Rochdale Islamic Academy

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Rochdale Girls School Greenbank Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 0HZ

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 3,3(a)  The progress monitoring inspection in March 2016 identified that progress for boys in some subjects in key stage 3 was not good.  The school’s action plan sets out actions to improve pupils’ progress. These actions include ensuring that the system of tracking pupils’ progress that is operated on the boys’ site is the same as the one used on the girls’ site. Where teachers identify any pupil underachievement there is a plan in place through a range of interventions and peer and teacher mentoring activities. The plan is for leaders to carefully monitor the impact of these interventions. The headteacher plans to advertise for new English and mathematics teachers at the boys’ site to improve the quality of teaching.  As a result of implementing this action plan, the quality of teaching has improved. The rate of progress that pupils make has also improved in a number of subjects, including

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Main inspection findings

English and mathematics.  Although unable to appoint new teachers for English and mathematics for the boys’ site, the headteacher has implemented an extensive package of support from the strong English and mathematics staff on the girls’ site. This includes support for planning and co-teaching lessons and extensive monitoring of teaching and marking. A physical education teacher on the boys’ site is also being supported and trained to teach English to boys in Years 7 and 8. Lesson observations, work in boys’ books and the school’s own progress tracking indicates that boys are making at least good progress in mathematics and in English. Their work in science is strong.  On the girls’ site, work produced by the girls in art is of a high standard. Lessons in Urdu are taught by the teacher of religious education. Girls spoken to by the inspector identified science as a much improved subject that they really enjoy. More than half of

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Main inspection findings

the girls are now taking three separate science subjects.  The tracking of pupils’ progress has been extended at both school sites. Although formal tracking is termly, the curriculum leaders on each site meet every two weeks to identify from teachers’ own tracking those pupils who may be falling behind or need to catch up. Intervention records for girls and boys identified how pupils have been supported in English, science and mathematics. Evidence was provided of the impact of these interventions. This included pupils who were attaining at the level of a grade E or grade F successfully achieving a grade C in the English and/or mathematics GCSE examinations. The evidence also showed low-attaining boys in Years 7 and 8 making good progress. On the girls’ site GCSE outcomes rose significantly in 2016 with 90% of pupils attaining grades A* to C in English and mathematics compared to 48% in 2015. Science outcomes also increased significantly.

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Main inspection findings

 The monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning is now extremely robust and is led by middle leaders who undertake focused learning walks, lesson observations and work scrutinies each half term. The headteacher and deputy headteacher from the boys’ site carry out daily learning walks. The curriculum leaders have an action plan for every teacher and monitor their progress in their key areas for development. As a consequence, teaching has improved and leaders judge the majority of teaching to be at least good. Those that are not yet good are well supported by team teaching and joint planning and moderation. As a consequence pupils’ progress has improved and most teachers now follow the school’s assessment and marking policy.  Work seen in books was of an appropriate standard in all subjects. There was evidence of well-structured extended writing, and presentation was generally good. Work was

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Main inspection findings

mostly well marked with useful comments to support pupils’ learning and, where pupils are given time to reflect on their learning and respond, according to the school policy, it is clear that they make good progress. Leaders are aware that the consistency of the implementation of this policy remains an area for further development.  Senior leaders ensure that regular whole-school and targeted training is undertaken. Teachers have opportunities to attend subject-specific training. Lead teachers benefit from working with other schools in the region.

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

Paragraph 17, Paragraph 18, Paragraph 21(1)  The single central register has been updated from September. All appropriate checks have been undertaken for proprietors, governors/trustees and for all staff.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)  The extended leadership team now robustly tracks pupils’ progress, identifies underperformance and implements interventions to support their progress. Inspection evidence shows that these interventions have led to better rates of pupils’ progress.  The senior and middle leaders regularly monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and marking. They provide and monitor individual action plans for teachers and ensure that teachers receive the training and support they need to secure improvements. As a consequence, teaching and progress have improved at key stage 3 and the outcomes at GCSE have significantly improved.  The headteacher provides regularly half-termly reports on progress in all areas for governors and the proprietor.  Governors/trustees and the proprietor visit the school regularly. They visit lessons, talk to pupils, staff and parents and ask about the progress of pupils.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 The quality of the tracking of progress and support for pupils has improved. Pupils are making better progress as a result. Outcomes at GCSE, for example, have improved significantly in 2016.  The headteacher ensures that the well-being of pupils is sound. The single central register has been updated and includes appropriate checks for staff, governors and the proprietor.  The child protection policy has been updated to comply with the advice in ‘Keeping children safe in education’, 2016. All staff and governors have read and understood the updated document and have signed to say that they have read it. Staff and governors have had training on the updated requirements and the latest ‘Prevent’ training.

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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 that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

 Paragraph 3,3(a) 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 develop their skills in the subjects taught.  Paragraph 17, Paragraph 18, Paragraph 21(1) The standards about the suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors are contained in this part. The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor keeps a register which shows such of the information referred to in sub-paragraphs (3) to (7) as is applicable in the school in question.  Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) The proprietor must ensure that leaders and managers demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their roles so that the independent standards are met consistently. The proprietor must ensure that leaders and managers fulfil their responsibilities so that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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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

Email address admin@rochdalegirlsschool.com

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 12–14 May 2015

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Information about this school

 Rochdale Girls’ School opened in 2003. It is an independent day school for secondary- aged Muslim girls and boys. It is a member of the Association of Muslim Schools UK.  The boys’ site opened in September 2014 and currently has pupils in Years 7 to 10. In September 2013, the girls’ site moved to new accommodation, which is a purpose-built single-storey school, previously owned by the local authority. The boys’ site is housed in the former girls’ school accommodation, a short walk away.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2014 and is based at the girls’ site.  The school aims to provide an Islamic and national curriculum to boys and girls aged between 11 and 16 from all ethnic backgrounds, in a safe environment. The school’s mission is ‘to provide education in an Islamic environment that encourages good discipline, behaviour, tolerance and respect, to achieve goals by developing potential,

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Information about this school

thereby creating role models for the community’.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school was last inspected by Ofsted in May 2015, when it was judged to require improvement.  The first monitoring visit was in March 2016 and identified that progress for boys in some subjects in key stage 3 was not good and that consequently the school did not meet all the independent school standards.  The school has submitted and then amended an action plan for improvement in these independent school standards.  This is the second monitoring visit to establish whether the school has implemented this action plan in full.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, and a representative of the trust and the governing body. Teaching was observed in all year groups across both sites of the school and pupils’ work in books was scrutinised. Documentation relating to staff training, leaders, monitoring of the quality of teaching and the tracking of pupil progress was examined, alongside records of interventions used to support pupils who were falling behind and evidence of their impact. A meeting was held with pupils and an analysis of surveys of parental and pupil

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Information about this inspection

satisfaction with the school’s provision was provided. The school’s single central record and the newly updated child protection policy were also scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Gena Merrett, 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

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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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