Jaamiatul Imaam Muhammad Zakaria

Jaamiatul Imaam Muhammad Zakaria Thornton View Road, Clayton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD14 6JX

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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 Sixth form provision Good 2 Overall effectiveness of the boarding experience Good 2

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This is a good school

 Effective leadership and management from the headteacher, supported by the heads of school, the madrasah and boarding, ensure that all of the independent school standards and the national minimum standards for boarding are met.  Students are well prepared for their next stage of education or employment.  Good teaching leads to good progress for all groups of students. From broadly average starting points, students make good progress to reach above average standards.  The sixth form provision is good. Consequently, students make good progress, particularly in Islamic studies.  Students’ boarding experience is good. They enjoy boarding life and see themselves as part of a community that they liken to a big happy family.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. They have a well- developed understanding of democracy and are tolerant and understanding of others.  Behaviour and safety are good and students’

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This is a good school

positive attitudes contribute to their good learning.  Trustees are knowledgeable about all aspects of the school and have commissioned additional challenge and support. This has helped to identify where aspects of the school’s work could be even better to bring about improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching does not always sufficiently challenge the most-able students and some marking does not always help students to improve their work.  Some policies and procedures, connected to identifying and managing any risks on the site, are not always precise.

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schools

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

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Information about this inspection

 This integrated inspection of care and education was conducted without notice at the request of the Department for Education (DfE) because of some concerns about the school and boarding provision.  The inspectors observed teaching in almost all classes and all classes were visited as part of a learning walk with a member of staff. Inspectors toured the inside and outside of all buildings, including the residential accommodation.  During visits to classrooms, inspectors reviewed students’ work and spoke with them about their learning. Inspectors scrutinised students’ work in a range of subjects and held meetings with teachers, staff members and students.  Inspectors checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards. They examined school policies and documentation from the education and residential provision, including students’ records and assessment information. The inspection team also looked at the school’s documentation,

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Information about this inspection

including teachers’ planning and the school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding, welfare, health and safety.  Inspectors conducted a telephone interview with one of the trustees. Inspectors took account of 95 parental responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to evaluate the views of parents and carers. Account was taken of questionnaires completed by students about their residential experience.  Inspectors observed lunch, break times and boarding routines, including a mealtime. They spoke to students about their experiences as boarders.

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Inspection team

Amraz Ali, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Jaamiatul Imaam Muhammad Zakaria School is an independent boarding school for Muslim girls aged from 11 to 21 years. All attend the school full-time.  All students are boarders and reside in four former hospital buildings on the site.  The school was opened in 1992 and is situated in the Clayton area of Bradford. There are currently 480 girls on roll including 100 girls in the post-16 provision. The majority of students are British Muslims from a South Asian origin. A small proportion of students are from abroad and some of these are learning English as an additional language.  The school uses no alternative provision.  Very few students are identified as being disabled or having special educational needs. However health and care plans are in place for a very small number of students with specific medical conditions.  The school was last inspected in May 2011 and its boarding provision was inspected in 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching and students’ learning, so that more is consistently good or better, by: ensuring that teachers use what they know about students’ abilities to provide the most able with tasks that always challenge them ensuring that marking more consistently guides students to improve their work.  Enhance further the opportunities for students to engage with and experience age-appropriate activities within the local community, in and around Bradford, as part of their growth and preparation for life beyond the school.  Ensure that leaders and managers use their checks on the boarding accommodation and the wider site to better identify where improvements are needed, particularly in some of the washrooms and some floor coverings.

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The leadership and management are good

 The strong leadership of the headteacher has brought about significant improvement to the site and ensured that teaching and students’ achievement continue to be good.  The head of school and teachers have responded well to a recent dip in the proportion of students reaching the higher GCSE grades in English. Consequently, more attention is paid to the teaching of reading and to developing students’ understanding of a wider range of texts.  Arrangements for the management of staff performance are rigorous. Observations are made of teaching so that staff are given guidance on the ways that can make their work more effective. Mentoring and peer observations are used to help teachers to observe and learn from the most effective teaching.  The school’s commitment to equal opportunity means that all students typically make good progress.  Students’ safety is a priority and all arrangements for safeguarding students meet requirements. Staff

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The leadership and management are good

have a secure understanding of the safeguarding arrangements and work with other agencies, when needed, to support students.  The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Leaders ensure that pupils achieve well in Islamic studies because of detailed planning and effective teaching. Leaders and staff are committed to ensuring that pupils are well prepared for living in British society. They effectively promote the values of democracy, tolerance and understanding of other beliefs and cultures. The values and practices of Islam are woven through the ethos of the school.  Students are provided with appropriate information and guidance about courses and future career options. Consequently, older students were able to explain clearly what options they had for the future. They were knowledgeable about the course requirements needed to pursue particular higher and further

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The leadership and management are good

education courses.  Parental support for the school is exceptionally strong. Although there is not a school website, parents are provided with access to all of the required information in pre- and post-admission packs. This includes a copy of the safeguarding policy, which meets requirements.  The head of boarding, supported by the headteacher, has taken appropriate action to address the issues from the last boarding inspection. For example, a thorough review was undertaken of the use of close circuit television (CCTV) to consider students’ privacy and dignity. After considering students’ views, the use of CCTV was extended into some other parts of the school. Students stated categorically that they liked the CCTV because it makes them feel safe and they have no concerns that CCTV compromises their privacy.  The students have very positive views of the school and their boarding experiences. They are proud of

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The leadership and management are good

their own achievements. Many spoke proudly of the examination results they have gained and how they will use these to secure their chosen careers. For some students, their learning lasts well into the early evening, mainly where they have been identified for additional classes and examination preparation. While this appears to be a very long day for some students, none felt that it was unduly tiring and some valued the extra attention they receive.  The curriculum, comprising Islamic studies each morning and secular subjects each afternoon, is good. All of the required elements are taught systematically. The broad curriculum ensures that students are appropriately prepared for life beyond the school. However, some aspects, including the range of extra- curricular opportunities available to students, are limited. Students make some visits into the local community, for example to help at an elderly people’s home. However, opportunities for all students to

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The leadership and management are good

engage with and experience age-appropriate activities within the local community are sometimes missed. Consequently, some students know little about the wide range of activities available in and around Bradford.  Leadership and management are not outstanding because some risk assessments for the site do not pinpoint precisely how all identified risks will be minimised. Also, leaders and managers do not always use their checks on the boarding accommodation and the wider site to identify where improvements are needed. For example, although they meet requirements, some of the washrooms and floor coverings are becoming worn and are in need of renewal. Teaching is good rather than better because not all teaching effectively challenges the most able and marking does not always help students to improve their work. Consequently, achievement is good.  The governance of the school: In order to establish an accurate and impartial view of the school’s performance, trustees

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The leadership and management are good

commissioned an external consultant to provide them with regular reports about the work of the school. This, along with reports from senior staff, means that they have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Trustees challenged the staff to do more to teach students actively about modern British values. Staff rose to this challenge so that aspects of modern British values are well developed in both secular subjects and Islamic studies. Trustees know about the management of staff performance. They know, for example, what is being done to support newer teachers and those students who remain at the school to become teachers.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is outstanding. Students’ very positive attitudes and very well-established routines mean that students’ engagement in lessons is very high.  Students behave well around school, the boarding houses and in lessons. Their enjoyment of school and their boarding experience is evident, and they state that they are happy and feel safe at school. Students invariably enjoy good relationships with staff.  Good attention is given to developing students’ confidence and independence. Good work in personal, social and health education and religious education enables students to develop an awareness and respect for British values, and for the diversity of beliefs and cultures represented in the wider community. The students are taught about a wide range of significant world religions.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. Work covered within the curriculum enables students to consider the impact of healthy lifestyles and how to stay safe.  Arrangements for the assessment of risk on the premises and during off-site activities are appropriate. However, documentary evidence of this is sometimes imprecise and does not always identify how all risks will be managed. Arrangements for fire safety have recently been reviewed so that they are now appropriate. Arrangements for the recruitment of staff and training in all aspects of good practice are sound.  The medical team work well with others to ensure students receive the best possible care. Health care professionals are complimentary about the school and the action taken to maintain the good health of the students. They comment that the staff are open to new ideas and work collaboratively with them to reduce the spread of infection and to ensure students receive care when feeling unwell. Students are

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Safety

helped appropriately to manage their own medical needs. For example, some are confident to manage their use of inhalers and food intolerances.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good. Where the level of challenge and teachers’ expectations of students are high, all students achieve well. Relationships between students and teachers are excellent. Students get the most from their lessons because they are confident to ask questions and are keen to succeed in their studies. However, sometimes teaching does not always ensure that the most able are sufficiently challenged. For example, in a mathematics lesson once students completed a problem they had to wait for others to catch up before they were presented with more challenging work.  Lessons get off to a prompt start so that no time is wasted. Students behave exceptionally well in lessons and there is no low-level disruption. Students’ very positive attitudes to their work make a strong contribution to their learning and their good progress.  Structured schemes of work, along with examination text books, provide teachers with the content for

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The quality of teaching is good

each subject. Regular tests are used throughout the year to check on students’ progress and to inform teachers’ planning. Any students who are not on track to reach their end-of-year targets are spotted early and a detailed programme of extra classes helps any such students catch up.  Teachers plan systematically so that pupils learn in a step-by-step way, building steadily on what they already know and can do. Teachers’ explanations are clear. Their good subject knowledge is used well to explain new concepts and ideas. Questioning is used well to check on and to develop students’ understanding.  The teaching of science is a particular strength, as reflected in the consistently strong examination results over the last three years. In one lesson, for example, students enjoyed learning about how sound travels by playing a game, involving locating the source of a sound.  Students’ exercise books are usually neat and well-presented but in a small number of cases this is not

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The quality of teaching is good

the case. The marking of students’ work is regular, typically with ticks and encouraging comments. However, not all marking of work brings about improvement to the quality of work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils enter Year 7 with standards that are in line with national averages in English and mathematics. Effective teaching and students’ very positive attitudes to learning ensure that they make good progress to reach standards that are typically above average. Inspection evidence indicates that students in the current Year 11 are on track to reach their targets.  In 2014, the percentage of pupils gaining five A* to C GCSE grades in mathematics and science was significantly above average, with a high proportion reaching B grades or above. The proportions of students making expected and better than expected progress in these subjects was above that found nationally. In English, the proportion making better than expected progress was not as strong and consequently attainment at the higher grades suffered.  The most-able students typically make good progress but there is a little variation. In some lessons, the

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The achievement of pupils is good

most able are not always challenged and in 2014 a lower than expected proportion reached above a grade C in English.  There are some variations across secular subjects and from year to year, but taken together all pupils achieve well. Students invariably make good progress in Islamic studies with a significant proportion continuing their studies into the post-16 aspects of the school.  Each year a small proportion of sixth form students are entered for public examinations. Numbers are small but results over the last three years indicate generally good progress overall.  Although there is a little variability, students’ written work covers a suitable range of topics; these typically reflect examination syllabus requirements. Recorded work shows clearly that most students are making good gains in their knowledge, skills and understanding,  Some particular elements of the curriculum are contributing to student’s preparation for life beyond the

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The achievement of pupils is good

school. For example, many students cite their enjoyment of sewing and cookery as both useful for future hobbies and life skills.

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The sixth form provision is good

 The leadership and management of the sixth form are the same as for the school and are good overall. Leaders have ensured that the independent school standards and national minimum standards for boarding schools are all met, which has benefitted sixth form students.  Students who choose to remain at the school in the sixth form generally do so to continue their Islamic studies and in order to complete the course that secures them a qualification that is awarded by the school. Where students have not secured GCSEs in English and mathematics at a grade C or above, they must continue these studies. Students are able to select from a small range of secular subjects which are available at both AS and A Level, depending on the students’ interests such as Arabic, Urdu, English and mathematics. Although numbers are small and vary from year to year in secular subjects, students’ achievement is typically good.

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The sixth form provision is good

 Good teaching in both secular subjects and Islamic studies ensures that students are well prepared for the next stage of their education or employment. Many successfully become scholars and teachers or progress to higher education after graduation.  Students’ behaviour and safety are good. They are very well motivated and this contributes effectively to the positive ethos of the school; this adds to the success of the school.

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are good

 The boarding provision is well managed so that students’ individual needs are met effectively. Staff have a clear understanding of how students new to boarding may be feeling when they first join the school. They are adept at spotting any who may be homesick. This is because many of the staff have been boarders themselves. Students have a range of people to talk to, for example independent listeners, and have access to a range of external support helplines. Students are eager to talk about their positive boarding experiences, particularly how they have been able to connect more with their faith.  The boarding premises are appropriately maintained. Although there is a programme of refurbishment, there are some places where the routine checks on the premises have not led to improvement. For example, there are some loose fitting carpets in students’ bedrooms, some shower room doors are damaged and some window dressings need to be re-hung.

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are good

 Students are consulted on how the hostels are run and organised. Students say they feel valued and respected. They say the staff listen to them and address any issues they may have through the school council or by speaking directly to staff. An example of this was the students’ request for new equipment in one of the kitchens which was organised once their ideas had been sought.  Students have a strong affiliation with their school. They present as happy and very well settled. They see the school environment as an extension of their family. This is clearly reflected in the overwhelming responses to the survey. For example, students made comments like, ‘We're one big family!’, ‘Jaamia Rox’ and ‘I love Jaamia’.

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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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Grade Judgement

Grade characteristics for the judgements made on the school’s boarding provision can be viewed in the Evaluation schedule for the inspection of boarding and residential provision in schools which is also available on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-schedule-for-the- inspection-of-boarding-and-residential-provision-in-schools .

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School details

Unique reference number 107460 Social care unique reference number SC001275 Inspection number 464000 DfE registration number 380/6109 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. The inspection of boarding provision was carried out under the Children Act 1989, as amended by the Care Standards Act 2000, having regard to the national minimum standards for boarding schools. Type of school Muslim Girls Secondary School School status Independent boarding school Age range of pupils 11–21 Gender of pupils Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 480 Number of part time pupils 0 Number of boarders on roll 480 Proprietor Jaamiatul Imaam Muhammad Zakaria Board of Trustees Chair Mr Shokat Ali Dadhiwala Headteacher Mrs Zebunnisa Hajee

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School details

Date of previous school inspection May 2011 Annual fees (boarders) £2,300 Telephone number 01274 882007 Fax number 01274 883696 Email address Not applicable 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 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 student, 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

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user .

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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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