Al Kauthar Girls Academy

New Horizon Community School Newton Hill House, Newton Hill Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS7 4JE

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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 Inadequate

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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

 Proprietors and members of the governing body have failed to inform the Department for Education (DfE) about recent changes to the leadership and management of the school.  Appropriate safeguarding checks have not been carried out on members of the governing body and school proprietors.  Inspectors encountered difficulties in identifying clearly the proprietors of the school at the start of the inspection. There were similar difficulties in securely identifying the governing body. This lack of clarity was also shared by the headteacher and staff within the school. Consequently, there is little effective support given to the school leadership team by the governing body and proprietors.  Systems currently in place to recruit staff do not meet current standards for safe recruitment.  The provision for pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare is inadequate because required safeguarding checks have not been

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

carried out.  Governors and proprietors have not taken sufficient action to ensure that the school premises are safe and secure. This presents a risk to pupils’ welfare.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not consistently good because staff do not always plan work that gives pupils sufficient opportunity to use and apply their skills and knowledge.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development within the school.  Outcomes for pupils are improving overall. Work in books shows that pupils are now making much better progress than last year.

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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) Regulation 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements. The details are listed in the main report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 As a matter of urgency, improve the quality of safeguarding within school by: – identifying clearly those who are proprietors and those who are members of the governing body and informing the DfE of recent changes – ensuring that both proprietors and members of the governing body undertake required safeguarding checks in line with their positions and ensuring that this information is contained in the school’s single central record (SCR) – making sure that leaders have completed the relevant training in order to ensure the safe recruitment of new staff – carrying out a comprehensive health and safety audit of the school building and ensuring that hazards identified during the inspection are made safe.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – work planned by staff enables pupils to use and apply the skills they have learned and deepen their knowledge – work planned for most-able pupils accurately meets their needs and enables them to

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

make the progress of which they are capable.  Increase the effectiveness of systems in place to develop pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by: – ensuring that all required safeguarding checks are carried out on proprietors and members of the governing body – making sure that risks to pupils are correctly identified and a risk assessment is put in place that identifies these risks – taking appropriate action to reduce the risks identified.  Improve outcomes for pupils by ensuring that: – the current system in place to track pupils’ progress is used consistently – pupils consistently make good and better progress from their starting points.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that the welfare and safety of pupils at the school is safeguarded and protected through the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy and appropriate action is taken to reduce the risks identified (paragraphs 16, 16(a) and 16(b)).

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 Checks must be made to ensure persons named as the proprietors of the school are not barred from regulated activity relating to children in accordance with section 3(2) of the 2006 Act; which is regulated activity within the meaning of Part 1, Schedule 4 of the Act, and does not carry out work, or intend to carry out work, at the school in contravention of a prohibition order or an interim prohibition order, or any other direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act (paragraphs 18, 18(2)(a) and 18(2)(b)).  A range of checks also needs to be carried out for each proprietor, including an enhanced criminal records check, an identity check and a check of their right to work in the United Kingdom and any such other checks required by guidance issued by the Secretary of State (paragraphs 20(6), 20(6)(a)(i), 20(6)(a)(ii), 20(6)(b), 20(6)(b)(i), 20(6)(b)(ii), 20(6)(b)(iii) and 20(6)(c)).

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that the welfare and safety of pupils at the school is safeguarded and protected by ensuring the school premises and the accommodation and facilities provided therein are maintained to a standard such that, so far as is reasonably practical, the health, safety and welfare of pupils are ensured (paragraphs 7, 7(a), 7(b) and 25).  The proprietor must ensure the lighting in each classroom is suitable, having regard for the nature of activities normally undertaken therein, and external lighting is provided in order to ensure that people can safely enter and leave the school premises (paragraphs 27, 27(a) and 27(b)).  The proprietor ensures that suitable outdoor space is provided in order to enable pupils to play outside safely (paragraphs 29(1) and 29(1)(b)).  The proprietors must ensure that their full names, addresses and telephone numbers on which they may be contacted are available, both during term time and holidays

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

(paragraphs 32(2) and 32(2)(b)(i)).  The proprietors must ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are consistently met, and they actively promote the well-being of pupils (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)).

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The leadership and management of the school are inadequate because the proprietors and governing body have not ensured that systems to safeguard and protect the health and welfare of pupils meet the independent school standards.  At the time of the inspection, the school’s single central record contained no reference to the current proprietors or governing body. The highly knowledgeable administrator and headteacher were aware of this, but despite their best efforts had been unable to obtain the information required. This represents a breach in safeguarding requirements and a failure of this part of the independent school standards.  Staff have recently been appointed to the school. However, in some cases, appointments have been made by leaders and governors who have not completed safer recruitment training.  Risk assessments are not used consistently to evaluate the risks posed by hazards identified within the building. For example, a guard is in place across the bottom of one of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

the large sash windows in the teaching area. However, another, equally large window in a classroom and a further one in the third-floor toilets have no guards or locks. At the time of the inspection, no risk assessment was in place that identified the hazard posed by these upstairs windows. This represents a risk to pupils’ welfare, health and safety.  The school does not currently have an up-to-date website. There is a historical website in place; however, the headteacher and proprietors have no access to its contents and are actively working to have it removed. Current senior leaders ensure that parents can obtain copies of the safeguarding policy and other relevant documents directly from the school office.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2016. She has quickly developed a very clear and accurate view of the areas in need of improvement and strengths of the school. Her vision and values are shared by staff and this has contributed to the improvement to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ progress observed during the inspection.  The headteacher has very quickly put in place an effective safeguarding policy and has ensured that staff have undertaken relevant training. This has contributed to a very recent improvement to the culture of safeguarding within the school.  Girls in the recent past had access to a narrower curriculum than currently. A recent increase in the allocation of time for physical education (PE) and a wide range of curriculum enrichment activities such as debating, cookery and team sports have broadened the range of available subjects. The recent introduction of English literature and the planned introduction of geography from September will further increase the range of subjects and qualifications available to pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The headteacher has improved the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the short time she has been in post. She has led a rigorous and demanding programme of improvement, delivered through a series of after-school training sessions. During the inspection, staff commented on how much confidence they had gained in their ability to teach and how they were focused ‘on what pupils need to learn’. Work in pupils’ books shows clear evidence of this improvement.  School leaders recognise that there has been a recent decline in the numbers of girls attending the school. The meeting convened during the inspection to meet with members of the community and parents was well attended. Proprietors and governors who attended felt that they had the backing of parents to move forward with planned improvements. Discussions with a small number of parents suggested that they supported this view.  Planned learning for pupils across the school now takes into account the development of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural knowledge and skills as well as an understanding of life in modern Britain. The impact of this recent change could be seen clearly in the pupils’ work in religious education (RE).

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Governance

 The role played by governors and proprietors within the school is ill defined and at a very early stage of development. A list of which governors and proprietors who undertook what roles was only finalised during the inspection.  Proprietors and governors have not been sufficiently diligent in ensuring that all aspects of the independent school standards have been met. They have failed to carry out checks on the school’s safeguarding systems and as a result, systems fall below the standard expected. In particular, proprietors and governors have failed to ensure that relevant Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks have been carried out, which contribute to the safe recruitment of new staff.  The lack of clarity of roles and responsibilities within the group of proprietors and governors has resulted in the headteacher receiving little support or challenge since her appointment. This has further slowed improvements to the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  At the time of the inspection few proprietors and members of the governing body had been subject to the required disclosure and barring checks (DBS).  Systems in place to safeguard pupils are inadequate overall. Senior leaders and school staff are aware of what needs to be done to improve, but governors and proprietors lack sufficient knowledge and understanding. This has slowed the pace of required improvements.  The headteacher has ensured that staff have received up-to-date safeguarding training and those staff spoken to were clear about the safeguarding systems in school and what actions to take to protect pupils in the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Staff are beginning to focus on planning work that meets the needs of all pupils in the school. However, this is at an early stage of development in some classrooms, where staff are not yet sufficiently focused on what pupils need to learn from their starting points.  Staff are increasingly starting to use their knowledge of pupils’ previous achievements to plan the next steps in their learning. Staff are also beginning to be aware of the need to offer work with a greater level of challenge for the most able pupils. It is too soon to show the impact of these improvements on the progress of this group.  Some staff have begun to heighten their expectations of what pupils can achieve in the time available. However, too often, materials used to extend learning are ‘more of the same’, as several pupils commented. As a result, materials do not help to deepen or extend pupils’ learning, and opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

knowledge are too infrequent.  Relationships between pupils and staff are a strength of the school and are founded on mutual respect. Pupils spoken to were quick to say how appreciative they were of the support they receive from staff. They also commented on, ‘how staff believe in us and encourage us to do our best always’.  Work in pupils’ books shows that many are now making better progress than last year. This improvement is borne out by improvement in the results of their regular assessment tests. However, there remains a legacy of underachievement, particularly in Years 10 and 11. Despite the best efforts of staff, pupils in key stage 4 are unlikely to increase the levels of accreditation achieved last year in English and mathematics.  Pupils make good and occasionally better progress in some lessons, particularly psychology and art. Pupils are nearly always engaged in learning, even when tasks are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

dull. However, when tasks set are interesting and challenging, pupils become animated and excited learners whose achievement soars.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate because proprietors and members of the governing body have not ensured that all the required safeguarding checks are securely in place. This has put pupils’ welfare at risk and leaders cannot be assured of pupils’ safety.  Pupils spoken to said how much they enjoyed coming to school. They also commented that they felt safe and on how they had learned to keep safe on the internet through information technology lessons.  Pupils and staff alike commented positively on the recent changes that have taken place in the school. Pupils felt that the new curriculum, which includes subjects such as PE in key stage 4, has helped to increase their levels of fitness. Some commented on how much they looked forward to playing competitive games against other schools.  Pupils’ self-esteem and self-confidence grow as they move through the school. Through

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Personal development and welfare

their attendance at events such as careers fairs, pupils develop a broader understanding of future opportunities. This enables them to choose a future career and opportunities to undertake work experience in a wide range of settings. Consequently, pupils can refine their career choices further. Pupils are prepared well for the transition to further education or the workplace.  Pupils are aware of the forms that bullying can take, but were adamant that it very rarely happened in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good overall and is sometimes exemplary.  Pupils demonstrate good attitudes to learning in most classrooms. They demonstrate polite and caring attitudes to each other, staff and visitors.  Many pupils are proactive in their approach to life and demonstrate this well when debating a wide range of topics, particularly in religious education classes. Work in books clearly shows that they have good knowledge about a range of subjects. Pupils demonstrate thoughtful attitudes in their understanding of, for example, life in modern Britain and the lives of others protected within the Equalities Act 2010.  Pupils attend school regularly and most are punctual. Overall attendance is good and is higher than the average for secondary school pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Overall pupils’ progress requires improvement from a range of different starting points in mathematics and English. This is reflected in the work observed in pupils’ books.  Pupils start school with a range of skills and knowledge similar to that of other secondary schools. However, in the last three years, many have left having made less progress than other pupils nationally. For example, last year, fewer pupils left having achieved five GCSEs at grades A*– C including mathematics and English than other pupils nationally. Current Year 11 pupils are making stronger progress overall. However, previous slow progress means that some pupils are struggling to catch up.  The progress made by pupils in key stage 3 in English and mathematics is currently better than in key stage 4. School data shows that most pupils are beginning to make better progress from their starting points. This is also reflected in the work in pupils’ books.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

However, this improvement is very recent and is not yet firmly embedded.  The school does not measure yet the progress of different groups of pupils. Therefore it is difficult to ascertain the overall progress made by the most able pupils. However, work in the books of individual pupils whom staff define as most-able shows that progress for this group is similar to that of others and requires improvement.  The headteacher has identified a small group of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and has put in place a curriculum that meets their needs well.  Last year, nearly all of the Year 11 pupils successfully transferred to further education, demonstrating that staff had adequately prepared them for their next stage in education and training.

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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

Proprietor Ejaz Hussain, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Parviz Hussain, Jamil Ahmed, Rasheed Ali, Shazad Ilyas Chair Jamil Ahmed

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School details

Website The school does not currently have a website Email address admin@horizonschool.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18–21 March 2013

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed and many of the staff have changed. A new governing body consisting of nine governors has been put in place and six new proprietors have taken over the running of the school.

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Information about this school

 The previous inspection was carried out on 18–21 March 2013 by the Bridge Schools Inspectorate (BSI). The inspection was carried out under section 162a of the Education Act 2002. The inspection team found that the school did not meet all the standards in Parts 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the independent schools standards.  The school does not use any external providers to provide education for pupils.  The school has an Islamic character and delivers Islamic studies alongside the national curriculum.  At the time of the inspection, the school had not notified the DfE of the very recent changes to the named proprietors.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed learning in classrooms across the school accompanied by senior leaders for most of the observations.  The inspection team scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including the school’s curriculum policy and schemes of work, the complaints policy, behaviour policy and other documents required to check compliance with the independent school standards.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff, governors and proprietors. Informal discussions were undertaken with pupils and parents.  One parent responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Marian Thomas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Fiona Dixon Ofsted 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

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

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