Summary
Philippa Darley (lead), Bernard Robinson, Elaine Clare, Maria McGranaghan
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- Inspection date verified
10 Mar 2016
- Inspectors AI-checked
Bernard Robinson, Elaine Clare, Maria McGranaghan, Philippa Darley
- Postcode verified
BL3 4HF
- Name on report verified
Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiyyah School
- URN verified
130285
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- Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected by Ofsted. p.1
- Leaders have not ensured that the independent school standards are met in full. p.1
- The progress pupils make in acquiring the skills they need in English is insufficient. p.1
- While standards are improving in this subject, pupils still perform well below the national average. p.1
- The leadership of the sixth form is inadequate. p.1
- The provision for academic study in this key stage is also inadequate. p.1
- Leaders do not check on the quality of teaching effectively enough. p.1
- Pupils have too few opportunities to engage with the local community. p.1
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Leadership & governance36
“The leadership of the sixth form is inadequate.” p.1
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- Pages
- 12
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- 4,336
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
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- Hard
- Flesch 43, typical 45
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- 20 words
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- 8
- typical 5
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Full report text
Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiyyah School Willows Lane, Bolton BL3 4HF
p.1
Overall effectiveness Requires improvement
Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Sixth form provision Inadequate Overall experiences and progress of children and young people in the boarding provision Requires improvement
p.1
Overall effectiveness Requires improvement
Quality of care and support in the boarding provision Requires improvement How well children and young people are protected in the boarding provision Requires improvement Impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers in the boarding provision Requires improvement
p.1
Overall effectiveness Requires improvement
Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected by Ofsted.
p.1
This is a school that requires improvement
Leaders have not ensured that the independent school standards are met in full. The progress pupils make in acquiring the skills they need in English is insufficient. While standards are improving in this subject, pupils still perform well below the national average. The leadership of the sixth form is inadequate. The provision for academic study in this key stage is also inadequate. Leaders do not check on the quality of teaching effectively enough. Pupils have too few opportunities to engage with the local community. This means they are not well enough prepared for the opportunities and experiences of life in modern British society. Secular teachers do not follow the school’s policy on assessment. Consequently, pupils receive little guidance on how to improve their understanding and skills and this slows their progress. Leaders have not ensured that all of the national minimum standards for boarding schools have been
p.1
The school has the following strengths
Achievement in the Islamic curriculum is consistently high. Very few pupils or learners fail to make at least good progress in these subjects. Pupils and learners are invariably courteous and polite. They have very positive relationships with each other and with their teachers, who they respect enormously. Leaders promote fundamental British values well. Pupils can discuss these eloquently and relate them naturally to the values of their faith. Pupils, including boarders, are very happy at the school. They say they feel safe and well cared for.
p.1
Compliance with regulatory requirements and national minimum standards for boarding schools
The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, the national minimum standards for boarding schools and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.
p.1
What does the school need to do to improve further?
Raise standards in English by the end of key stage 4 by: – ensuring pupils have frequent opportunities to develop, extend and apply their English language skills within longer pieces of written work – ensuring pupils receive appropriate feedback on their work, in line with the school’s assessment policy – ensuring pupils of all ages access the English language books in the school library and are encouraged to read regularly. Improve the quality of provision in the sixth form so that learners can access and make good progress in a wider range of qualifications suitable to their aspirations. Improve pupils’ behaviour, welfare and safety by: – ensuring all teachers of the secular curriculum have high expectations and encourage pupils to demonstrate the same positive attitudes to learning that they have for their Islamic studies – developing more opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe through regular,
p.2
What does the school need to do to improve further?
planned experiences of engagement with the local community. Improve the impact of school leaders by: – ensuring there are effective systems to analyse information about pupils’ progress and use the findings to inform school development planning, including improvement to the quality of teaching – comparing the progress and attendance of groups of pupils, for example of boarding and day pupils, so that strategies for improvement can be better targeted – regularly checking that all teachers follow the school’s policies in relation to teaching, learning and assessment and are given guidance as to how to improve their practice – ensuring the trustees have the right level of knowledge and understanding to be able to hold school leaders to account more effectively. Ensure that water for the showers and wash basins is regulated to provide regular, on-demand hot water that is in sufficient quantities for bathing.
p.2
What does the school need to do to improve further?
Ensure the school’s boarding principles and practice are available to staff and made known to boarders. The school must meet the following independent school standards. – The proprietor must ensure that the written policy on the curriculum and personal, social, health and economic education encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act. The proprietor must also ensure that this effectively prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society (2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(2)(d), 2(2)(d)(ii) 2(2)(i), 5, 5(b) and 5(b)(vi)). – The proprietor must ensure that pupils above compulsory school age have a programme of activities which is appropriate to their needs (2(2)(g)). – The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and
p.2
What does the school need to do to improve further?
develop their skills in the subjects taught (3 and 3(a)). – The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons (3 and 3(d)). – The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress (3 and 3(g)). – The proprietor must ensure that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of boarders while they are accommodated at the school and such arrangements have regard to the national minimum standards for boarding schools (8, 8(a) and 8(b)). – The proprietor must ensure that regard is had to standard 5 of the national minimum standards for boarding schools (30).
p.2
What does the school need to do to improve further?
– The proprietor must ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role, that they fulfil their responsibilities effectively and actively promote the well-being of pupils, so that the independent school standards are met consistently (34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)). The school must meet the following national minimum standards for boarding schools. – Boarding houses and other accommodation provided for boarders is appropriately lit, heated and ventilated, cleaned and maintained, and reasonable adjustments are made to provide adequate accessible accommodation for any boarders with restricted mobility (NMS 5.4). – Accommodation is suitably furnished and of sufficient size for the number, needs and ages of boarders accommodated, with appropriate protection and separation between genders, age groups and
p.2
What does the school need to do to improve further?
accommodation for adults. Bedding is clean and suitable, and is sufficiently warm (NMS 5.5). – The school premises, accommodation and facilities provided therein are maintained to a standard such that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of pupils are ensured (NMS 6.2). – The school ensures that the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified (NMS 6.3). – There is an appropriate range and choice of activities for boarders outside teaching time, including sufficient and suitably timed free time each day. Suitable risk assessments are in place for any activities which may put boarders at risk of harm (NMS 10.1). – Boarders have access to information about events in the world outside the school, and access to local
p.3
What does the school need to do to improve further?
facilities which are appropriate to their age (NMS 10.4). – The school’s governing body and/or proprietor monitors the effectiveness of the leadership, management and delivery of the boarding and welfare provision in the school, and takes appropriate action where necessary (NMS 13.1). – The school’s leadership and management consistently fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the standards are met (NMS 13.4). – The staff supervising boarders outside teaching time are sufficient in number, training and experience for the age, number and needs of boarders, and the locations and activities involved (NMS 15.3).
p.3
requires improvement
Leaders have not ensured that the school’s provision meets all of the independent school standards. This is largely due to low achievement in GCSE English, the inadequate provision in the sixth form and the insufficient opportunities pupils have to be well prepared for life in British society. Leaders have taken action to improve teaching in the school since the last inspection. This has improved substantially in English, with the addition of a new subject leader and English consultant teacher. However, school leaders do not check on the quality of teachers’ day-to-day practice effectively. For example, they have not identified that many teachers of the secular (afternoon) curriculum fail to follow the school’s policy of assessing pupils’ work. Consequently, the impact leaders have on improving current practice is not as positive as it could be. The regular cycle of school examinations enables leaders to collect information on pupils’ attainment and
p.4
requires improvement
progress. However, they do not analyse this well and so are unable to spot any trends in underperformance. For example, they do not compare the performance of day pupils with residential pupils so are unable to identify if any particular group needs targeted support. Similarly, leaders gather detailed information on attendance, but do not analyse this in a way that enables them to identify priorities for school improvement planning. The principal has an ambitious vision for the school. He and his leadership team are fully committed to ensuring that the school provides a high-quality Islamic education, to the equivalent of a degree-level standard, alongside a sound academic and vocational secular curriculum. To this end they have put in place additional support for older pupils, to ensure standards at GCSE level improve. They have also introduced greater specialism within the Key Stage 3 curriculum, such as in history and geography. This
p.4
requires improvement
builds greater flexibility and choice for pupils as they progress through the school. Leaders have taken effective action to tackle most of the areas for improvement from the last education inspection, which was a little under a year ago. Standards rose in 2015 by the end of key stage 4 in nearly all subjects. The creative and aesthetic curriculum is underpinned by well-planned schemes of work and plans are under way to extend these curriculum subjects to include drama and practical technology. Physical education is now taught to the end of key stage 4 and includes a range of sports, including boxing and rugby, which is played on the external football pitch. Practical science investigations are now timetabled, and there is evidence from pupils’ work that these opportunities are now more frequent. The steps leaders have taken to improve education in a relatively short space of time, combined with the
p.4
requires improvement
relevance of their improvement planning, demonstrate the capacity to drive further improvement in the school. Leaders had already prioritised most of the areas for improvement identified at this inspection. For example, leaders have already prioritised curriculum development in the sixth form; however, the capacity for bringing this about is hampered by weak leadership in this area. Leaders promote fundamental British values well. Teachers incorporate these into their planning and pupils speak about them articulately. Some classes, in particular the ‘Me and My World’ curriculum, explicitly teach pupils about British institutions, such as Parliament and the processes of democracy. In conversation, pupils relate these values to their own Islamic faith and express a deep respect for personal freedoms. However, pupils are less well educated about British law in relation to the Equalities Act and how this affects, for example, the way people should be treated in the workplace.
p.4
requires improvement
Leaders and managers have taken appropriate action to address some of the issues from the last boarding inspection. The fire safety procedures have now been met and are compliant with the requirements of the local fire service, who undertook their inspection in September 2015. However, leaders have not ensured that pupils have sufficient time to relax and socialise through a range of activities both on site and within the community. The governance of the school – Representatives of the board of trustees visit the school regularly and speak to staff and pupils about their experiences both in school and as boarders. However, they do not record or use this information to inform improvement planning. There is little evidence that they offer any level of challenge to the principal having devolved responsibilities to him. Consequently, they are not familiar with information about the school’s performance or with how the school compares to other similar schools nationally.
p.4
requires improvement
– Trustees have ensured that the school’s finances are prioritised well. The school’s premises and accommodation are comfortable and meet all of the independent school standards in this area. A programme of improvements to the boarding rooms is due to commence, although leaders have underestimated the extent to which these rooms need to improve. Recent developments include taking on the lease of a local park which will extend pupils’ access to outdoor sports and enable them to make a valuable contribution to the life of the local community. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safe vetting procedures help to protect pupils from unsuitable adults. Visitors sign in and out of the school and are supervised at all times during their stay. The school’s policy on visiting speakers makes it clear that partisan political views must not be shared with pupils. There are good health and safety procedures that also help to protect pupils, including for fire safety.
p.5
requires improvement
Residential pupils know how to evacuate the buildings if the fire alarm sounds. Staff are provided with an effective training programme that helps them to understand issues around extremism, safeguarding, first aid and child exploitation. Most training is through an online provider but first aid courses are delivered by a professional who is qualified and very experienced.
p.5
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement
Teachers’ good subject knowledge enables them to plan interesting lessons that, on the whole, engage pupils well and support them in making steady progress in developing their knowledge, understanding and skills. However, contrary to the school’s policy, teachers do not assess pupils’ work thoroughly and this means pupils do not get the guidance they need to improve their learning. Consequently, pupils make inconsistent progress across the school. They reach very high levels of attainment in the Islamic curriculum and in subjects such as religious education (RE) and information and communication technology (ICT) but make much less progress in their English GCSE work. Teachers do not use what they know about pupils’ prior attainment and experiences, particularly at key stage 3, in order to plan lessons that build on learning from the primary phase. For example, in mathematics, pupils complete activities that reinforce previous learning but do not build on and extend it.
p.5
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement
This means by the time they start key stage 4 they have to make up ground in order to be successful at GCSE level. However, by the end of this key stage, the vast majority gain a C grade or above in this subject. Teachers check on pupils’ understanding in lessons by direct questioning. However, opportunities for pupils to discuss their work in class are infrequent. This means that learning is sometimes superficial as opposed to detailed and well thought through. It also limits the opportunities pupils have to develop their oracy skills. Teaching in the Islamic curriculum is consistently strong and leads to very good outcomes for pupils. Teachers have high standards and pupils follow a highly demanding curriculum. Scholars guide learning extremely well and make individual interventions to check on pupils’ comprehension and to ensure accuracy, for example in Arabic etymology classes. Teachers develop pupils’ writing skills well across other curriculum subjects, such as in RE and science. In
p.5
Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement
many cases, the standard of pupils’ written work is higher in these subjects than it is in English itself. However, pupils are not encouraged to read English texts often enough, either in class or outside class time. This means they do not have sufficient opportunity to experience different styles of writing in English, which contributes to their slower progress in this subject.
p.5
Personal development and welfare
The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. Pupils have too few opportunities to manage risk for themselves and to make decisions regarding their own welfare. This particularly applies to those pupils who board at the school. As pupils have insufficient opportunities to engage with the local community or to go out of the school unsupervised, they do not develop the necessary social skills to prepare themselves well for later life in British society. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and say that there is little bullying. The school’s ‘Respect’ code underpins their positive attitudes and they speak eloquently of accepting differences and being non- judgemental. The school’s records regarding incidents support their view that positive relationships are the norm. Residential pupils sit down with staff for their meals. Mealtimes are sociable and relaxed occasions. Pupils
p.5
Personal development and welfare
are encouraged to try new foods to extend the foods they like. The menu is adjusted for pupils who have food allergies. However, as some pupils share plates and hand wash their crockery following their use, this could compromise the welfare of pupils.
p.6
Behaviour
The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils work hard in class, but there is a marked difference in the quality of their written work between the Islamic and secular curriculum. Their attention to detail in Islamic subjects is not as apparent in subjects like English and mathematics. Workbooks are frequently untidy, work is incomplete and some pupils deface pages of their books with unnecessary scribbling. This reflects an inconsistent attitude to learning that undermines their progress in these subjects. Records show that some pupils are late to class or are ill-prepared to learn. Leaders identify these as barriers to progress and have meetings with pupils to try to address such issues. However, it is unclear from leaders’ records if this approach is having a positive impact. Pupils are invariably polite and show respect for each other and, in particular, for their teachers. They
p.6
Behaviour
value their education highly and the standing it gives them within their own local communities. Because of this, pupils work extremely hard, completing extra hours of study after school finishes. While this equips them to become conscientious scholars, it also prevents them from developing their social skills and limits the opportunities they have to experience life outside the school.
p.6
Outcomes for pupils require improvement
Standards in the secular curriculum at the end of key stage 4 have been low for some years. However, these improved significantly across the majority of subjects in 2015, except in English. Consequently, the proportion of pupils gaining five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics, remains well below the national average. The progress of pupils is not measured from their starting points following their primary education. While leaders have introduced tests, including reading and spelling tests, at the start of Year 7, they do not track progress against the results in any systematic way. Consequently, the progress that current pupils are making is unclear across a range of subjects. Current progress in English is improving, but remains hampered by pupils having too few opportunities to apply their skills to extended pieces of writing. Additionally, as teachers fail to follow the school’s marking
p.6
Outcomes for pupils require improvement
policy and do not assess pupils’ work in any detail, pupils are not given sufficient guidance as to how to improve their writing. This means that, over time, they continue to make easily rectifiable grammatical and spelling mistakes. However, pupils’ writing skills are supported well in other curriculum subjects. They write with fluency and depth in subjects like RE. Additionally, their speaking skills are developed by the ‘Anjuman’ (public speaking) course. This means that lower achievement in their English language GCSE is not having a negative impact on other aspects of their work. The standards pupils reach in other subjects is high. The vast majority gained a C grade or above in mathematics, science, ICT, Urdu and RE. Standards in RE are particularly high, with 86% of pupils gaining the highest grades at GCSE level last year. Work in books shows that this trend is set to continue. Outcomes of pupils in the Islamic curriculum are consistently high. Very few pupils fail to meet the
p.6
Outcomes for pupils require improvement
expected standard in any of these demanding subjects across all year groups in the school. All pupils speak English as an additional language and, over their time in the school, they become proficient speakers, readers and writers in English, Urdu and Arabic.
p.6
Sixth form provision is inadequate
The leadership of the sixth form is poor. The study programmes do not meet the needs of all groups of learners. While the quality of the Islamic curriculum is a strength, the current offer for secular study is very limited. Learners attend a local college for vocational qualifications in sports studies and ICT, but their achievement in these subjects remains below the national average. Those learners who completed GCSE study to a high academic level in 2015 are currently not catered for, as they are unable to extend their studies across a range of subjects into academic A-level qualifications. Progress from entry to the sixth form is not tracked in any robust way. The systems for using attainment on entry to set targets for learners’ achievement and then to track progress in meeting them are not sufficiently well developed to highlight where improvements can be made and where individual support
p.6
Sixth form provision is inadequate
should be targeted. Similarly, leaders do not track how many learners successfully complete their courses or the appropriateness of their destinations when they complete their studies at the school. As a result, leaders have little information on the effectiveness of the provision. Learners’ personal development and welfare is not supported well. Learners who board remain supervised if they go off the school premises. This does not enable them to develop the independent living and working skills they need for life after school. Few have experienced the world of work and the school does not organise work experience relevant to their needs. Consequently, learners are not supported in developing their social and employability skills as well as they could be. Recent improvements to the quality of careers advice and guidance have had a significantly positive impact on raising learners’ aspirations. Many learners want to progress into higher education and to take
p.7
Sixth form provision is inadequate
on professional jobs, for example in medicine and engineering. Leaders recognise the need to introduce academic A levels to the study programmes on offer. They plan to introduce a small range from September, with a view to broadening the offer in the future. However, the capacity for current leadership and teaching staff to do so is very limited. As with the rest of the school, learners complete their Islamic studies, achieving very high standards across a range of challenging subjects. The Islamic curriculum is taught to degree-level competency, which prepares pupils well for work within the Islamic community, both in Britain and abroad.
p.7
require improvement
Outcomes for residential pupils at this school are adequate. Residential pupils say they like living at the school and appear happy. One said, ‘I love it here.’ The relationships between boarding staff and residential pupils appear to be strong which helps pupils to feel safe and secure. A pupil said that the staff are ‘amazing’, and another said, ‘It’s like a family, the staff are like my fathers, uncles’. They make good friends at the school. Young people are eager to talk about their positive experiences, in particular about how they have been able to connect more with their Islamic faith. There is insufficient monitoring by the trustees of the management of the boarding provision. Leaders carry out, but fail to record in writing, reviews of the operation of the school’s welfare provision. The handbook about boarding available for parents is not made available to staff. Residential pupils have few opportunities to develop their self-esteem, confidence and independence
p.7
require improvement
skills. For example, residential pupils are unable to leave the school unescorted. They have high aspirations. One residential pupil explained that he would like to be a civil engineer but the secular subjects taught in the school may not equip pupils to fulfil those aspirations and this may detract from residential pupils’ self-esteem and confidence. Staff work closely with families to ensure better outcomes for residential pupils. Staff contact parents on a regular basis. Residential pupils have good contact with their families through telephone and internet services. All pupils spoken to, and parents spoken to, say that pupils are safe. There are effective arrangements for safeguarding. Pupils are able to demonstrate e-safety and how to keep themselves safe from fire and inappropriate relationships. The positive, trusting relationships pupils have with the staff and managers are a strength of the school.
p.7
require improvement
Pupils emphasised the importance of valuing and respecting one another’s opinions.
p.7
requires improvement
Pupils’ health, safety and welfare are not fully secured within the residential provision. Risk factors, such as black mould caused by damp found in a few bedrooms, have not been identified or robustly assessed by senior staff. This has resulted in residential pupils potentially being at risk of harm. Ineffective management monitoring processes mean that areas that require improvement have not been recognised and acted upon to ensure the promotion of residential pupils’ welfare. The low basic staffing levels have a negative impact on the quality of care and support provided to residential pupils. Boarding staff are not always able to meet satisfactorily the individual needs of pupils, given the range of needs and demands of the group as a whole. This limits, for example, the opportunities pupils have to go out and join in with activities outside school. Residential pupils have good health. They enjoy physical exercise such as football and cricket, and also
p.7
requires improvement
eat healthy meals. Opportunities for healthy snacks are limited. Pupils have access to a qualified nurse and a doctor to help them with their emotional and physical health. However, boarding staff’s lack of understanding about the assessment of the use of asthma inhalers could affect the health of residential pupils. The school has two residential floors currently in use. Both look old and tired in terms of décor and furnishings; there is mould around the windows, curtains are ill-fitting and carpets stained. Hot water for showers is not always readily available with some pupils explaining that they use the showers in the middle of the night in order to get a good supply of hot water. Furniture is sparse; pupils have a metal locker and a bed. Pupils share bedrooms that accommodate up to ten pupils at a time. Nevertheless, residential pupils like their bedrooms, especially their lockers that are highly personalised.
p.8
School details
Unique reference number 130285 Social care unique reference number SC009423 Inspection number 10007715 DfE registration number 350/6017 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.
p.9
School details
Type of school Independent Islamic faith school School status Independent boarding school Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Boys Gender of pupils in the sixth form Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 266 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 58 Number of part-time pupils 0 Number of boarders on roll 140 Proprietor Board of trustees Chair Ismail Mohammed Ali Headteacher Mr S Masters Annual fees (day pupils) £1,500 Annual fees (boarders) £2,800 Telephone number 01204 62622 Website www.boltondarululoom.org Email address darululoombolton@yahoo.co.uk Date of previous inspection 27–30 April 2015
p.9
Information about this school
This was the first integrated inspection of the school by Ofsted. The school was previously inspected by the Bridge Schools Inspectorate on 27–30 April 2015. The boarding provision was inspected separately by Ofsted in April 2013. Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiyyah was established in 1993 and is an independent boys’ day and boarding school with a clear Islamic ethos and religious purpose. Almost all pupils speak English as an additional language. The majority are British Muslims of Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage, although some attend the school from other European and international countries. The school’s stated mission is ‘to motivate, inspire, educate and rekindle the spark within the hearts of those youth who are growing up within this country. It aims to provide both religious and secular education to Muslims in an environment which is conducive to their learning and spiritual being.’ The school is led by an executive principal who has oversight of all aspects of the school’s provision. The
p.9
Information about this school
secular curriculum is led by the ‘school’ headteacher. The curriculum comprises Islamic studies, which are taught in the morning, and a secular curriculum, taught in the afternoon. The Islamic curriculum includes Quranic exegesis, Arabic literature, Hadith, theology and jurisprudence as well as the study of Arabic. The secular curriculum is taught in English and covers most national curriculum subjects. Many pupils remain at the school following their post-16 studies to complete their higher-level Islamic qualifications. These prepare them to become Imams and religious leaders within their home communities. Post-16 learners at the school attend Bolton College to undertake studies in vocational subjects. The school is developing a centre for post-16 study and accommodation that will be located off the original school site, in a building close to the school. It is currently used for some post-16 Islamic study.
p.10
Information about this school
There is no pupil currently at the school with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
p.10
Information about this inspection
Inspectors observed learning in parts of lessons, both in the Islamic classes and in secular subjects. Many of these were observed jointly with school leaders. They also scrutinised a sample of pupils’ work in order to evaluate current progress in English and pupils’ communication skills. Inspectors spoke to pupils and learners in lessons and at mealtimes. School inspectors held formal interviews with two groups of pupils and learners, while social care inspectors spoke to many pupils in the evening of the first inspection day. Inspectors toured the school site, including the boarding accommodation and the off-site post-16 centre. Inspectors spoke extensively to the principal, headteacher and the managers of the boarding provision, as well as other staff and supervisors. One inspector also met with the head of sixth form. They liaised with the local authority and fire safety officers to check on developments since the last inspection.
p.11
Information about this inspection
Inspectors spoke to a representative of the board of trustees. Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, attendance, achievement and the quality of provision in the school and in the boarding facility. Inspectors considered the 39 responses to the learner survey as well as the five responses from boarding staff and 68 responses from boarders. There were too few responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire) but social care inspectors met with parents during the inspection in order to ascertain their views about the quality of care at the school.
p.11
Inspection team
Philippa Darley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector
p.11
Inspection team
Elaine Clare Lead Social Care Regulatory Inspector
p.11
Inspection team
Maria McGranaghan Social Care Regulatory 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 .
p.11
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.
p.12
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 .
p.12
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,
p.12
Inspection team
The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .
p.12
Inspection team
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p.12
Inspection team
T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk
p.12
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