M A Girls School

M A Girls School 162 Lumb Lane, Bradford BD8 7RZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has not ensured that all of the independent school standards are consistently met, particularly those around leadership and the quality of teaching.  The headteacher does not act to improve identified weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment in a timely manner, and nor has he produced an action plan to identify areas to improve.  The progress made by pupils is not formally tracked and therefore the headteacher cannot say how much progress pupils make.  The quality of teaching is too variable. In some lessons, pupils do not have access to appropriate resources and this limits the progress they make.  Pupils’ attendance is slightly below national averages and has declined from the last academic year. The headteacher does not have a plan in place to stem this decline.  Teachers do not follow the school marking policy. Therefore, pupils receive very little feedback on their work and are unsure whether

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

their work is correct. Pupils do not know how to improve their work.  Pupils are not currently taking part in any extra- curricular activity, which limits their opportunities for skill development outside the curriculum.  The areas for improvement identified at the last inspection have not been adequately addressed.  Pupils have not had access to any careers advice and do not have an awareness of the range of careers available to them. The school has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has an accurate view of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and can identify how it can be improved.  Pupils’ attainment is higher than national averages in most of the subjects taught.  Pupils arrive on time for lessons and are prepared to learn. They move quickly and calmly around the school and they are very polite and courteous.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: – all of the independent schools standards are met consistently – action plans are developed with clearly measurable success criteria to improve the quality of provision and allow all concerned to monitor the progress being made against the success criteria – the progress pupils make is formally tracked and used to support pupils who are not making good progress and to challenge all pupils, but particularly the most able, to make even better progress – a programme of careers guidance is implemented so that all pupils receive appropriate advice for their futures – procedures for record keeping are tightened up so that policies are kept up to date with the latest government guidance in a timely manner.  Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that: – teachers take account of pupil information to plan learning so that pupils make at least good progress

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– teachers mark pupils’ work according to the school marking policy so that pupils are able to make improvements to their work and know what they have done well – teachers use resources to ensure that pupils gain knowledge and understanding appropriate to the subject and the qualification requirements – appropriate homework is set that consolidates and, where appropriate, extends learning.  Improve personal development, behaviour and well-being by: – taking action to prevent any further decline in attendance rates – improving personal, social, health and economic education to allow pupils to explore issues such as child sexual exploitation and radicalisation in more detail.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 Part 1. Quality of education provided – The proprietor must make sure that all pupils receive careers guidance which is impartial and allows them to make informed career choices and encourages them to fulfil their potential (paragraphs 2(2), 2(2)(e), 2(2)(e)(i), 2(2)(e)(ii) and 2(2)(e)(iii)). – The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school is well planned with effective teaching strategies. Teaching must take into account pupils’ needs and prior attainment to help them learn. Good quality resources must be used effectively. (paragraphs 3(c), 3(d), 3(f) and 3(g)).  Part 8. Quality of leadership and management in schools – The proprietor must ensure that the person(s) with leadership and management responsibilities at the school have the knowledge and skills to ensure that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)).

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 School leaders are not ensuring that the independent school standards are being met consistently. As a result, teaching does not allow pupils to make good progress and pupils are not provided with careers guidance that will allow them to make informed decisions about their future.  The headteacher is not effectively evaluating the school’s performance and consequently is not producing any action plans for improving the provision. The areas for improvement identified at the last inspection have not improved and standards in teaching have declined.  Monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching at the school have been limited to lesson observations taking place once a year. Teachers have received very little guidance on how to improve and consequently, improvements are not happening.  Teachers do not have access to a programme of continuing professional development. Performance management reviews identify training needs but there is little evidence that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

this training has happened or that it has had any impact on the quality of teaching.  The curriculum at key stage 3 follows the national curriculum but at key stage 4, pupils take a narrower range of subjects. Due to the small size of the school, pupils do not have choices about what they study at GCSE and their access to creative subjects is limited.  School leaders and teachers have not ensured that there is a programme of extra- curricular activity for pupils to develop their skills outside the taught curriculum. Pupils do not attend anything extra and everything they can talk about is historic and is no longer happening.  In a refurbishment of the school, the science laboratory has been removed. Leaders have not ensured that there is adequate provision for pupils to learn practically about science alongside the theory.  Pupils have not had any careers education. While they are opting to go to sixth form or to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

college at the end of Year 11, they make choices based upon very limited information. This means that they are not making informed choices related to their future aspirations.  Leaders and teachers prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Through citizenship education, pupils find out about laws, discrimination, British heritage and different faiths and cultures. This is coupled with opportunities within their local communities, for example through work experience and previous school trips, to bring the learning to life.

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Governance

 The school does not have a system of governance. The headteacher does not receive any challenge to help him improve the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Those with responsibility for safeguarding have accessed appropriate training and teachers have a good awareness of how to manage any safeguarding issues.  The safeguarding policy is present on the school’s website and is available to parents on request. The policy was updated in line with the latest government requirements during the inspection.  There is a safe culture in the school. Pupils say that they feel safe and they know whom to go to if there is an issue. The school works with other stakeholders such as Bradford local authority, parents and the police to ensure that pupils are safe. However, pupils are not able to access information about keeping themselves safe from risks associated with drugs and alcohol, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is inconsistent. In some subjects, such as English, it has improved and as a result, pupils make good progress over time. However, this is not consistent across the school and too often teachers are satisfied with pupils making expected progress.  Teachers do not always mark books according to the school marking policy. This means that during extended periods where work is unmarked, pupils are unable to say whether they have completed the work well and are unaware of the progress they have made.  Due to marking taking place infrequently, spelling errors remain uncorrected for long periods. This means that pupils do not make as much progress as they could with this aspect of literacy.  Teachers do not use pupil information well enough in their planning. Most-able pupils are not challenged to make good progress. This is because work is often too easy for them as teachers have not taken into account what they can already do. Similarly, less able pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

do the same work as their peers, which can sometimes be too hard for them. As a result, they only make expected progress.  Teachers set homework in line with school expectations. However, the homework does not always consolidate or extend learning.  Pupils receive targets based on their prior attainment and baseline testing upon entry to the school. These targets are updated as pupils progress through school. However, too many pupils were unaware of their targets and did not know how hard they should be working to achieve them. As a result, pupils are not challenged to make the good progress of which they are capable. In some lessons, teachers ask questions that require pupils to think hard. This challenges the most able pupils and helps them to deepen their understanding.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  The school does not fully address pupils’ economic welfare because pupils do not have access to appropriate careers advice. Pupils are not fully aware of the range of careers that are available to them.  Through citizenship teaching, pupils learn about other cultures and British values and society and in religious education, pupils learn about other faiths. Pupils have also linked with schools of other faiths in the area. There are, however, missed opportunities across the curriculum to further develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding.  Pupils say that they know how to stay safe online. They study this as part of the information and communication technology curriculum and are confident in stating examples such as not giving out any personal details over the internet.  Pupils value the trips that happen at the end of each academic year to reward good

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Personal development and welfare

behaviour, effort and attainment. They say that these trips motivate them to work hard.  Pupils say that bullying does not happen in the school and they all get on well with each other. Where there is an occasional conflict, this is quickly resolved and staff are on hand to help if needed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well around school. Lesson changeover times are orderly as are lunch- and breaktimes. Pupils are eager to do well and low-level disruption in lessons does not occur.  Rates of attendance are slightly below national averages. Pupils say that they value school and they value their education. No pupils are persistently absent from school.  Parents work closely with the school and this is reflected in pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and their desire to do well.  Despite the building undergoing refurbishment, pupils still ensure that the areas that they use are tidy and litter-free. Pupils respect their environment.  In lessons, pupils behave well. They are confident and they take pride in their work, presenting it well. However, in some books, the standard of work has begun to decline and teachers have not picked this up.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Leaders do not formally track the progress that pupils make; they only formally record attainment information. This means that leaders and teachers are unable to talk confidently about the progress that pupils make. However, pupils’ attainment is higher than the national average at the end of key stage 4 and this is an improving trend. Given the pupils’ starting points, and confirmed by the progress seen in exercise books, pupils are on track to make at least expected progress, as they have done in previous years.  Some pupils enter GCSE examinations in Year 10. This works out well for some of the most able pupils who gain high grades in mathematics and science. For others, it is not the same picture as they do not achieve the highest grade they are capable of and do not have a further opportunity to take the examination again if they secure an A*–C grade.  Attainment data across different year groups shows that pupils are making progress

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

towards targets set by school leaders. However, leaders sometimes lower these targets if pupils underperform. This means that pupils’ targets do not always reflect high expectations and ensure that pupils make good progress.  Leaders use bought-in assessments packages that match the national curriculum to check pupils’ learning. This gives leaders data about pupil performance and they use this prior to adjusting targets to intervene if any pupils fall too far behind. This supports pupils in getting back on track to make at least expected progress.  Pupils read well with fluency and comprehension appropriate to their age and they are able to sound out words to work out what they are if they are stuck. However, pupils’ access to books is restricted because books are stored in a disorderly room and there is no advice and guidance on selecting appropriate reading material to stretch and challenge them. This means that pupils select books based on the cover rather than the suitability.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Although pupils gain sufficient qualifications to enter college or sixth form, their pathways are not well thought out and do not always match their career plans. This is because of the lack of careers guidance.

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School details

Unique reference number 138244 DfE registration number 380/6004

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School details

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.

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–16 May 2013

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Information about this school

 MA Girls School was set up in June 2012 to provide a faith-based education for Muslim girls in a busy residential district of Bradford.  The school aims to be ‘a caring, sharing community, extending links into the local and wider communities’.  The school has recently shrunk in size and now has 37 pupils. There are now fewer members of staff. This is in part due to a change in the provision for boys’ education in its partner school.  The school building is undergoing refurbishment to accommodate a nursery school on site.  No pupil had a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out over two and half days, with one day’s notice.  The inspector observed learning in 10 part-lessons across a range of subjects, in all year groups. Two of the observations of learning were carried out jointly with the headteacher. The inspector listened to pupils read.  The inspector toured the building both inside and out to verify the independent school standards.  Meetings and discussions were held with pupils, teachers and the headteacher.  There were no responses to Parent View and no responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation including: curriculum plans; records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance; the school’s own information; and data relating to pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching.  The inspector reviewed safeguarding records, and associated policies and procedures, including checks on the suitability of staff. She also looked at the single central record.

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Inspection team

Debbie Redshaw, lead inspector 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

Parent View 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

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Inspection team

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