Madina-tul-Uloom Al Islamic College

Inspection report for boarding school: Madina-tul-Uloom Al Islamic College 1 Madina-tul-Uloom Al Islamic College Madinatul Uloom Al-Islamiya Islamic College Butts Lane, Stone, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY10 4BH Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this boarding school

The school is an independent boarding and day school for Muslim boys and young men aged between 11 and 24. Pupils attend from all areas of the country, and a number from overseas. There are currently no pupils with education, health and care plans, or statements of special educational needs.

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Information about this boarding school

The boarding provision for all pupils is in the school grounds, with different age ranges in each boarding house.

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Information about this boarding school

This inspection concentrated on pupils under the age of 18.

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good

How well pupils are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The boarding school is not yet delivering good help and care for pupils. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Date of last inspection: 2 February 2016 Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This boarding school requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Recordings of safeguarding concerns hold limited detail to show how staff will safeguard pupils in the future.  Some maintenance checks are poor and do not safeguard pupils’ well-being.  Older pupils are required to do inappropriate cleaning tasks in younger pupils’ boarding houses.  Pupils have limited after-school activities.  Staff do not receive formal appraisals or supervision that help them to develop their skills.  Arrangements for pupils who might go missing from school are inconsistent, and staff are unaware of the necessary responses to be taken when pupils return.  Pupils have limited space for private study.  Concerns raised in pupils’ survey questionnaires are not followed up by the leadership team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Pupils enjoy most of their boarding experience and are positive about the staff team.  The headteacher and the senior team have taken swift action to tackle the weaknesses identified at the last inspection.  Arrangements for pupils’ health are good and support pupils to engage in healthy lifestyles.  A new house system made up of individualised rewards is helping pupils to increase their awareness of their behaviour, and how this can affect others.

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schools

The school does not meet the following national minimum standards for boarding schools:

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schools

 Suitable living accommodation is provided for boarders for the purposes of organised and private study outside school hours and for social purposes. (NMS 5.2)  Boarding houses and other accommodation provided for boarders is Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 3 appropriately lit, heated and ventilated, cleaned and maintained, and reasonable adjustments are made to provide adequate accessible accommodation for any boarders with restricted mobility. (NMS 5.4)  There is an appropriate range and choice of activities for boarders outside teaching time, including sufficient and suitably timed free time each day. Suitable risk assessments are in place for any activities which may put boarders at risk of harm. (NMS 10.1)  Schools where there are unusual or especially onerous demands on boarders ensure that these are appropriate to the boarders concerned and do not unacceptably affect boarders’ welfare. (NMS 10.3)

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schools

 The school ensures that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school and such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. (NMS 11.1)  The school’s leadership and management consistently fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the standards are met. (NMS 13.4)  Staff working within the school know and implement the school’s policy in relation to boarders going missing and their role in implementing that policy. Staff actively search for boarders who are missing, including working with police where appropriate. (NMS 15.6)  Boarders are actively encouraged to contribute views to the operation of boarding provision, are able to raise concerns and make complaints, and their views are given appropriate weight in decisions about the running of the school. Boarders are not penalised for raising a concern or making a complaint in good

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Recommendations

 Develop improved systems that allow pupils to increase their independence skills.  Develop improved arrangements to allow parents to visit their pupils in the boarding provision.

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good

Overall, pupils are positive about their boarding experience. There have been significant improvements in the boarding provision since the last inspection. However, weaknesses in the provision of care remain. For example, concerns raised by pupils are not always sufficiently addressed. Some pupils are required to perform inappropriate cleaning regimes, and visit arrangements do not enable pupils to invite their families to visit their boarding provision. Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 4 Pupils told the inspector that they enjoy being able to spend time with their mates, and like playing football in their free time. Pupils particularly enjoy being able to revise together. This helps pupils to share their learning across the different aspects of the curriculum with other pupils in a supportive way.

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good

Pupils highlighted different members of staff whom they can talk to if they have any concerns. These included supervisors, the pastoral team and the independent listener. Pupils have opportunities to become elected members of the school council. This enables pupils to influence decisions that affect their boarding experience. Pupils have participated in a pupil survey questionnaire to help secure their views about their boarding experiences. However, questionnaires are not dated and there is no evidence of how the senior leaders have picked up and addressed some of the negative comments raised by pupils. This leaves potential concerns raised by pupils without a response.

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good

Pupils are supported with their education, with staff setting high expectations to motivate success. A monitoring visit conducted by education inspectors at the same time as this inspection said that, ‘The progress of some pupils is not yet good and teachers’ use of assessment to inform next steps in learning requires some improvement.’

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good

The range of recreational opportunities have increased since the last inspection. There is an improved timetable for the use of the games room. However, after- school activities continue to be limited, with a reliance on football or cricket. Although most pupils are enthusiastic about football, they highlight that there is no external lighting, which means that in the autumn and winter months they have limited opportunity to continue this enjoyable pastime after school. Pupils lack direction from staff with regard to encouraging new activities. For example, one pupil told the inspectors, ‘I just walk around and talk to people on my phone during the evening. It does get boring.’

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good

Pupils are expected to develop some independence skills, including keeping their bedrooms clean and tidy. Older pupils told the inspectors that they are expected to take part in regular cleaning of the toilets and showers in the younger pupils’ boarding houses, with some pupils telling the inspectors that they find this ‘difficult’ and ‘uncomfortable’. This practice of asking older pupils to clean the toilets of younger pupils is inappropriate and causes older pupils emotional discomfort. Pupils have access to kitchenette areas. However, older pupils do not have sufficient appliances to practise essential life skills such as learning to cook, or doing their own washing. This limits pupils from being able to acquire the skills necessary for adulthood.

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good

Good health arrangements support pupils’ well-being throughout their time at the school. Pupils can access local health services if required, and staff have completed training in first aid to respond to immediate concerns. Staff have a strong awareness of the safe administration of medication, to protect pupils’ health. There Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 5 are appropriate arrangements to support self-administration for some medication prescribed to older pupils. This increases the ability of older pupils to look after their own health safely.

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good

Induction arrangements for new pupils are well considered by the staff team. Younger pupils told the inspectors that it was, ‘scary when you first start, but you get used to being away’. The good induction arrangements helped them to settle into the school and made them feel more secure.

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good

There are clear behavioural boundaries for pupils. Arrangements for responding to issues such as bullying or poor behaviour are good, and support pupils due to the good relationships that are in place between pupils and the staff team. Pupils’ identity and family arrangements are respected, with staff having a basic awareness of pupils’ backgrounds.

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good

Pupils are able to contact their parents by using their own mobile phones or the boarding house payphone. Some pupils are unhappy that, with the new fence and entrance, parents are not able to visit them on the school campus, and they are unable to show parents their bedrooms. Pupils said that they were told that this was due to safeguarding and health and safety grounds. Some staff also stated that having parents on site was a safeguarding concern, even if they were with staff at all times. This restrictive contact arrangement does not support pupils’ ability to share their residential experience with their parents, and consideration is to be given into more organised visits on the school site that will not affect the safety or privacy of others.

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good

The previous inspection highlighted poor safeguarding procedures, including poor recruitment information and the lack of an effective policy. These shortfalls have been responded to well, but there continue to be some areas that require development to strengthen safeguarding. These include safeguarding records, missing from school procedures, and health and safety monitoring.

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good

All staff are aware of their responsibilities to safeguard pupils following increased levels of training. A child protection concern has occurred since the last inspection. Although this was responded to appropriately, it highlighted weaknesses in the level of required recording. Interviews were not fully recorded and did not have sufficient details to show which pupils had been interviewed, or the questions asked and responses given. This means that should a further allegation be made there is a lack of evidence to corroborate the previous investigation to keep pupils safe. A significant amount of additional training has been completed with the new designated lead for child protection, to increase their knowledge of the role. The school works well with the local safeguarding board, and minutes of meetings are Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 6 available to show how different child protection professionals are now involved.

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good

The senior team has improved the health and safety of staff and pupils since the last inspection. Areas around the school have been developed, including the removal of the fish ponds, refurbishment of the kitchen, and the maintenance of the boarding accommodation. However, some issues relating to poor monitoring of areas continue. These extend to portable appliance tests that are incorrectly recorded, and two fridges that contain a large amount of mould. These issues highlight that systems intended to keep everyone safe in the school are still not sufficient to protect pupils from risk.

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good

Pupils feel safe in the residential provision and highlight the new fencing that has been put in place since the last inspection as a significant reason for this. They are positive about staff ability to keep them safe, including the security at the school gate, which stops anyone from entering the site without permission and supports pupils’ security.

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good

Risks relating to harmful behaviours are explained to pupils to decrease such events. Pupils are able to discuss some of the dangers of the internet, and how there are procedures in place that help to reduce their involvement with dangerous activities.

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good

No pupils have been missing from the school since the last inspection. However, staff do not have an awareness of the school’s procedures should such an event occur, and they are also unsure of the necessary response for when pupils return from being missing. This could result in an uncoordinated approach by staff to securing a pupil’s safety.

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good

Basic assessments are carried out on each pupil during their admission to the school, to examine vulnerabilities. There are no individualised risk assessments in place. However, staff are aware of the need to develop additional support plans and risk assessments to ensure pupils’ safety, should concerns be raised.

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good

The staff team works well with the pupils to help increase everyone’s awareness of danger. This work includes involving the police to help increase pupils’ awareness of what is radicalisation. This has helped to develop pupils’ awareness of different perceptions of their religious beliefs when they are outside the school.

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good

The leadership team has introduced a new behaviour management scheme made up of a balance of sanctions and rewards. This is proving successful in helping pupils to respect each other’s differences. For example, sanctions are restorative and help pupils to be aware of the effect that their behaviour can have on others. No pupils have been restrained since the last inspection, although staff are aware of their responsibilities should such an event be necessary. Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 7

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good

The headteacher leads and manages the school effectively. The school has seen a range of changes in the senior staff team since the last inspection, leading to an improvement in the quality of care provided to the pupils who board at the school. Some areas of leadership continue to require improvement. These include the supervision and appraisal of staff and the lack of private study areas for pupils. Some recommendations raised at the last inspection have not been fully met, although the school has made positive steps to resolve the affected areas.

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good

The boarding provision is well staffed, with pupils telling the inspectors that they are ‘always able to talk to a member of staff, even in the middle of the night if we need to’.

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good

Appraisal systems for staff are basic and do not sufficiently examine their development or suggest how they could develop over the coming year. Similarly, staff do not have any formal supervision, to discuss their boarding practice and support their role in terms of caring for the pupils. This lack of a staff support structure could affect the well-being of pupils if poor practice is not challenged.

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good

The management team and trustees have a detailed strategic plan for the school’s development. This plan includes the boarding provision, and shows that consideration has been given to recognising the provision’s strengths and weaknesses. Plans show how the school continues to improve the experiences and care of pupils. The external scrutiny from the trustees and its evaluation by the senior team has helped to develop the service. As a result, staff and pupils have a greater awareness of the development of the school. One pupil told the inspector, ‘It is better now that we know what all of the senior teachers are responsible for.’ A new system for monitoring aspects of the boarding provision is now in place, which includes the examination of records. This increase in awareness is helping staff to improve aspects of their practice.

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good

The school is situated in a rural environment with few neighbours. Pupils’ involvement with the local community is sparse, although there has recently been a football tournament with other faith schools in the area. Pupils do not routinely use local leisure activities, and information received from the wider world has some limitations, with no televisions in the boarding provision and selected pages from a newspaper being displayed in the school. Pupils are, however, able to access the internet in the school’s computer rooms in the evenings, and pupils use their mobile phones to contact family and friends.

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good

The majority of the staff team have been previous residents at the school. This has the effect of increasing the feeling of consistency and stability at the school. Staff turnover is low and staff enjoy working at the school.

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good

The school’s statement of boarding principle gives a good summary of the Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 8 residential provision. The details of the ethos of the school covered in the statement of boarding principle help to give good guidance to both pupils and parents regarding the boarding experience. This means that pupils and parents are informed of what the school aims to offer.

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good

Significant improvements have been made to the physical environment of the boarding houses over the past year. New roofing and guttering has resulted in a decrease in dampness in bedrooms and has allowed all bedrooms to be painted. However, there is a lack of any areas in the boarding accommodation that enable pupils to study in private, other than working on their beds. The lack of desks or chairs in the communal rooms does not support educational development. Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 9

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of pupils. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of pupils. They watched how professional staff work with pupils and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to pupils and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the school knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the pupils whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Children Act 1989 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the national minimum standards.

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Boarding school details

Social care unique reference number: SC043039

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Boarding school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Mr A Hans

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Boarding school details

Email address: headteacher@madinatul-uloom.org

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Inspector(s)

Andrew Hewston: social care inspector Jo Stephenson: social care inspector Inspection report for boarding school: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamic College 10 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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