Westwood High

School report Westwood High Kelsall Street, Oldham OL9 6HR

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding Outcomes for pupils Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Satisfactory

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This is a good school

 This is a school that is very popular with the local community. It is expanding fast and improving quickly. All aspects of the school are expertly managed.  The speed with which school governors, leaders and managers have established a good school is commendable. Their passion to provide high- quality education for the local community has resulted in older pupils achieving well and being very well prepared to take their next steps in education or training.  Girls in the secondary phase are excellent role models and excellent ambassadors for their community. They are caring and responsible. They are well informed about and very respectful of other cultures and beliefs. Pupils’ personal development is outstanding.  Children and pupils are very happy and content, and feel safe. Pupils have a strong desire to learn and they are highly ambitious. They attend well.  Pupils in Year 11 achieve very well. Their highly

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This is a good school

positive attitudes to learning and very strong teaching combine to ensure that these pupils make rapid progress.  Children in early years and pupils in Year 1 also make strong progress because they too are very well taught; they feel secure, and are happy and thoroughly enjoy school.  Throughout the school, teachers cope well with the wide range of pupils’ abilities within each class. They ensure topics are interesting.  Children and pupils are frequently required to discuss their ideas in pairs, groups and with the whole class. This helps them deepen their understanding and quickly develops their communication skills.  The curriculum is enriched with a diverse range of visitors, visits and activities.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The progress that pupils make across Years 7 to 9 is good but overall it is slightly slower than the progress made across Years 10 and 11. In these years, teachers are not as vigilant in identifying gaps in pupils’ learning.  Children in the early years setting do not learn as quickly in the outdoor area as they do inside. This is because resources are limited and play is not as well structured.  Leaders and managers are currently unable to identify whether or not different aspects of their strategic improvement plan have been realised. This is because their plan does not state precisely what a successful development will look like in terms of outcomes for children and pupils. Their plan does not enable senior leaders to hold others to account for improvement, because roles are not clearly defined.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

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

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further increase the rate at which children and pupils progress by ensuring that: children have access to a wider range of stimulating activities that promote purposeful play in the outdoor area of the early years setting teachers in Years 7 to 9 identify more quickly when pupils develop gaps in their understanding and take action to fill those gaps swiftly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop plans so that they are more precise and therefore can continue to drive improvement as the school becomes larger and tasks become more complex, including: criteria by which success can be measured are made clear and based on, where possible, pupils’ achievement interim evaluations are made on the impact of improvements, enabling if necessary different strategies to be adopted those who are responsible for driving aspects of improvement are clearly identified.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The school’s principal and the director of education have worked tirelessly and passionately to build this successful school. They lead by example. Teachers are inspired to do their very best for the children and pupils of this school. The school’s ethos promotes the highest standards of behaviour, care and educational achievement. Pupils are highly motivated by the culture of the school. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.  The pupils’ good educational achievement and well-cultivated personal development ensure that they are very well prepared for their next steps in education or training.  The two senior leaders have skilfully managed the increasing numbers within the school. In the secondary phase, girls now attend across all year groups, and in key stage 3 there are two classes in each year.  The principal is very clear about what teachers have to do to get the best from their pupils. There is an

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

obvious Westwood High expectation of how teachers should teach and how pupils should learn. The school provides teachers with good training and professional development. Teachers’ performance is well managed.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. There is an emphasis on spiritual and religious education, which includes developing an understanding of the beliefs and customs of many religions. The girls also discuss a wide range of topical issues, demonstrating tolerance and respect for different lifestyles. British values are promoted well.  Careers advice and guidance are impartial and pupils are encouraged to think about their future at an early age.  Parents of pupils are consulted frequently about school developments. They are also consulted on how well they think the school is performing. There is a very strong consensus among parents that the school is providing a high-quality education and that their children are very well looked after.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The school’s approach to development planning has been appropriate to its situation and has helped to promote improvement. However, the needs of the school are changing. As the school is expanding, the leadership team is adopting different strategies in order to continue to manage so successfully. The current improvement plan lacks the detail required to ensure a much wider group of staff understand what has to be achieved, how improvement will be regularly evaluated, particularly in terms of outcomes for pupils, and who must take responsibility to drive these improvements.  Leaders and managers are highly effective in ensuring that the school meets the independent school standards. As part of this inspection, the Department for Education asked inspectors to consider whether the school is likely to meet relevant independent school standards if it makes a material change to the school’s registration. The school has applied to be registered to take pupils aged seven to 10 and 17- to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

19-year-olds onto its roll. It is the judgement of the inspectors that the school is likely to meet these standards.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The governance of the school Governors work well with the proprietor and the school’s senior leaders to establish high standards, and a positive ethos and culture. The recent appointment of an additional governor with experience in education has significantly strengthened this team. Members now offer a wide range of skills, ensuring that they can both support senior leaders and also to hold them to account.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Procedures to ensure that only suitable staff are recruited are robust. Pupils of all ages are taught how to be safe through recognising potential dangers and then how to deal successfully with these situations. This includes the safe use of social media.  Staff are suitably trained to recognise potential abuse in all forms. They know how to deal with concerns professionally and efficiently. The girls’ attitudes and behaviour are also essential in ensuring all are safe

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

and happy. Girls are encouraged to discuss concerns with staff and with each other. The girls also know how to respond to concerns and demonstrate the confidence to do so. They take responsibility for each other’s health, welfare and happiness.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Pupils really enjoy their learning because teachers prepare lessons that are interesting and give pupils opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities. Whether pupils are in a mathematics lesson or religious studies, they will always be encouraged to discuss their ideas. This helps them formulate their thoughts in more detail and encourages them to express themselves articulately. So, when they come to writing, pupils will confidently write at length. Pupils also enjoy reading. Their standards of literacy are high. Pupils communicate well. Where possible, teachers also develop numeracy skills across different subjects. By the time pupils are in Year 11, they have developed a good set of basic skills.  Teaching of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils is of a very high standard. Teachers know the examination requirements in detail and ensure that pupils have the skills to assess their own work. This enables pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

to evaluate their work and encourages them reflect, refine and improve their answers. Teachers will constantly check pupils’ understanding and will quickly correct any misapprehensions. Pupils benefit from an extensive programme of support activities beyond the classroom. Year 11 pupils achieve well across all subjects.  Throughout the different year groups, teachers ensure that there are activities that match the different abilities of their pupils, including the most able. There will often be different activities for the pupils to do, depending on their current level of understanding.  Despite pupils starting in Year 1 for the first time this year, they too are very well taught. Teachers know what their pupils’ needs are and make sure they have fun when learning. These pupils are developing literacy and numeracy skills well.  Rates of progress in Years 7 to 9 are more variable than in other years. Teachers do not check their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

pupils’ understanding as frequently as they do the older pupils, and so teachers are not in such a good position to correct errors or misunderstandings quickly. Teachers are less likely to push pupils in Years 7 to 9 to work as hard as they do older pupils.  Pupils respect their teachers, value their guidance and are inspired to work hard. Relationships between teachers and pupils are excellent.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  By the time pupils reach Years 10 and 11, they are confident, emotionally secure and have a clear sense of right and wrong. They are very well prepared to carry on with education because they have had a good educational grounding and the girls have learned how to acquire new skills and knowledge.  Teachers care deeply about the welfare of their pupils. Throughout the secondary phase, the girls are taught about different potential dangers. These include substance misuse, emotional and physical bullying, online grooming and exposure to extremism. Through discussion, the girls learn how to manage risks. An open culture exists where girls feel that they can confide in staff and they will receive good guidance.  Older pupils have a strong commitment to their faith and their culture. However, they also fully understand that in wider British society, people may hold different views or values and that these are just

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Personal development and welfare

as valid. For example, the girls said that they are well aware of same-gender relationships and marriage, despite this not being part of their faith.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils move around the school swiftly and calmly and are courteous and respectful to all. They are very prompt to lessons. Older girls look after the younger ones and throughout the school there is a sense of industry and happiness.  If there is any disruption to the flow of a lesson, it is rare and minimal because the girls enjoy learning. There is also evidence of this enjoyment throughout pupils’ books. The girls take great care and pride in their presentation of work. Diagrams are accurate and writing is neat and legible. Classrooms are bright and stimulating. There are many examples of pupils’ work displayed around the school.  Pupils attend school well. They also value the wide range of additional activities that enrich the curriculum. Pupils attend these enthusiastically.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils join the secondary phase with standards that are broadly average. Pupils who are currently in Year 11 have already taken elements of their GCSE courses. They have attained well and this represents very strong progress from when they started in this school. These pupils are continuing to progress well in their other courses and are set to be justifiably proud of their achievements.  In other year groups, achievement is more variable. For example, pupils have made excellent progress in history and progress in mathematics across Years 7 to 9 is good. However, progress in English has not been quite as strong. Overall, progress in key stage 3 is good.  Teachers and pupils work even harder in Years 10 and 11. Teachers monitor closely the progress their pupils make and so are able to intervene swiftly when a pupil appears to be in danger of being left behind. Pupils progress quickly across all subjects.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Throughout the different year groups, teachers ensure that there are activities that match the different abilities of their pupils. Pupils are often set different activities, depending on their current level of understanding, and so all ability groups are well catered for, including pupils who are most able.  When pupils leave Westwood High, they are fully prepared for their next steps. They are principled, confident and full of enthusiasm.

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Early years provision is good

 Since provision for the early years foundation stage opened eight months ago, senior leaders have been very well supported by an experienced and skilled early years leader. As a result, provision in this phase is already good. Leaders and managers are ambitious and have high expectations. They are acutely aware of where the strengths of the setting and areas for improvement lie.  Children join this setting with levels of development that are broadly in line with expectations for their age. Throughout Nursery and Reception, they make good progress. Children concentrate well as they listen to stories and show great excitement when re-enacting these. They are able to work independently and persevere with tasks. Consequently, they are well prepared for their next stage in learning.  Staff take every opportunity to build on children’s learning. They know when to listen to children and when to give them time to respond. Staff skilfully observe children and use this information well to plan

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Early years provision is good

for their further learning. If a child’s progress slows, staff will intervene quickly and will support the child well. Programmes to develop children’s communication and language skills are successful.  Children’s behaviour is impeccable. They show kindness and consideration to each other. For example, they know how to take turns and look after each other. Children take part in their activities with enthusiasm. They are very well cared for.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the welcoming environment and are delighted with how quickly children settle.  Overall, the curriculum is broad and balanced. However, this does not extend to the outdoor area. It is not as well resourced as the classrooms. As a result, children have fewer opportunities for purposeful play outdoors as they do in classes.

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School details

Unique reference number 137822 Inspection number 10006095 DfE registration number 1136224 Type of school Independent Muslim faith school School status Independent Age range of pupils 3  6 and 11  16 Gender of pupils 3  6-year-olds: mixed; 11  16-year-olds: girls Number of pupils on the school roll 157 Number of part-time pupils 0 Proprietor The Green Dome Academy Chair Jamal Khan Headteacher Khadija Khan Annual fees (day pupils) £2,200 Telephone number 0161 622 1947 Website www.westwoodhigh.org Email address admin@westwoodhigh.org Date of previous inspection 27  28 November 2012

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Information about this school

 Westwood High is a Muslim school located in Oldham. It is expanding and currently provides secondary education to 122 girls and as well as to 35 boys and girls up to the age of six. At this time, there are no children or pupils on roll that have special educational needs or disability or who speak English as an additional language. It does not use alternative providers for any aspect of its pupils’ education. The school aims to deliver ‘a world class education in an environment that nurtures the love of Allah’.  The proprietorial organisation is The Green Dome Academy, an educational charity. The charity seeks to serve Oldham’s rapidly growing Muslim population, focusing primarily on the general well-being of Muslim women in the borough. It seeks to provide services that will cater for their educational, cultural, religious, spiritual and socio-economic needs. The proprietor’s interests are represented in the school by the

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Information about this school

school’s director of education. The day-to-day running of the school is led and managed by the principal. The governing body consists of four members who support the school and hold leaders to account for maintaining and improving standards.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors gathered a wide range of evidence during the inspection, including through observations of teaching. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work during lessons.  An inspector visited prayers and a meeting between parents and the director of education. Parents also spoke to inspectors as they brought their children to school.  Meetings were held with school staff, including the principal and director of education, other leaders and staff in charge of aspects of the school’s work. Inspectors had a telephone conversation with the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in formal interviews, during lessons and informally at lunchtimes and breaktimes.  Inspectors considered a large variety of documentation related to the school’s work: improvement plans; the school’s view of its performance; and information concerning pupils’ attainment, progress and attendance.  Inspectors scrutinised records concerning safeguarding, pupils’ behaviour and the quality of teaching and

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Information about this inspection

learning.  Inspectors analysed 42 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also took into account five written responses from parents and the school’s own parental survey.  Inspectors analysed 10 responses to the Ofsted online staff questionnaire. Inspectors also took into account four written responses from staff.  An inspector conducted a tour of the premised with the director of education. The inspector also scrutinised plans of proposed developments.

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Inspection team

Neil Mackenzie, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kath Gethin 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

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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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