Green Oak Academy

Woodstock Girls’ School 11–15 Woodstock Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands B13 9BB

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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 Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement  The school’s system of self-evaluation and improvement planning has not enabled it to move forward rapidly.  Governors do not hold leaders sufficiently to account for the quality of teaching and learning and the academic progress made by pupils.  The school’s system of measuring academic progress and achievement is not effective.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not consistently good across the school. Understanding is not always checked and learning does not always match the needs of the pupils.  When monitoring teaching and learning, leaders do not focus sufficiently on the impact of teaching on progress and outcomes for pupils.  Work is not challenging enough, particularly for most-able pupils. Pupils who find the work difficult do not always receive effective support.  Pupils are not always given enough time in lessons to reflect on their learning and practise

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

new skills.  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

The school has the following strengths  The new leadership team taken rapid action to ensure that all the independent health and safety requirements have been met.  Safeguarding is effective and the personal development and welfare of pupils is given high priority. Pupils are well cared for.  Leaders and governors have a clear vision for the school and demonstrate a commitment to securing high-quality provision for the pupils.  The school’s recently introduced behaviour management systems are highly effective. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school.  Relationships with parents are strong. Parents are extremely supportive of the school and are complimentary about the recent improvements made by leaders.  The work in pupils’ books is of a good quality. Pupils apply their reading and writing skills well across the curriculum.  Pupils have a good understanding of bullying and know how to keep themselves safe from a

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

range of potential dangers.  The school’s work to develop the spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding of pupils is very effective.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Compliance with regulatory requirements  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.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – learning is matched to the individual needs of pupils, including the most able and those requiring additional support – pupils’ understanding of their learning is checked regularly so provision can be adapted

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

to meet the needs of pupils and their knowledge and understanding can be strengthened – sufficient time is provided in lessons for pupils to reflect on their learning, deepen their understanding and practise new skills independently and at their own pace – the information gathered from teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning is used effectively to inform teaching and measure progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders have not ensured that all the independent school standards are met as the actions they have taken have not secured consistently good teaching and learning or consistently strong outcomes for pupils.  Leaders have not established an effective self-evaluation system that enables them to monitor accurately how well the school is performing. Consequently, although improvement priorities have been identified, these are not sufficiently linked to the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for pupils.  The current system of improvement planning does not enable leaders to be held robustly to account, or for teachers to be held to account for the progress that pupils make. Consequently, improvements have not been rapid enough to ensure strong outcomes for pupils.  The school’s system of measuring academic progress and achievement is not effective. Although leaders have established a system of half-termly assessments in English and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

mathematics, the system is not reliable enough to enable leaders to demonstrate that pupils make sufficient progress in these subjects, or attain the standards expected of them.  In September 2016, the proprietors appointed a new executive headteacher. In addition, in January 2017 a new headteacher was appointed. 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, which is shared by the governing body.  The new leadership team identified several failings in safeguarding and health and safety. They set about rapidly rectifying these, with the result that the school’s safeguarding procedures are now robust and the health and safety procedures are fully compliant with the independent school standards.  The school’s system of behaviour management has also been overhauled by the new

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

leadership team. Behaviour is now a strength of the school.  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 training for staff is beginning to have a positive impact on provision for pupils. 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 the Royal Observatory in London and opportunities to learn about different countries and cultures during 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 potential career choices, including medical and professional jobs.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 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 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 that they receive from leaders and the opportunities provided to them for their continuing professional development. They feel that they are listened to and their ideas and contributions are valued.

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Governance

 Regular meetings are held by the governors and the leaders of the school. However, records of these meetings show that discussions do not focus sufficiently on the academic progress made by pupils to ensure that leaders are held sufficiently to account for the academic progress made by pupils.  The governing body includes members with an appropriate range of skills and a background in education. They have undertaken appropriate training and ensured that the school meets its statutory responsibilities for safeguarding and health and safety.  The governing body shares the vision and aspiration of the leadership team to ensure that the school provides the highest-quality education to its pupils. Currently though, this vision has not been fully realised in practice.

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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 knowledgeable about safeguarding policies and are clear about the procedures they need to follow if they have any concerns.  The school implements its policies such as anti-bullying, behaviour management and health and safety effectively, to ensure that pupils are safeguarded.  The work undertaken by the school to protect pupils from the risk of radicalisation and extremism is effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently strong across the school, and consequently pupils do not make rapid enough progress over time.  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 do not provide sufficient opportunities in lessons for pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding further by reflecting on their learning and applying the skills they have learned. This is leading to shallow, narrow learning.  Pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to practise their independent learning strategies, develop resilience and think for themselves.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Learning is sometimes pitched at an inappropriate level, resulting in a lack of sufficient challenge for most-able pupils and lack of effective support for those pupils who find the work difficult.  Teachers do not always actively engage in the learning. This is resulting in them not intervening quickly enough in lessons to ensure that learning is rapid enough to secure strong progress.  Some teachers do not have a clear understanding of the learning they are required to teach during the lesson. This leads to time in lessons not being used well enough to secure learning effectively.  The school has implemented a system of assessment which allows teachers to make half- termly assessments in English and mathematics. However, this system is still in its infancy and the information it provides is not yet being used systematically to inform subsequent teaching or track pupil progress. Leaders have identified this as an area for development.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Feedback in books is not always in line with the marking policy. The few suggestions for improvement are not always responded to by pupils. Leaders have identified this as an area for improvement.  Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge. This enables them to provide clear explanations and ensure that appropriate knowledge is shared during lessons.  Some teachers use effective questioning to find out what pupils already know, what they need to learn next and to challenge pupils’ thinking and deepen their understanding.  Pupils respond to questioning confidently and articulately. They work well together in lessons and ask appropriate questions. They demonstrate interest and enthusiasm for learning.  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.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

The parents spoken to during the inspection, and those who responded to the Parent View questionnaire, said that 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.  The school has ensured that pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when using the internet. Pupils are safe and say that they feel safe and well cared for in school. They have a good understanding about a range of different types of bullying. They are confident in saying that there is no bullying in school and they know what to do should it happen. Pupils could talk confidently about the importance of making healthy life choices.  The school’s support for vulnerable pupils is effective.  Pupils are confident, self-assured and demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. They are able to discuss their ideas and opinions confidently and listen respectfully to others.  Pupils recognise the value of education. They are aspirational for their futures and understand the role of education in helping them to achieve their ambitions.

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Personal development and welfare

 Careers advice is provided to all pupils. This includes opportunities to find out about a wide range of career options, opportunities for work experience and support for completing personal statements, application forms and managing finances. The leadership of the school is aspirational for the pupils and encourages them to aim highly.  Pupils are well prepared for life beyond school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school’s system for managing behaviour is effective. It is well understood by pupils and applied consistently by adults in school. Consequently, 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 positive attitudes to their learning.  Attendance is broadly 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 and in the majority of cases this has improved attendance for these pupils. However, there are still a number of parents choosing to take their child out of school for extended holidays. This is continuing to have an impact on overall attendance figures for the school.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour logs show that any inappropriate behaviour is quickly and effectively dealt with. Incidents of serious misbehaviour are rare and are appropriately responded to in line with the school’s behaviour policy.  Pupils take pride in their school, in themselves and in the work they produce.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Outcomes for pupils are not yet good because leaders are not yet able to demonstrate that pupils in all year groups make consistently strong progress from their starting points in English, mathematics and across the wider curriculum.  The progress of most-able pupils is not as strong as it might be because the work they are given is not always challenging enough. As a result, these pupils do not have enough 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.  School assessment information shows that at the end of 2017 pupils left the school at the end of key stage 4, having attained results broadly in line with national expectations. However, the school does not have reliable assessment information for this cohort of

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

pupils to demonstrate the progress made from their starting points.  Leaders have now set aspirational targets for all pupils to achieve.  The school’s own assessment information shows that the majority of pupils are currently making steady progress towards achieving the targets set for them by the school. Work in pupils’ books reflects this progress.  Pupils read well. During lesson observations, pupils demonstrated the ability to read and understand texts appropriate to their age.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. In 2017, all leavers went on to local sixth-form colleges to complete the qualifications necessary for them pursue their chosen career paths.

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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 Islamic secondary girls’ school

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School details

Email address info@woodstockgirlsschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–15 May 2014

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Information about this school

 Woodstock Girls’ School is an independent Islamic secondary day school for girls aged from 11 to 16.  It is located in two semi-detached houses situated in the Moseley area which is close to the centre of Birmingham.  Currently there are 82 students on roll.  No students are at the early stages of learning English. There are no students, currently, who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school opened in 1996 and is owned by Hamza Mosque.  It aims to deliver an outstanding, academic education to its students while simultaneously nurturing them spiritually and morally through Islamic teachings.  There have been several changes of leadership at the school in recent years. At the time of the previous inspection, the headteacher and members of the governing body including the chair had been reappointed following a year’s break. During this year’s break, the school had a different governing body and headteacher.

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Information about this school

 The leadership and management of the school, including the governing body, was restructured again in September 2016 when the executive headteacher was appointed. The current headteacher took up her position in January 2017.  The school does not use any other site or provision.  The school was last inspected in May 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the school’s fourth standard inspection. The first standard inspection was carried out in February 2008. Since then the school has also had two further inspections in March 2011 and May 2014.  The inspection was carried out by one inspector over three days.  The inspector observed teaching and learning across a range of subjects and looked at a range of pupils’ work, including English and mathematics. All of the observations were carried out jointly with either the headteacher or the executive headteacher.  The inspector looked at the school’s own assessment information for individual pupils and year groups.  Meetings were held with the school leaders and the chair of governors. The inspector also spoke to a group of pupils made up from all year groups.  Questionnaires submitted by 16 members of staff were scrutinised.  The views of parents were gathered from speaking to parents directly and from the six

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Information about this inspection

responses to Ofsted’s Parent View website.  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; – 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; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(d) 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; – 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— – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.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

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

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