencies to support them in designing a comprehensive policy to keep students safe from activities or conduct potentially detrimental to Islam.

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The leadership and management are good

 Formal careers guidance for students was introduced in September 2014 and is work in progress. Students have already had the opportunity to attend a careers fair in school where they talked about the world of work with local people who are successful in their careers. Placements for work experience later in the year are being arranged.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: The board of trustees, the school’s governing body, is effective and has its finger firmly on the pulse of all aspects of the school’s work. This is why the school has met all of the new and more challenging independent school standards which came into force two weeks before this inspection. Governors know what the quality of teaching is like by dropping into lessons frequently and attending staff training sessions. The personal qualities and academic potential of every boy are known to them and they make sure that they do all that they should to secure students’ success as learners. Finances are managed well to achieve good value for money. Keeping students safe is a priority. The governing body has an ambitious vision, underpinned by a suitable strategic plan for the school’s future growth and ongoing success. The planned actions are fit for purpose but not always achieved in the shortest

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The leadership and management are good

possible time because deadlines for completion are not set.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is good. This is because staff expect no less from them and their parents support the school’s high expectations. Students are demonstrably outward looking and value community cohesiveness; this is encouraged and applauded by school staff. The school council is a new initiative and councillors are in the early stages of developing their role, for example, in leading and organising fund- raising events.

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Behaviour

 Students know the systems of rewards and sanctions in the behaviour policy, and staff implement this consistently. While students know that their good achievements will be celebrated, they also know that sanctions will follow if they do not observe the rules.

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Behaviour

 Whether working individually, in pairs or in groups, students show good attitudes to learning. The work seen in their exercise books is variable in quality across subjects. Some students do not apply the same care and attention to handwriting and presentation in work written in English that they learn is so important in modern foreign languages.

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Behaviour

 All students show dedication and resilience in memorising the Qur'an. They are ambitious for their futures, and feel that the school provides good advice and guidance on career options. The school develops students’ life skills, some to do with work ethic, such as making sure homework is handed in on time, and others to do with practical skills, such as planning a trip to London. Together with good academic achievement, these prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

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Behaviour

 Year 7 students new to the school this year were welcomed by the older boys and all of the students spoken to during the inspection confirmed that everyone gets along well together ‘like a family’. Students enjoy taking part in competitive art and sports events.

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Behaviour

 Students especially enjoy special rewards for consistently good attendance. Year 7 pupils were seen flocking to a noticeboard, eager to see the latest results showing each boy’s attendance in the previous month.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. Students have remarkably mature attitudes and views on society, people of different faiths and community issues. They have a good understanding of the different groups that are protected by law against discrimination and feel free from any harassment or bullying in school.

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Safety

 Students show depth in their understanding of e-safety and the potential hazards of using the internet and mobile phones, which they learn about in computing studies. They know about content that could be inappropriate; the risks associated with grooming and cyber-bullying; and privacy issues, such as the disclosure of personal information. Parents are kept in the loop, with the school setting clear guidelines for their responsibilities to keep their sons safe when using technologies at home.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good. The school’s track record of increasing the proportion of students gaining at least five GCSEs, including English and mathematics, at grades A* to C is testament to the quality of the teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 At the time of the last inspection, the school did not provide a suitable range of resources for teaching and learning. This standard is now met.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching encourages students to share their views. Excellent relationships between staff and students lend confidence to learning. Students know that they are safe to put forward their individual views in discussion and debates. For example, the newly introduced sociology course about human social behaviour has been received well by students who enjoy opportunities to learn about and discuss economic, social, political and religious issues.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching staff provide students with exemplary role models to aspire to. Through their teaching staff promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development strongly and effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Formal testing is regular and recorded so that staff can track students’ progress and adjust their teaching accordingly. Teachers ensure that students of all abilities make good progress. In lessons, teachers sometimes do not allow enough time to check that students’ understanding is secure before moving on to the next task.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are diligent about marking students’ written work. Some of the comments they make are helpful in guiding them to what could be even better next time but this is inconsistent across subjects. Expectations are not consistently high enough for careful presentation and neat handwriting in subjects written in English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers plan daily lessons from comprehensive schemes of work written for all subjects. The plans give structure to the learning and ensure progression. Sometimes urgency to complete the planned activities takes over when the pace requires adjustment to check that all students have grasped and understood key points before moving on.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students’ achievement from their starting points on entry is good. Public examination results have improved year-on-year and are above average. The 2014 GCSE results for at least five qualifications at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, rose by 16 percentage points from those in 2012. All students make good progress over time and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in mathematics, modern foreign languages and religious studies are impressive. Many students pass these with a good grade before Year 11 and often in Key Stage 3. The school enters students for examinations as soon as they are ready. To date, all students have gained a distinction in information and communication technology. They are usually not ready to sit the English examination until the standard time in Year 11.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Staff set no ceiling for students’ achievement to ensure that all students are challenged. The most-able students are set aspirational targets to achieve and they rise to them. The school’s results compare very favourably with the best in Luton schools and secondary schools nationally. Early entry does not limit the potential of the most-able students who move on quickly to AS-level and A-level courses when they are ready.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s track record in supporting students in memorising the Qur'an (the Hifz course) is outstanding. It is not unusual for some students to have memorised the complete Qur'an with proper pronunciation by the time they leave in Year 11. This achievement is prized among staff, parents and the students themselves who devote long hours to the subject. Students also achieve well in advanced Islamic Studies and religious studies.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 No students are disabled or have special educational needs. However, if the any student’s learning falters, an input of extra help quickly gets them back on track.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students achieve well academically; they also develop as mature, thoughtful and rounded individuals with well-developed personal and social skills.

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Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Non-association independent school inspection handbook which is published on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/non- association-independent-school-inspection-handbook .

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School details

Unique reference number 134805 Inspection number 454272 DfE registration number 821/6006 This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, 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 boys day school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 44 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Muhammad Miah Chair Muhammad Gulab Miah Headteacher Nadeem Hussain Date of previous school inspection 13 September 2011 Annual fees (day pupils) £1,800 Telephone number 01582 595535 Fax number 01582 595535 Email address info@jamialuton.org guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a

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School details

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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 and 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 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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