Madani Boys School

Madani Boys School 77 Evington Valley Road, Leicester LE5 5LL

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Senior leaders have created an inclusive, aspirational culture that motivates pupils to achieve highly as individuals and as members of their school and local community.  Pupils in Key Stage 4 make good progress, particularly in English and mathematics.  The proportion of most-able pupils who attain the highest grades at Key Stage 4 are in line with or above national levels in most subjects.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is consistently outstanding.  Teachers plan lessons carefully to deepen pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills.  Leaders at all levels rigorously monitor teaching to ensure that it is of the highest quality.  Gaps in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally have closed in English and mathematics.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils have good relationships with each other and their teachers, and are proud of their school.  Pupils have a profound understanding of

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This is a good school

fundamental British values and their own spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Governors have a precise understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They offer support and challenge in equal measure.  Leaders at all levels work closely with other schools within the city and with the local authority to improve the school’s provision for its pupils.  Attendance is above national levels and continues to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some of the most-able pupils are not making rapid enough progress in a small number of subjects at Key Stage 4.  There is a very small number of pupils whose behaviour is not improving. Their behaviour does not meet the school’s high expectations relating to pupils’ conduct.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise the achievement of the most-able pupils at Key Stage 4 in French, geography and product design by ensuring that they receive regular opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding.  Refine the strategies that the school currently uses to improve the behaviour of the very small number of pupils whose conduct does not meet the school’s high expectations.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Senior leaders, led strongly by the executive headteacher and the head of school, have worked tirelessly to create a culture that promotes aspirational attitudes and that expects the best of its pupils. At the same time, there is a strong focus on promoting equalities and inclusion, recognising the diversity in the school’s community and the city in which the school is located. The school’s high expectations relating to academic success, personal conduct and community cohesion apply both to pupils and staff. Consequently, this aspirational ethos has resulted in highly motivated and successful pupils who have a deep understanding of how they can contribute to modern society.  Senior leaders’ and governors’ evaluation of the effectiveness of the school’s provision for its pupils is accurate. Consequently, they have a precise understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and take appropriate action where necessary. For example, senior leaders have addressed staffing

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

shortages in order to secure the quality of teaching, particularly in English.  There is a strong drive on the part of governors and senior leaders to identify and develop leadership potential among the school’s staff. The school is involved in several strategies to develop leadership skills and prepare colleagues for senior leadership. As a consequence, subject leaders feel more empowered to lead their subject areas. This leadership drive, however, extends beyond the school. The head of school coordinates a county-wide school leadership programme for black and ethnic minority middle leaders. There is a high success rate of participants from other schools subsequently moving on to positions of senior leadership either within their own, or in other, schools.  Senior leaders regularly monitor pupils’ achievement across all subjects. Where pupils do not achieve as highly as they should in any subject, leaders are quick to identify the reasons for this and take

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

appropriate action. Consequently, significantly higher proportions of pupils are now making good progress in subjects where there have previously been some underperformance, and particularly in English.  Senior leaders work closely with subject leaders to monitor the quality of teaching. This includes undertaking joint visits to lessons, checking pupils’ books and speaking with pupils. As a result, leaders at all levels have a precise understanding of the quality of teaching. They are also able to provide appropriate and effective support to those teachers whose performance does not meet the school’s high expectations. Teachers who receive this support make rapid improvements in their practice.  The management of teachers’ performance is rigorous. Senior leaders consider a range of information relating to teachers’ performance when making decisions relating to salary progress.  Leadership of teaching is very effective, particularly in providing appropriate training for teachers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Training focuses on meeting the individual needs of teachers that leaders identify through rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching. This training draws upon examples of best practice found within the school, across the federation and in schools within the city and the local authority. Most of the staff who responded to the questionnaire agree that the school supports their professional development.  Leaders are quick to identify where pupils are falling behind and provide effective support to ensure that they catch up. Literacy leaders, for example, have employed effective strategies to check which pupils struggle with reading and provide them with support to enable them to develop their literacy skills. The school’s own monitoring of these strategies demonstrates that they are highly effective in enabling pupils to catch up.  The leadership of the school’s provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

very effective. The co-ordinator for students with special educational needs regularly monitors the progress of these pupils and ensures that pupils receive appropriate support, either in class or in small intervention groups. His team of teaching assistants provides effective support for these pupils. As a consequence, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress across all years, particularly in English and mathematics.  The school works closely with the local authority in order to secure the highest provision for its pupils. Leaders regularly take advantage of opportunities that the local authority offers to share best practice with other schools. Governors undertake training that the local authority provides. This support has enabled the school to ensure that teachers, leaders and governors fully develop their skills and that pupils make good progress.  Senior leaders use additional government funding, such as the pupil premium, effectively. They closely

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

monitor the impact of the strategies that they employ to support disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, the gaps in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally have closed rapidly.  The school’s well-designed curriculum provides pupils with a broad and balanced range of subjects that successfully develops their knowledge, understanding and skills. Pupils receive impartial careers guidance to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the opportunities that they may access when they leave the school. Consequently, almost all pupils go on to appropriate places of education, employment or training.  A wide range of enrichment activities enhance the curriculum, enabling pupils to develop further their appreciation of spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of British society. These opportunities include undertaking trips to parliament, engaging in inter-faith events, taking part in design competitions and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

entering inter-school sporting competitions. As a consequence, pupils have a deep understanding of the society in which they live. Pupils who inspectors met demonstrated an appreciation of the challenges that people from different ethnic minorities, or those with different religious beliefs, can face.  Systems for checking on the progress that pupils are making are accurate and effective. Subject leaders work closely with teachers to ensure that the performance information is robust, and that teachers use this information to plan lessons that enable all pupils to make progress. There are, however, a small number of subjects at Key Stage 4 where the most-able pupils do not make rapid enough progress.  The governance of the school: Governors are highly skilled. They have ensured that those governors who chair committees have skills from their professional background that enhance effectiveness in their role. As a result, they are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

sharp in their analysis of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Where they are concerned about possible underperformance, they conduct their own investigations to develop a clear understanding of the issue before challenging senior leaders. Governors accept no excuses. As a consequence, they provide rigorous challenge to leaders at all levels and fuel the drive for pupils’ high achievement. Governors closely monitor pupils’ achievement and are quick to question where subjects are not performing as highly as they expect. They meet with subject leaders in order to check for themselves the quality of the school’s provision. Furthermore, they closely monitor the impact of the strategies that senior leaders have put into place using the pupil premium. Governors are very aware of their responsibilities relating to keeping children safe. They regularly check that the school’s procedures relating to safeguarding are robust. They are fully aware of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

actions that they must take where there is a safeguarding concern.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are knowledgeable about the different signs of abuse and have a clear understanding of the action that they must take if they have concerns about a pupil. Senior leaders with responsibility for safeguarding work closely with outside agencies to support vulnerable pupils. Senior leaders are tenacious in checking that children who move to another school have enrolled at and attend the subsequent school, even if this school is abroad.  Staff and pupils have received training relating to radicalisation and extremism. The school works closely with the Prevent coordinator for Leicester and Leicestershire and has been the host for events relating to the prevention of radicalisation and extremism.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers have strong subject knowledge, which they use effectively to engage with and motivate pupils. Teachers provide effective support to pupils within lessons, clarifying misconceptions, providing appropriate support and asking questions to deepen understanding. Consequently, pupils engage well with their learning and are able to deepen their knowledge, skills and understanding.  There are positive attitudes to learning in the classroom. This is due to the close relationships that pupils have with their teachers and the close support and encouragement that they receive when they may be falling behind. Pupils are encouraged to contribute to lessons and to listen respectfully to each other. They take pride in their work.  Teachers regularly set homework in order to develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding further. Pupils who inspectors met recognised how the homework they completed extended their understanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and valued the feedback that they received.  Teachers regularly mark books following the school’s policy and provide detailed feedback that enables pupils to develop their understanding further. Pupils’ books clearly demonstrated that they were able to improve upon their work because of the feedback that they received.  Subject leaders and teachers carefully moderate teachers’ assessment of work to ensure that it is accurate. The school works closely with other schools in the city and in the Madani Schools Federation to ensure that assessment is robust. Consequently, the school’s monitoring of pupils’ achievement is accurate.  Reading is actively encouraged throughout the school. It is a requirement that pupils should have a book as part of their equipment for learning. There are regular opportunities for pupils to read and to reflect upon what they have read. Teachers focus on pupils’ literacy skills by correcting pupils where their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

spoken language or written work is not grammatically correct or accurate enough. Consequently, pupils are able to communicate their ideas with increasing clarity.  Teachers regularly encourage pupils to consider those aspects of the topics that they are studying which relate to their spiritual, moral, social or cultural development. For example, one inspector observed pupils considering the role of parliament in Britain when studying Nazi Germany. Another inspector observed a teacher using a survey that pupils had conducted in the local community to reflect on how pupils could speak with adults more confidently. The pupils with whom inspectors met confirmed that such occasions were typical, and that teachers regularly encouraged them to debate topical and controversial issues. As a consequence of this, pupils are able to develop a sharp understanding of the society within which they live. The vibrant and engaging displays around the school reinforce this learning. These displays include

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

an exhibit of pupils’ artwork, information highlighting the role of Muslims in the First World War and pupils’ posters exploring what it means to be British.  Teachers carefully use assessment information in planning their lessons, to ensure that they set pupils activities that meet their needs and extend their learning. As a result, most pupils have regular opportunities to develop their understanding fully and complete work that allows them to make rapid progress. However, in a few subjects at Key Stage 4, particularly in French, geography and product design, teachers do not always cater for the needs of the most-able pupils. Where this is the case, these pupils do not always make rapid enough progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Teachers provide highly effective support for their pupils, particularly for those who are vulnerable or who are experiencing difficulties. Pupils who inspectors met said that they were able to speak with staff where they had concerns, including their form tutor or the senior leader with responsibility for safeguarding. The school also engages with external agencies to support pupils who are experiencing difficulties, or for whom there are clearly identified barriers to learning.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of the multicultural nature of British society and of how they can contribute positively to this. They are aware of the dangers of extremism and radicalisation and are sensitive to the differences between diverse ethnic and religious groups.  Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying, including cyber, physical, sexual, emotional and

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Personal development and welfare

homophobic bullying. Pupils who inspectors met reported that bullying rarely occurred, but that where it did, teachers dealt with it effectively. The school’s own records show that leaders carefully track bullying and deal with it swiftly, where it occurs.  Pupils from all years have opportunities to take on roles of responsibility within the school, including representing their school on formal occasions. The school council is very active in seeking out the views of pupils and in making recommendations to senior leaders about how the school could improve. Senior leaders listen to these recommendations to the extent that the school council has received a budget to fund improvements that they wish to drive forward themselves.  All pupils study citizenship at GCSE. This high performing subject enables them to develop a clear understanding of the world around them. They are able to consider topical events and current affairs and

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Personal development and welfare

how these impact upon their lives and their local community.  Pupils are aware of how to keep safe, particularly online.  Senior leaders regularly monitor the welfare of any pupils who are educated elsewhere. There is close communication between the school and the external provider. This enables the school to monitor the pupils’ behaviour and progress effectively and ensures that pupils return to the school at the earliest opportunity.  Pupils who inspectors met both formally and informally said that they feel safe at the school. Most parents and all staff who expressed a view agreed that children were safe.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school has very high standards relating to behaviour, of which pupils are fully aware. Posters identifying the ‘Never Nevers’ and the ‘Always Always’ (the school’s expectations relating to pupils’ conduct) are clearly displayed around the school site. The school’s behaviour policy, entitled ‘Attitudes to Learning’, underlines the principle that pupils should behave in a way that is conducive to learning.  Pupils behave well in lessons and take pride in their work. Inspectors saw no evidence of low-level disruption in any lessons they observed.  Behaviour around the school site is good. Pupils treat each other and their teachers with respect. Pupils conduct themselves in an orderly fashion between lessons, during social times and before and after the school day. They take pride in their appearance. Pupils recognise how their behaviour reflects upon the school community as a whole. As one pupil said to an inspector, ‘We students make the school’.

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Behaviour

 Attendance of all pupils is above national levels and improving. The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent is below the national levels and continues to reduce. This is a consequence of senior leaders’ unremitting drive to ensure that pupils are ‘In Time, On Time’.  The proportions of exclusions are reducing because of the work that leaders at all levels have undertaken to support pupils who demonstrate challenging behaviours. There is, however, a very small number of pupils who fail to meet the school’s very high expectations relating to behaviour.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The performance information for current pupils indicates that pupils at Key Stage 4 are achieving highly and are making good progress across a wide range of subjects, particularly in English and mathematics. Governors and senior leaders have analysed the reasons behind the decline in pupils’ outcomes in 2015, and have taken appropriate action. Current progress in nearly all of the subjects that performed less well than expected in 2015 is much improved, and is at least in line with national levels.  The school has implemented new systems for measuring pupils’ achievement at Key Stage 3. The school’s performance information indicates that a large majority of pupils are making the progress expected of them for their given age and stage of education. The quality of the work in the range of books that inspectors looked at confirms this to be the case.  Consistently high performing subjects at GCSE are mathematics, religious studies and citizenship. The

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Outcomes for pupils are good

latter two subjects help to reinforce pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their understanding of fundamental British values.  The progress of those minority ethnic pupils who have previously underachieved has improved and is now in line with national levels for pupils in their ethnic group. This is a consequence of the support that the pupils have received. This support includes matching pupils with staff of the same ethnic heritage to act as mentors, as well as using appropriate external agencies to supply translation services.  The gaps in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and those pupils nationally who are not disadvantaged have closed. In some subjects, such as mathematics, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils who make more than the progress expected of them is higher than that of other pupils nationally. The school’s performance information for current Year 11 disadvantaged pupils indicates that they will

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Outcomes for pupils are good

achieve more highly across their best eight qualifications than their national non-disadvantaged peers.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs across all year groups make good progress, particularly in English and mathematics. This is due to the effective support that they receive. This includes the close tracking which the co-ordinator for students with special educational needs undertakes of pupils’ progress and of the effectiveness of the support that pupils receive. As a result of the excellent progress that these pupils make at the school, the local authority uses the school’s effective methods as a case study of good practice for other schools.  Nearly all pupils in Year 7 who receive support due to having weak literacy skills catch up quickly. Those who do not, continue to receive support until their literacy skills match their age-related expectations.  The proportion of the most-able pupils who achieve the higher grades at GCSE is increasing and is in line

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Outcomes for pupils are good

with or above national levels in a wide variety of subjects, including in English and mathematics. However, there are a small number of subjects where the most-able pupils are not making as much progress as they should. These include French, geography and product design. Senior leaders and governors are aware of this and have taken appropriate action. The school’s performance information indicates that the attainment of the most able is improving rapidly in these subjects at Key Stage 3.  The school supports pupils effectively as they prepare to leave school at the end of Year 11. Nearly all pupils who completed their GCSEs in 2015 successfully moved on to some form of education, training or employment. The school is closely monitoring the very small number who did not. The large majority of pupils progressed to a course or apprenticeship which was of a suitable level and which matched their career plans.

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School details

Unique reference number 138869 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 10001837

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Secondary Comprehensive School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 303 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Hussein Suleman Headteacher Saqub Sheikh (Executive Headteacher) Farhan Adam (Head of School) Telephone number 0116 249 8080 Website www.madani.leicester.sch.uk/mbs Email address office@madani.leicester.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 31 October–1 November 2013

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Information about this school

 Madani Boys School is considerably smaller than most secondary schools. It is part of the Madani Schools Federation.  All of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups. A significant proportion are of Indian heritage.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and for whom the school receives the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is lower than the national average.  An average proportion of pupils enter or leave the school at different times during the academic year.  The school places pupils who may require additional support on alternative provision at Millgate Lodge Specialist Learning Centre, part of the Leicester Partnership School.  An inspection of the school took place in October 2014 under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The

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Information about this school

school’s overall effectiveness of the quality of religious education was judged outstanding.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, five of which were jointly observed with senior leaders. An inspector observed form time.  Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work from a range of subjects in both Key Stages 3 and 4, either in lessons or as a separate activity.  Meetings took place with the executive headteacher and the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, groups of staff and groups of pupils from across all years. The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. An inspector also met with the Prevent coordinator for Leicester and Leicestershire.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime, between lessons and after school.  Inspectors took into account 15 parental responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors took into account the views of 22 members of staff who responded to the questionnaire.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at a variety of documentation, including the school’s own self-evaluation of its provision and its three-year development plan. Inspectors also considered information relating to achievement, teaching and learning, behaviour and attendance, safeguarding and governance.

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Inspection team

Simon Hollingsworth, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Sharon Bray Ofsted Inspector Zarina Connolly Her Majesty’s Inspector 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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 1231, 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 www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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