Hazrat Khadijatul Kubra Girls School

Hazrat Khadijatul Kubra Girls School 18 Dixon Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands B10 0BP

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Inspection dates 31 October–2 November 2017

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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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

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 While the percentage of pupils attaining the required standard by the time they leave the school is in line with national figures, not enough pupils are making the progress they should to enable them to achieve their full potential.  Leaders recognise that their school improvement planning system is not sufficiently robust for them to monitor the impact of steps taken to improve provision for pupils.  The school’s system of governance does not provide the necessary level of challenge or hold the school leader sufficiently to account for the academic progress made by pupils.  Leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning does not focus sufficiently on the progress made by pupils in the short term and over time.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is variable across classes and year groups. Consequently, pupils do not make consistently strong progress in all subjects.  Work is not always challenging enough,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

particularly for most-able pupils, resulting in some pupils not achieving the higher standards of which they are capable.  The leadership has not yet ensured that all of the independent school standards are met.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and staff at all levels are ambitious for the school and committed to ensuring that it provides high-quality education.  Pupils are confident and self-assured and have high aspirations for their future.  Pupils’ behaviour is very well managed and a positive learning environment has been established throughout the school.  The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a solid understanding of fundamental British values.  Recent developments in improvement planning are beginning to have a positive impact on the progress made by pupils, particularly in writing.  Pupils are proud of their school and value the support they are given. They recognise the importance of education and demonstrate highly positive attitudes towards their learning.  Pupils are extremely polite, well-mannered and courteous towards staff and visitors.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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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 the leadership and management of the school, including governance, by: – developing an effective system that enables leaders to be held to account for pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment – developing a rigorous system of school evaluation and improvement planning which clearly identifies key priorities and links them to outcomes for pupils – ensuring that improvement plans make it clear how the impact of actions designed to bring about improvements will be monitored and evaluated, ensuring that leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning focuses sufficiently on the progress made by pupils – undertaking an external review of governance in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – learning is matched to the individual needs of pupils, including the most able and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

those requiring additional support – pupils’ understanding of their learning is checked regularly so provision can be adapted to meet the needs of pupils and their knowledge and understanding can be strengthened – teachers are fully supported to develop their teaching and the training and professional development provided is carefully focused on those areas which are key to improving outcomes for pupils, so that pupils make consistently strong progress in all subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders have not ensured that all the independent school standards are met as they have not secured consistently good teaching or consistently strong outcomes for pupils.  Leaders have not established an effective self-evaluation system that enables them to monitor how well the school is performing. Consequently, although improvement priorities have been identified, leaders are not able to evaluate the impact of actions taken on improving academic outcomes for pupils.  The current system of improvement planning does not enable leaders or teachers to be held to account for the progress made by pupils. Consequently, improvements have not been timely enough to ensure strong outcomes for pupils.  The school’s assessment information shows that while the majority of pupils are making adequate progress, this progress is not rapid enough to ensure that enough pupils, including the most able, achieve the standards they are capable of reaching quickly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

enough.  The school’s system of improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has not been effective enough. Records of monitoring of teaching and learning are weak and do not demonstrate how teaching will be improved. These systems have very recently been improved and there is now a clear framework for monitoring and improving teachers’ performance. However, this has yet to be fully implemented.  The board of trustees has delegated responsibility for the leadership and management of the school to the deputy headteacher. This has considerably strengthened the leadership of the school and the capacity for further improvement. There is now a clear sense of purpose and determination to ensure that the school continues to improve.  A system of appraisal for teachers was introduced at the beginning of this academic year. There is evidence from lesson observations and book scrutinies to show that recent

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

training for staff is beginning to have a positive impact on provision for pupils, particularly in English. Leaders are aware, however, that there is still more to do to ensure that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is consistently good.  The curriculum includes a good balance of subjects and is enriched by a range of additional activities. These include a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon as part of a project on Shakespeare, opportunities to learn about different countries as part of International Day, guest speakers invited into school and themed weeks. The curriculum is well planned and organised and meets the needs of the pupils well. Careers advice is provided to both key stage 3 and key stage 4 pupils and covers a range of career choices including medical and professional jobs.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well promoted by the school. Pupils demonstrate respect towards people from different backgrounds to their own. They

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

talk confidently about different religions and diversity and the importance of ensuring that everyone is treated equally and with respect. They have a very good understanding of British values and could explain why these values are important. The pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Staff value the support they receive from leaders and the opportunities provided to them for their continuing professional development. They feel they are listened to and their ideas and contributions are valued.

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Governance

 Governance requires improvement.  The board of trustees, which includes the principal of the school, is responsible for providing governance.  Regular meetings are held by the board of trustees and the leader of the school. However, records of these meetings show that discussions do not focus sufficiently on the academic progress made by pupils.  Members of the board rely too heavily on the information they are provided with. They do not have sufficient knowledge about the quality of teaching and learning or progress made by pupils to enable them to challenge the school leader effectively about these aspects of the school’s performance.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The safeguarding policy is published on the school website and is readily available. It meets the most recent government requirements.  Leaders follow safer recruitment guidelines ensuring that all the required employment checks are carried out before new members of staff are appointed.  Safeguarding is a priority and there is a culture of safeguarding within the school. Staff undertake regular child protection training, are aware of the potential risks to pupils and are clear about the procedures they need to follow if they have any concerns.  Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. They have a good understanding of the different types of bullying and know who to speak to if they have any worries or concerns. They have taken part in a range of activities to help them to keep themselves safe, including completing a qualification in first aid.

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Safeguarding

 The school implements its policies such as anti-bullying, behaviour management and health and safety effectively, to ensure that pupils are safeguarded.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently strong across all classes and year groups. Consequently, pupils do not make consistently strong progress in all year groups.  Teaching limits pupils’ learning because there are insufficient checks of how well pupils are learning during a lesson or activity. Teaching does not make effective use of lesson time by providing opportunities to check pupils’ understanding and adapt the lesson in order to strengthen and deepen learning. This means that pupils’ misconceptions are not always addressed, leading to misunderstanding.  Teachers are not always clear about the difference between the learning and the task the pupils are required to complete. This results in teachers not ensuring that the pupils have secured the necessary learning required before moving onto the next part of the lesson. Consequently, pupils are often not clear about what they have to do or do not have the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

appropriate skills to complete the activity.  Pupils are not always given sufficient opportunities in lessons to develop their thinking and deepen their understanding by practising and applying their skills independently. This means that sometimes learning is shallow and some pupils do not know what to do if they get stuck.  Work is not always appropriately matched to the learning needs of the pupils. In particular, the level of challenge for the most able pupils is often too low.  Work in pupils’ mathematics books shows that pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to solve problems for themselves or develop their mathematical reasoning skills. This is reflected in the outcomes for pupils in mathematics.  Pupils are encouraged to be articulate, confident speakers. For example, in a history lesson pupils demonstrated a clear understanding of what it would have been like to be a child labourer in the industrial revolution. They used this knowledge well to debate the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

need for legislation. In an Islamic studies lesson, groups of Year 7 pupils confidently presented their work to the rest of the class.  Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge. This enables them to plan well for progression in their subject areas, ensuring that the appropriate content is taught.  Inspectors observed some effective questioning being used well by teachers to challenge pupils’ thinking and deepen their understanding. However, this was inconsistent across the school.  Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and how work is presented in books. As a result, pupils engage well in lessons and always present work that is of a high standard.  The school provides regular, detailed information to parents about their child’s progress. The parents who responded to the Parent View questionnaire said they value the information that the school provides.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are confident and self-assured, and demonstrate highly positive attitudes to their learning. They are able to discuss their ideas and opinions articulately and listen respectfully to others.  Pupils recognise the value of education. They have high aspirations for their futures and understand the role of education in helping them to achieve their ambitions.  Pupils show respect for themselves and others. They have a secure understanding of a range of different types of bullying. They say bullying in school is rare and they are confident that if it did happen it would be quickly and effectively dealt with. This is supported by the school’s behaviour logs.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. Personal health and well-being is an important part of the school curriculum and the pupils have taken part in

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Personal development and welfare

a range of activities to ensure that they know how to keep themselves and others safe. For example, the whole school undertook a certified first-aid course equipping them to deal with a range of medical emergencies.  Pupils take pride in their work and their appearance and are respectful of the school environment.  Careers advice is provided to all pupils. This includes opportunities to find out about a wide range of career options, opportunities for work experience, support for completing personal statements and university application forms and managing finances. The leadership of the school is aspirational for the pupils and encourages them to aim highly.  Pupils say they feel very well prepared for life beyond school. Inspectors agree with this.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around school. They are polite, well- mannered and courteous to staff and visitors.  The school provides a calm, orderly, learning environment. Pupils are eager to learn and demonstrate highly positive attitudes to their learning.  Attendance is in line with national figures. Leaders do everything they reasonably can to promote and encourage regular attendance and punctuality. Leaders take prompt action to address any lateness and attendance issues of individual pupils. This has been effective in ensuring that the vast majority of pupils attend regularly and on time.  Behaviour logs show that any inappropriate behaviour is quickly and effectively dealt with. There are no recorded incidents of serious misbehaviour or exclusions.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 School assessment information shows that generally pupils leave the school at the end of key stage 4 having attained results at least in line with national expectation. However, assessment information shows that pupils enter the school working at levels above those typical for their age. This means that over time the majority of pupils make expected progress with only a small number making progress that is better than this.  The school’s internal assessment system shows that currently the majority of pupils are making expected progress in English, mathematics and science. However, too few pupils are making strong progress and a minority of pupils are not making the progress they are required to in order to reach the targets set for them by the school.  The most able pupils do not always reach the standards they are capable of because they are not sufficiently challenged in lessons. As a result, these pupils do not have enough

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

opportunities to apply their learning and deepen their understanding.  Pupils who require extra support are also not making strong enough progress from their start points. This is because they are not always provided with enough support in lessons to ensure that they fully understand what they are learning.  Expectations for pupil outcomes are currently not high enough. Although targets are set for pupils to achieve, these are not used to hold teachers to account for pupil progress. If a pupil fails to reach their end of year target, subsequent targets are lowered accordingly. This is resulting in too many pupils not achieving their full potential.  Work in pupils’ books shows that progress in English is beginning to improve this year. However, progress in mathematics is still not as strong as it needs to be if pupils are to reach the standards of which they are capable.  Pupils read well. During lesson observations, pupils demonstrated the ability to read and

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

understand challenging texts, including extracts by William Shakespeare.  Pupils attain well by the end of key stage 4. When they leave the school, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, with the overwhelming majority going on to local sixth-form colleges to study A levels.

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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 Hazrat Khadijatul Kubra Girls

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School details

Date of previous inspection October 2015

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Information about this school

 Hazrat Khadijatul Kubra Girls School is an independent school on a single site in Small Heath, Birmingham. It is registered with the Department for Education (DfE) to provide full-time education for up to 250 girls aged 11 to 16. There are currently 93 pupils on roll.  The school is a day school with an Islamic foundation. It provides courses in Islamic and Koranic studies as well as meeting the requirements of the national curriculum.  Pupils come from a range of socio-economic backgrounds and diverse family heritage, including Bangladeshi, Somali and Pakistani. All pupils speak English as their first language.  The school’s mission statement is ‘To provide a high quality centre for learning, where pupils can receive an excellent and balanced education within an Islamic environment which prepares them to become valuable members of our society.’  The school does not use any other site or provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the school’s second standard inspection since it became registered with the DfE in 2010. The first standard inspection was carried out in April 2011. Since then, the school has also had two unannounced inspections in March 2013 and October 2015.  The inspection was carried out by two inspectors over three days.  The inspectors observed teaching and learning across a range of subjects and looked at a range of pupils’ work, including English and mathematics. Several of the observations were carried out jointly with the school leader.  The inspection team looked at the school’s own assessment information for individual pupils and year groups.  Meetings were held with the school leader and representatives from the board of trustees. Inspectors also spoke to groups of pupils from all year groups.  Questionnaires submitted by 10 members of staff were scrutinised.  The views of parents were gathered from speaking to parents directly and from the three

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Information about this inspection

responses to Ofsted’s Parent View website. The school have not carried out their own survey of parents’ views.  A wide range of documents and policies were looked at, including health and safety checks, safeguarding documentation and records of admissions and attendance.  A check of the premises, including the facilities provided for pupils, was also carried out.

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Inspection team

Janet Satchwell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school:

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(a) 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;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school:

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently;

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. 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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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

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