Madani Secondary Girls' School

Madani Secondary Girls’ School Myrdle Street, London E1 1HL

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Sixth form provision Insufficient evidence

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders and governors know the school well. They understand its strengths and weaknesses. Leaders ensure that all the independent school standards are met.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is very strong. Pupils have a deep understanding of the wider world and their role in making it a better place to live in. They are confident young women who are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupils achieve well and secure good outcomes overall, particularly by the end of key stage 4. Pupils’ results from their GCSE examinations, including in English and mathematics, are consistently good.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use it well to give pupils clear and easy-to- follow explanations. They use a good range of resources and activities to engage pupils in their learning.  Pupils behave well, both in and out of lessons. They enjoy learning and take pride in their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

work. The school is calm and orderly at all times. Attendance is high.  Pupils read, write and speak with confidence. They achieve extremely well in English.  The curriculum meets the needs, interests and abilities of pupils. It encourages pupils to develop a broad set of knowledge and skills. However, leaders accept that pupils need further planned opportunities to develop and nurture their creativity across the subjects that they study.  Leaders’ checks on the impact of their school improvement strategies are not fully effective. Leaders know that they need to sharpen how they use their findings to improve further the training given to teachers.  Teachers do not routinely follow the school’s assessment policy. As a result, the quality of guidance given to pupils is not consistently strong across the school.  Teaching, particularly for the most able pupils, is not challenging enough. As a result, the most

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

able pupils, particularly in mathematics and key stage 3, are not making the substantial progress of which they are capable.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers provide more challenge for the most able pupils, especially in mathematics and at key stage 3, so that pupils make the progress of which they are capable.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: – developing the curriculum further so that there are even more planned opportunities for pupils to nurture and strengthen their creative skills – ensuring that all teachers consistently apply the school’s assessment policy – sharpening how leaders check on their school improvement work and use their findings to refine the training opportunities given to teachers to improve their skills.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Their self-evaluation of the school is accurate, including their own tracking of the school’s work against the independent school standards. As a result, leaders have made sure that all the independent school standards are met.  In the last few years, the governing body has supported senior leaders by investing in staff, including the appointment of other strong senior leaders. The senior leaders who oversee the pastoral and curriculum systems have had significant impact in improving teaching and the personal development and welfare of pupils. Parents and carers are particularly pleased that staffing is now stable. They feel that their children make good progress.  Pupils’ SMSC understanding is very well developed. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to learn about the world around them. They speak confidently about how

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

the school’s SMSC programme has helped them to grow and develop emotionally. For example, class groups research and then present on the religion, traditions, food, festivals and cultures of other countries, such as Peru and Taiwan. Pupils are knowledgeable about world religions and have visited a range of places of worship linked to their studies. During citizenship lessons, pupils learn about democracy and laws. Pupils, through their actions, reviewing their work and listening to their views, show that they have a deep and secure understanding of British values.  Subject leaders have developed good skills and knowledge of how to raise standards in their own areas. Some of the leaders are new to their posts, but are given good support by senior leaders. Subject leaders report that they would like even more opportunities for professional development, including visits to other schools.  The senior leadership team has placed an increasing emphasis on improving the quality

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and effectiveness of staff training. This has been one of the main reasons why teaching has improved and is now good. Staff told inspectors that they enjoy working at the school and that the school has improved. Staff morale is high.  Leaders have implemented many new school improvement strategies, including a new assessment system and mentoring scheme for staff. Leaders’ evaluations of the impact of these are not fully effective, for example in using their assessment information and evaluations of teaching to refine the training given to teachers. There are also a few inconsistencies in how well teachers apply school policies, for example in relation to assessing pupils’ work.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. It meets the needs of pupils and helps them prepare for their next steps. Pupils have opportunities to learn about art, literature, poetry, design, computing and drama to complement other subjects such as English,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

mathematics, Arabic and religious studies. Leaders accept that pupils need more planned opportunities to fully develop their creativity. Further work is needed to check on the depth of progress pupils make in relation to their creative skills, for example in art, as they move through the school. A range of visits and trips supports the formal curriculum well.

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Governance

 Members of the executive committee make up the governing body of the school. Governors are ambitious for the school. They know the school well, visit regularly and provide challenge to school leaders, for example in reviewing attendance systems and procedures. Their regular monitoring has helped attendance to improve over the last few years.  Governors place a significant emphasis on safeguarding and preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. The vice-chair summed up their approach when he commented, ‘The girls are British and know what it means to be British and Islamic.’ Governors ensure that school leaders meet their statutory requirements in educating pupils about equal opportunities and to identify, understand and be tolerant of people’s different beliefs.  Governors understand what is needed to secure further improvement in the quality of education at the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders and governors place importance on ensuring that all policies and procedures are up to date. The safeguarding policy meets statutory requirements and is published on the school’s website. Other related policies, such as the anti-bullying policy, are well thought through and reflect what happens within the school accurately.  Staff are trained well about the range of risks that could affect pupils at the school. They speak knowledgeably about what signs to look out for. This includes a detailed knowledge of female genital mutilation, radicalisation and extremism. Leaders who focus on safeguarding have the time and knowledge to carry out their duties effectively.  The wide range of pupils who spoke to inspectors reported that they feel safe at the school. They receive good opportunities to learn about how to stay safe. Pupils speak confidently about potential risks to their well-being and how to manage them, including

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Safeguarding

when using new technologies and social media.  The small number of parents who replied to Parent View, Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents, and those who met with inspectors, feel that their children are safe and well cared for.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use it well to present their subjects in a motivating and interesting way. This was seen in a Year 10 history lesson, where the teacher chose to have pupils working in groups using a range of historical sources. Pupils had to agree on a ‘tweet’ that could be sent, summarising how one aspect of crime had changed over time. Pupils worked well together and enjoyed sharing their ideas.  Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their speaking, writing and listening skills during lessons. This helps pupils to use the specialist vocabulary of their subjects well, particularly in subjects such as science. Pupils have a secure knowledge and understanding of the topics that they study.  Relationships between teachers and their pupils are strong. Teachers have an enthusiastic and encouraging attitude. They manage behaviour well and keep pupils actively engaged

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and focused. Teachers make decisions in their planning that encourage pupils to take part in their learning, for example in asking pupils to share their work with the class. Pupils are generally confident learners.  In line with the school’s policy, teachers regularly set homework. Pupils view homework as an important part of their learning. They take pride in completing it.  Some teaching is not as challenging as it should be, particularly for the most able pupils. Some teachers do not ensure that pupils tackle work that is more difficult quickly enough. When this happens, pupils’ concentration and focus can drift. Consequently, over time, the most able are not making the substantial progress of which they are capable, particularly at key stage 3 and in mathematics.  Teachers do not follow the school’s assessment policy consistently. Some teachers are not as skilled in giving guidance to pupils about how to improve their work. Leaders, during

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

joint observations, agreed that there was inconsistency in this aspect of teaching practice.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils benefit from good careers advice and guidance. Pupils at key stage 4 receive a wide range of impartial information about their next steps, including sixth forms in the local area. Work experience opportunities help pupils to develop their confidence and communication skills.  The school effectively supports pupils in learning how to manage their physical and emotional well-being. Pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying. They reported without question that bullying was rare. One pupil summed up the school’s zero-tolerance approach to bullying when she said, ‘Morally, no one would watch another pupil suffer.’  Pupils are developing into confident young people. They celebrate their faith, yet have a good awareness of tolerance and respect for other faiths and beliefs. They understand and give examples of different types of discrimination.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are well on the way to becoming confident and self-assured learners. Leaders acknowledge that some teaching is not allowing pupils to develop fully their resilience as learners, including at key stage 3 and for the most able.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the building. They treat the school building and its facilities with respect. They are calm and orderly throughout the school day.  Relationships between pupils and across different year groups are strong. This is because pupils are kind and supportive to each other.  Pupils take pride in their work. Their work is typically well presented. Pupils are keen to do well during their time at the school.  Leaders have placed increased emphasis on improving attendance. The school’s systems are effective. Attendance is now high across the school. Pupils are also punctual to their lessons.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils attain well by the end of key stage 4. Their GCSE examination results in both 2016 and 2017 for most subjects are high when compared with the national average. This includes English, mathematics and science.  Pupils’ English skills are particularly strong. They read, write and speak with confidence. They enjoy reading aloud. When pupils write, they use subject-specific concepts and vocabulary well, for example in science.  Numeracy skills are effectively developed. This is because teachers ensure that pupils understand the processes of performing calculations. It is not just about getting the right answer. Pupils use scientific calculators with confidence.  Leaders track pupils’ progress carefully, particularly at key stage 4. The new assessment system is being used well to identify pupils that need further support. Teachers use successful after-school intervention classes to provide support to pupils to help them

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Outcomes for pupils Good

catch up. As a result, outcomes at key stage 4 have been consistently strong over the last two years. Inspection evidence shows that for current pupils at key stage 4, they too are making at least good progress over time.  Current pupils across the school, including disadvantaged pupils, are making good progress from their starting points in a wide range of subjects.  Some teaching is not challenging enough, particularly at key stage 3. This is holding back the progress that pupils, including the most able, make over time. In mathematics, the most able do not achieve as well as they do in English. This is because teaching is not pushing them on quickly enough. Leaders know that teaching at key stage 3 could be even more demanding.  Overall, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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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

Type of school Independent Islamic day school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Girls

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 0

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Information about this school

 Madani Secondary Girls’ School is a Muslim faith school.  There are no students in the sixth form. Leaders confirmed that the next planned intake of students will be for September 2018.  Most pupils are from a Bangladeshi or Somali background.  The school’s last inspection was an emergency inspection in September 2016. This focused on Parts 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 of the independent school standards and found that the school met all the standards that were checked.  Prior to this, the Bridge Schools Inspectorate conducted a full inspection in January 2015. At that time, the overall effectiveness of the school was judged to be good.  There are no pupils currently on roll who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.  There are currently no pupils receiving their education in any alternative provision.  The school’s website meets all the requirements of the independent school standards.

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Information about this inspection

 This full standard inspection took place with one day’s notice.  The inspection team visited lessons in a range of subjects, some accompanied by school leaders. To evaluate the quality of pupils’ learning over time, inspectors also reviewed pupils’ work in a range of subjects.  The inspection team held meetings with senior and middle leaders to evaluate the impact of their work. Inspectors also held meetings with the governing body, teachers new to the profession, a group of staff and different groups of pupils. The lead inspector also spoke to a member of the local authority’s ‘Prevent’ duty team.  Inspectors evaluated 16 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents. An inspector also met with a group of parents. Inspectors evaluated 23 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.  Inspectors scrutinised a variety of documentation provided by leaders, including: internal assessment information for pupils in all year groups; leaders’ self-evaluation; the school

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Information about this inspection

improvement plan; minutes of governing body meetings; attendance and behaviour information; a variety of school policies; the single central record of recruitment checks; and a wide range of other information relating to the safeguarding of pupils.

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Inspection team

Sam Hainey, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Hinds Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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

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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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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