Leicester International School

Leicester International School 16–20 Beal Street, Leicester, Leicestershire LE2 0AA

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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 Satisfactory

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school does not meet all of the independent school standards.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is not effective.  Not all teachers have a secure understanding of the actions that they must take when they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare.  Senior leaders do not have an accurate view of the quality of teaching.  Senior leaders do not regularly review the progress that pupils make. They do not identify sufficiently quickly when pupils fail to make the progress that they should.  Senior leaders do not ensure that staff implement the school’s behaviour policy consistently.  Pupils behave well. However, a few pupils find it difficult to manage their own behaviour, despite the support that they receive.  Teachers receive limited training opportunities to improve their classroom practice.  The school’s action plan does not contain sufficiently precise targets for leaders to measure the impact of the proposed actions.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor does not hold senior leaders to account well enough for the quality of the school’s provision.  Pupils’ outcomes require improvement. While pupils attain well, particularly in the primary provision and in English, mathematics and science, not all pupils make consistently strong progress.  The most able pupils do not receive sufficiently challenging activities that enable them to make consistently good progress.  The quality of teaching requires improvement as not all teachers plan activities that meet the needs of different pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils fully understand the need to respect people who are different to them.  Attendance at the school is high. This reflects the pupils’ positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils take advantage of opportunities to learn about the area in which the school is located.

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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?

 Rapidly ensure that arrangements to keep pupils safe are effective, by making sure that: – leaders are aware of, and undertake, all the necessary recruitment checks when appointing new staff – leaders responsible for safeguarding pupils take appropriate action to support pupils over whom they have safeguarding concerns, and maintain comprehensive records of these actions – all staff have a secure understanding of the actions that they should take when they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare – there are detailed risk assessments in place for educational trips off the school site.  Improve the quality of leadership and management, by making sure that: – school leaders regularly review the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe, including the training that staff receive to this effect – school leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching – the school’s action plan has measurable outcomes, to enable leaders to check the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

impact of the actions in the plan on improving the quality of the school’s provision – school leaders regularly check on the progress that pupils make, to ensure that all pupils make at least the progress that they should – pupils in the secondary provision receive impartial careers advice and guidance – all staff apply the school’s behaviour and marking policies consistently – school leaders implement a rigorous system to manage the performance of teachers, to provide teachers with effective training to improve their classroom practice.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning, and improve pupils’ outcomes by making sure that all teachers: – use assessment information, including information about pupils’ prior attainment when they first arrive at the school, to plan activities that meet the needs of all pupils – have the necessary skills to set suitably challenging activities for pupils of all abilities,

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

especially the most able, to enable these pupils to make good progress – have consistently high expectations of the quality of work that pupils should complete in lessons.  Improve the quality of governance by ensuring that there is in place an effective structure that allows the proprietor to hold school leaders to account for the quality of the school’s provision.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 For pupils receiving secondary education, access to accurate, up-to-date careers guidance that is presented in an impartial manner; enables them to make informed choices about a broad range of career options; and helps to encourage them to fulfil their potential (paragraphs 2(2), (2)(2)(e), 2(2)(e)(i), 2(2)(e)(ii), 2(2)(e)(iii)).  The proprietor ensures that 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 3, 3(a)) – involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time (paragraph 3, 3(c)) – shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons (paragraph 3, 3(d)) – demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress (paragraph 3, 3(g)) – utilises effective strategies for managing behaviour and encouraging pupils to act responsibly (paragraph 3, 3(h)).  The proprietor ensures that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school (paragraph 7, 7(a)).  The proprietor ensures that the written behaviour policy is implemented effectively (paragraph 9, 9(b)).  The proprietor ensures that the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified (paragraphs 16, 16(a), 16(b)).  Ensure that, in the case of any member of the teaching staff for whom, by reason of that person living or having lived outside the United Kingdom, obtaining an enhanced criminal

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

record certificate is not sufficient to establish the person’s suitability to work in a school, such further checks are made as the proprietor considers appropriate, having regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State (paragraphs 18(1), 18(2), 18(2)(e), 18(3), 21(3), 21(3)(a)(viii), 21(4)).  The proprietor ensures that the school premises and the accommodation and facilities provided therein are maintained to a standard such that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of pupils are ensured (paragraph 25).  The proprietor ensures that 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 that they fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently, and that they actively promote the well-being of pupils (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a),

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The proprietor has not ensured that the school meets all of the independent school standards.  Senior leaders, including the proprietor, have not taken sufficient action to ensure that the school’s safeguarding arrangements are effective.  Since the departure of the previous headteacher, the school’s leaders have failed to undertake regular checks on the quality of teaching. Because of this, they do not have a sufficiently precise understanding of the quality of teaching.  Leaders do not have a precise understanding of pupils’ achievement, as they do not undertake regular checks on the progress that pupils make. Leaders are not fully aware of those occasions when pupils are not making sufficient progress.  Leaders do not ensure that all teachers apply the school’s marking policy effectively. Because of this, some pupils do not receive sufficient advice and guidance to enable them to improve their understanding. Where this is the case, pupils are not always able to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

make consistently strong progress.  The school improvement plan lacks precise, measurable targets. Consequently, senior leaders, including the proprietor, are unable to review effectively the impact of the proposed actions on improving the quality of the school’s provision.  For some time, the school has failed to engage with any external organisations to provide an independent evaluation of the quality of the school’s provision. Due to this, senior leaders have been unable to confirm the accuracy of their own view of the school’s effectiveness. While senior leaders have plans to engage with an external organisation to provide this independent view, these plans have yet to come into effect.  Since the departure of the previous headteacher, actions to manage teachers’ performance have stopped. Because of this, leaders are currently unable to support teachers to improve their classroom practice. Teachers receive limited training

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

opportunities to help them to reflect on and improve their own practice.  Leaders do not ensure that all teachers implement the school’s behaviour policy consistently. Furthermore, leaders do not ensure that the support that pupils receive to manage their own behaviour is effective. On occasion, despite the support that they receive, some pupils find it difficult to manage their own behaviour well.  Pupils in the secondary provision do not currently receive appropriate, impartial careers advice and guidance.  Leaders have designed the curriculum well to ensure that the pupils are able to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding across a broad range of subjects. However, leaders have not ensured that all teachers plan activities that enable all pupils, including the most able, to become secure in their learning. As a result, some pupils, including some of the most able pupils, do not make consistently strong progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Extra-curricular activities, including educational visits, enhance the curriculum and enable pupils to prepare well for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils undertake educational visits to develop their understanding of the nature of businesses, the features of different habitats, and the history of the city of Leicester. Pupils frequently take advantage of opportunities to engage in sporting activities in the local area.  Staff support pupils well to secure their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Through their subject studies and through their study of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, pupils consider different religions, cultures and traditions. Pupils have a secure understanding of the need to respect people who are different to them. This includes those differences that meet the protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010.  Through the curriculum and in assemblies, pupils receive regular opportunities to consider

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

fundamental British values. They learn about the difference between right and wrong, and consider carefully which actions are acceptable, and which are not, in multi-cultural Britain. All staff recognise the importance of their role in enabling pupils to develop into open-minded and considerate citizens.

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Governance

 The proprietor currently does not take sufficient action to hold leaders to account for the quality of the school’s provision. This is due, in the main, to the fact that the proprietor at present is acting as the school’s headteacher.  The proprietor has not ensured that the leaders who have responsibility for safeguarding take effective action to keep pupils safe. He has not ensured, for example, that these leaders’ own knowledge of safeguarding is up to date. The proprietor took swift action to resolve this concern while inspectors were on the school site.  The proprietor has not ensured that the Woodhill premises are of an appropriate standard to secure the safety and well-being of the pupils. The proprietor undertook rapid action in response to inspectors’ concerns about the standard and security of these premises.  The proprietor has a secure understanding of the actions that he should take on the

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Governance

occasion that an allegation of a safeguarding nature arises against a member of staff.  The proprietor has recently taken action to resolve issues around leadership and management. This includes addressing shortfalls in: the monitoring of teaching; senior leaders’ overview of pupils’ progress; and the provision of impartial careers advice and guidance. However, these actions are too recent for there to have been sufficient impact on the quality of the provision for those pupils who currently attend the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  At the time of the inspection, the school’s leaders had not ensured that they had undertaken all of the necessary checks on the suitability of staff who teach at the school. The leaders were not fully aware of how to undertake some of these checks. School leaders were able to resolve these issues before the on-site inspection came to an end.  The leaders who are responsible for safeguarding have not kept detailed records of the actions that they take to support the pupils about whose welfare they have concerns. In supporting these pupils, the leaders do not always take sufficiently rapid action in response to concerns that they may have about a pupil’s well-being. Furthermore, they do not always work closely enough with parents or with external agencies.  Staff do not undertake suitably robust risk assessments before undertaking trips away from the school site. Because of this, staff are unable to accommodate fully for the needs

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Safeguarding

of the pupils who take part in these trips.  Staff do receive regular safeguarding training. This training includes the types of abuse, the signs to look for in caring for their pupils, and how to respond to potential radicalisation and extremism.  However, despite this training, not all teachers are suitably vigilant about pupils’ welfare. Some teachers do not have a sufficiently precise understanding of the actions that they should take when they do have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. This includes their understanding of the need to maintain detailed records, both of their concern and of the actions that they themselves take to respond to the concern.  School leaders have ensured that the school’s safeguarding policy is available on the school’s website. This policy comprehensively reflects the latest government guidance on safeguarding.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers do not always plan activities that meet the needs of different pupils. Where this is the case, some pupils, including the most able, do not complete work that is sufficiently challenging to enable them to achieve as highly as they might.  Some teachers underestimate the amount of learning that pupils can achieve within a lesson. On these occasions, upon completing the task that teachers have set them, pupils are unable to complete further activities to deepen their understanding. On these occasions, pupils can become distracted and behave less well.  Where learning is more effective, teachers plan activities that take into account pupils’ prior learning. In so doing, they set pupils tasks that meet their individual needs, and allow pupils to become secure in their understanding. Teachers check pupils’ learning through questioning, and clarify any misconceptions. In a Year 4 English lesson, for

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

example, the teacher was able to ensure that the pupils could define what the difference was between nouns, adjectives and verbs, through the questions that she asked pupils.  Teachers are quick to provide pupils with opportunities to consider the views of others. Through this, pupils have learned to accept others’ views, and to respect those who are different to them.  Teachers encourage pupils to read. Pupils who met the inspectors spoke with enthusiasm about the books that they are currently reading. The school’s library, and the school’s use of an external organisation that promotes reading, further encourage pupils to engage well with reading.  Teachers work well to develop pupils’ communication, literacy and numeracy skills in lessons other than English, mathematics and science. For example, in a geography lesson, pupils used their mathematical skills well to draw pie charts and interpret data.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  The proprietor has not taken sufficient action to ensure that the work of leaders to keep pupils safe is effective.  School leaders have not taken sufficient action to maintain the school’s secondary provision premises in an appropriate state to ensure that all pupils are safe.  Overall, pupils possess very positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to learn, and engage well with their lessons. They recognise the value of learning, and of achieving well.  Pupils receive regular opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes being safe online, when crossing the road, and when out in the local community.  Pupils understand the different types of bullying, including physical, racial, and homophobic bullying. They have a secure understanding of the need to respect all people, including those who hold different beliefs to themselves.

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Personal development and welfare

 The pupils that met inspectors said that bullying is rare, but that, where it does happen, staff deal with it well. The school’s records confirm this to be the case.  Pupils receive effective opportunities to learn about their local area, including issues related to poverty. Recently, pupils provided food to a local foodbank, and attended the foodbank to help distribute supplies. They also visited Leicester city centre to provide charity to people during Eid.  Pupils learn about living healthy lives. The pupils with whom inspectors met could explain how healthy eating and regular exercise are both important aspects of living healthy lives.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  When pupils do not receive work that is sufficiently challenging, they lose concentration and behave inappropriately.  The school’s records show that some pupils find it difficult to manage their own behaviour. This is despite the support that these pupils receive from their teachers. For these pupils, incidents of poor behaviour between lessons are not reducing sufficiently rapidly.  Most pupils conduct themselves well around both of the school sites. They are respectful towards their teachers, and towards each other.  Attendance at the school is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is below the national average. This high attendance is due to pupils’ positive attitudes to their learning, and the support that the school’s leaders give to the families of pupils who find it difficult to attend school regularly.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 While pupils attain well in relation to their age or stage of education, not all pupils, including the most able, make consistently strong progress. This is because teachers do not always set pupils work that meets their different needs and is suitably challenging.  There are disparities in how different groups of pupils achieve. Across most year groups, girls attain more highly than boys in English, mathematics and science.  Across all year groups, pupils attain more highly in science than in English and mathematics, where pupils’ attainment is inconsistent.  The school’s performance information indicates that very few pupils in the primary provision attain below the standard expected of them for their age and stage of education in English, mathematics or science. Those books inspectors looked at confirmed this to be the case.  Attainment and progress in English, mathematics or science, however, is not as strong in

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

the secondary provision.  Pupils develop their reading skills well because of the strong focus that the school places on encouraging pupils to read.  During the past three years, pupils’ attainment in Year 6, in mathematics, English and science, has been high and has continued to rise. This is due to the strong focus that teachers place on developing pupils’ communication and numeracy skills in these and other subjects.

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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

Annual fees (day pupils) £1,850 for primary pupils £2,000 for secondary pupils

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9–12 March 2015

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Information about this school

 Leicester International School is an independent Islamic school.  The school provides full-time education for pupils aged five to 14 years. This education is provided on two sites. Pupils in the primary provision attend the school site at 16–20 Beal Street, Leicester, LE2 0AA. Pupils in the secondary school provision attend the school site at 1 Woodhill, Leicester, LE5 3JB.  There are no pupils at the school who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place on 9–12 March 2015. Bridge School Inspectorate undertook this inspection.  A material change inspection took place on 2 September 2016.  Since the previous standard inspection, and as a result of the material change inspection, the school has increased the age range of pupils that it teaches to include Year 9 pupils. The number of pupils that the school is registered to have on roll has increased to 200.

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently make use of alternative provision for its secondary pupils.  The headteacher, who was at the school at the time of the material change inspection, left the school in December 2016. This headteacher was also the designated safeguarding lead. The proprietor has not, as yet, appointed a replacement headteacher. The proprietor has taken on the role of headteacher himself, until such time as the school appoints a new headteacher. Another member of the school’s staff has taken on the role of designated safeguarding lead.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector visited the two sites at which the school currently provides education. He undertook a tour of both, to check the facilities against Part 5 of the independent school standards.  The lead inspector met with the headteacher, who is also the proprietor. He also met with members of the administrative staff.  Inspectors observed learning taking place on 13 occasions. During these occasions, inspectors spoke with pupils and looked at their books.  An inspector looked at pupils’ books from across all year groups, and for all subjects, as a separate activity.  Inspectors met with pupils from both the primary and secondary provision, both formally and informally.  There were too few responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the free- text service for inspectors to be able to make an analysis of parents’ views. An inspector met with five parents at the end of the school day.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector reviewed a range of documentation relating to the school’s provision, including those concerning: the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan; pupils’ attainment and progress; behaviour and attendance; complaints against the school; accessibility plans; and safeguarding. The lead inspector also checked the school’s single central register and the school’s systems for recruiting staff.

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Inspection team

Simon Hollingsworth, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Janis Warren 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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