Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School)

Progress monitoring school report Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School) 82–86 Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH

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Context of the inspection

 The school was previously inspected by Ofsted in October 2015 when the overall effectiveness of the school was judged as requiring improvement and a small number of requirements were not met. The school submitted an action plan to the Department for Education (DfE) which was accepted.  This inspection was undertaken at the request of the registration authority for independent schools in order to monitor the progress the school has made in implementing its action plan.  This was the first monitoring visit since the school was inspected in October 2015. The inspection was unannounced.  The purpose of this inspection was to check the school’s compliance with independent school standards in the following areas: the quality of education (Part 1 of the standards) and the quality of leadership and management (Part 8). The DfE also asked for Part 2, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, to be inspected.

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Context of the inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher to discuss the progress made since the previous inspection. They also met with two teachers. Inspectors completed short visits to classrooms with the headteacher to see pupils learning, and observed an art lesson. Inspectors met with four groups of pupils from Years 7 to 9.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s arrangements to safeguard pupils, the school’s single central record of employment checks, and records relating to the curriculum. A scrutiny of pupils’ work was undertaken.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 The inspection of October 2015 found that the school’s curriculum was too narrowly focused and it did not focus sufficiently on pupils’ creative and aesthetic education. In its action plan, the school indicated it would develop a scheme of work for music and provide appropriate training for staff. A scheme of work for music has now been produced which shows progression and development of skills across key stage 3.  Teachers have received training in the daff (a type of tambourine) and in how to use the instrument to develop musical understanding. This training has clearly been effective. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the techniques they have learned and how they use different tones to accompany different forms of music.  Music is currently taught to pupils at key stage 3 only.  Key stage 3 pupils clearly enjoy their art lessons. They are able to talk about the range of media and techniques they have used, what they will be using and making next and how art allows

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

Monitoring report: Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School), 25 May 2016 2 of 6

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

them to express their emotions. Artwork is displayed prominently around the school and pupils are encouraged to take their work home.  Plans are in place to introduce a GCSE in photography in the next academic year and the school has plans to extend the music curriculum into key stage 4. As these plans have not yet been implemented, pupils at key stage 4 are not receiving a sufficiently creative and aesthetic education and therefore the standard remains unmet.

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

 Pupils are very confident in managing the various aspects of their identity and express a high degree of tolerance for others. There is clear evidence that fundamental British values are actively promoted and that this is having a positive impact on all pupils.  Pupils learn about fundamental British values and compare these with the values of their Islamic faith. They learn about respect, tolerance and discrimination in the context of what it means to be a British Muslim. For example, pupils are asked to ‘learn three British and three Islamic values’. Pupils then compare these values and consider how they can implement ‘respect and tolerance in our community’.  Teachers produce lesson plans which clearly identify opportunities for improving pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their insight into fundamental British values.  Pupils understand the meaning of democracy and can contrast this with dictatorship. They take

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

part in annual elections for the school council, and a local politician is one of a number of visitors invited into the school as part of a planned programme to support the promotion of personal development and fundamental British values.  Boys and girls are encouraged to take part in competitive sports and represent the school in football, basketball and athletics tournaments. This brings pupils into contact with children from diverse backgrounds.  The school provides opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop awareness of other views and has created a culture in which pupils feel able to discuss sensitive and controversial issues with their teachers.  All the requirements in this part are met.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 The inspection of October 2015 found that governors were not challenging school leaders sufficiently and that middle leadership was not strong enough. It also found that school improvement planning was weak.  As a result of implementing its action plan, leaders have developed a systematic approach to school improvement. Schemes of work show progression and development of skills, and lesson plans identify opportunities for promoting personal development and knowledge of fundamental British values. A coherent programme is in place to monitor the implementation and impact of the curriculum policy. The school maintains logs of lesson observations and learning walks. These are discussed in regular staff meetings and quarterly reports to the governing body are produced.  The school has undertaken staff training in a range of areas, including lesson observations. The log of lesson observations shows an increased rigour since the training. The training has

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

clearly had an impact.  The previous inspection found that the school’s promotion of fundamental British values was not having an impact on all pupils in the school. This shortcoming has been addressed and there is clear evidence that fundamental British values are being actively promoted and that this is having an impact on all pupils.  There is clear evidence that pupils are taught not to discriminate and to be tolerant of all people. Pupils speak eloquently about the human qualities that underpin real friendships and how those qualities are more important than differences of faith, nationality, gender and sexual orientation.  As the school does not meet all of the statutory requirements, as noted above, it does not meet the requirements for the quality of leadership and management. Monitoring report: Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School), 25 May 2016 3 of 6

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Regulations 2014 and associated requirements

 The proprietor must ensure that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, is drawn up and implemented effectively and that full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996) gives pupils experience in linguistic, scientific, technological, human and social and aesthetic and creative education (paragraph 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(2)(a)).  The proprietor must ensure that the persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently and fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)). Monitoring report: Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School), 25 May 2016 4 of 6

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Inspection team

Geraint Evans, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Heather Yaxley Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School) is an independent Islamic day school registered with the DfE for boys and girls aged from nine to 19. Current pupils are aged from 11 to 16 years. The school is registered for up to 210 pupils. It is situated in a converted office building in the centre of Luton.  The school was previously inspected by Ofsted in October 2015 when the overall effectiveness of the school was judged as requiring improvement. The school was inspected by the Bridge Schools Inspectorate in 2007.  Boys and girls are taught separately. Boys attend from 7.50am until 3.20pm and girls from 12.00pm to 7.15pm. There are currently 210 pupils on roll.  Pupils have diverse heritages. Some pupils speak English as an additional language. All pupils are Muslim.  The school teaches an Islamic curriculum and a secular curriculum. The boys are taught the Islamic curriculum from 7.50am to 10.20am and the secular curriculum from

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Information about this school

10.20am to 3.20pm. The girls are taught the Islamic curriculum from 12.00pm to 3.40pm and the secular curriculum from 3.40pm to 7.15pm.  The school is described on its website as a ‘non-profit, educational institute and school founded and run by people committed to reviving the Islamic way of life with a quality education that is taught in a way that is dynamic and applicable to Muslims living in Luton and the United Kingdom as a whole'.  The proprietor plans to use a second site from September 2016 and proposes to educate boys and girls separately across the two sites. The proprietor has not yet requested a material change to the school’s registration and is aware that the DfE must agree to the change before pupils can use the new site. Monitoring report: Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School), 25 May 2016 5 of 6

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School details

Unique reference number 134807 Inspection number 10020374 DfE registration number 821/6007

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School details

This inspection was conducted at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. It was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008.

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School details

Type of school Islamic day school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 9–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Proprietor Abul Hussain Chair Abul Hussain Headteacher Ashfaque Chowdhury Date of previous school inspection 29 September – 1 October 2015 Annual fees (day pupils) £1,850 Telephone number 01582 728196 Email address arahman@alhikmahschool.com guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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School details

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School details

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School details

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

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