Rida Girls High School

Rida Girls’ High School Zakaria Masjid, 2 Chapel Street, Savile Town, Dewsbury WF12 9NQ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders ensure that they comply fully with the independent schools standards.  Leaders and governors’ dedication, passion and commitment to pupils and strong skills in leadership are ensuring that the school is developing rapidly in all aspects, since opening in September 2017.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare is exemplary. Pupils are confident to talk about how school prepares them to be confident British Muslim women with high aspirations.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. Pupils are excited about their learning and keen to achieve highly, therefore they focus exceptionally well in lessons and disruption is a rarity.  Pupils’ attendance is well above the national average for secondary schools. Pupils say that they very much enjoy coming to school.  Safeguarding is effective. Leaders ensure that they keep staff up to date with safeguarding information and they communicate this frequently to staff. Pupils are knowledgeable

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

about staying safe, particularly when using the internet.  Pupils make good and improving progress across a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils appreciate the variety of subjects on offer and that leaders listen to their opinions when deciding on the curriculum.  Parents, carers and staff are in absolute support of the school. Staff are very happy to work here and parents are delighted that their children attend this school.  Pupils complete assessments regularly to check their learning. Assessments incorporate a variety of methods but no external checking of these is in place. Leaders have appropriate plans to rectify this by setting up external links with other schools.  Teachers’ skills, under the very effective guidance of the headteacher, are developing rapidly. The headteacher uses her evaluations of the quality of teaching and learning to target professional development precisely so that teachers improve their practice.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders agree that further work to improve the levels of challenge and opportunities to practise skills and spelling would continue to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning.

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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?

 Further develop the quality of teaching and learning so that: – teachers use time well in lessons, giving pupils time to practise their skills and deepen their learning – pupils make more progress because teachers provide appropriate challenge to meet the needs of each individual – pupils make progress with their spellings and learn more quickly from their mistakes.  Develop links with other schools so that checking can take place to ensure that assessments are accurate.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 Leaders ensure that they meet the independent school standards consistently.  The school’s safeguarding policy is comprehensive and reflects the latest guidance from the Secretary of State. The policy is available on the school website. All other required policies are in place and leaders implement them effectively.  The headteacher, governors and the proprietor are knowledgeable, passionate and committed to the school. All are highly aware of the strengths of the school and areas where the school can develop further. For example, leaders’ very effective actions to improve the quality of teaching and learning following the first term of operation mean that it is improving rapidly. Leaders’ work is ensuring greater consistency across the curriculum and excellent opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  Leaders have an appropriate school development plan in place, which they review regularly to evaluate the effect of their actions. Through this, there is clarity at all levels

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

of the improvements needed and how leaders will take necessary actions.  An effective system for performance management is in place. The headteacher and school staff have ambitious targets relating to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the progress pupils make. Staff work hard to achieve the highest standards for pupils.  Leaders ensure that they consult pupils and their parents when designing the curriculum. Consequently, pupils are fully involved in selecting subjects to study. Pupils enjoy business studies because this subject interests them and, for some, relates to their future career aspirations.  Pupils have opportunities for extra-curricular activities such as book club, running club, badminton club and a journalism club. In addition, following pupils’ requests, karate has been added to the timetable. Pupils are enthusiastic and excited to take part. Leaders and teachers are keen to hear from pupils and carefully consider their views and ideas.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 Leaders use pupils’ information to ensure that they are set challenging targets to achieve each academic year and by the end of Year 11. Pupils are keen to rise to these challenges.

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Governance

 Governors are an absolute strength of the school. All governors have a wide range of experience and skills to offer. They provide rigorous challenge and support to the headteacher, which is ensuring high levels of performance.  The proprietor of the school is the Islamic Muslim Patel Society. At the time of registration, there were four trustees. However, following three resignations, one trustee remains.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders ensure that staff have a strong knowledge of safeguarding. Staff complete training in various aspects of child protection including, the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty, safeguarding children and awareness of female genital mutilation. Staff are confident in the procedures they would follow if they have cause for concern about a pupil.  The school site is secure. Being based in the Masjid Zakaria, access is restricted so that any visitors may enter only through reception. Appropriate signing-in procedures are in place. Leaders maintain the site well and have appropriate risk assessments in place to keep pupils safe.  As part of the citizenship curriculum, Islamic studies and personal, social, health and economic education, pupils are developing a strong awareness of how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The quality of teaching and learning is good and continues to improve. This is because leaders focus on supporting teachers to develop their skills and teachers commit to improving so that pupils have the best opportunities for academic excellence.  Pupils and teachers have excellent working relationships. Pupils are confident in explaining their learning and teachers are open to questions. Pupils and teachers work together to ensure that pupils make at least good progress.  Teachers’ planning ensures that pupils enjoy their learning. Teachers plan a variety of activities, which enable pupils to have time working together as well as individually. Pupils enjoy discussing their learning and supporting one another.  The headteacher has a clear focus on improving literacy across the curriculum. Through this, teachers ensure that there are many opportunities for reading and writing in their lessons. Pupils complete extended writing tasks in all subjects, which supports the skills

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

that they develop in English lessons. Pupils frequently read aloud in class. They read with fluency and are able to tackle unfamiliar words well. Pupils have a good understanding of what they are reading.  Pupils receive support on an individual basis. Teachers spend time with each pupil encouraging, developing and questioning to ensure that pupils learn well and deepen their knowledge.  Pupils complete regular assessments in all subjects. This helps pupils and teachers to understand what pupils can and cannot do.  Although teachers plan lessons well, in some cases, pupils do not have enough time to explore the concepts they are learning. Lack of time to practise important ideas means that some pupils do not learn all that they could.  Teachers are concentrating on how well they provide challenging work for all pupils. This is an improving picture; however, over time, some pupils have not made all of the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

progress that they could because some work has not challenged them enough. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils.  In some work in pupils’ books, teachers focus well on spelling, grammar and punctuation. However, this is not consistent across the curriculum, meaning that in some books, spelling errors remain and pupils do not always learn from their mistakes.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Leaders’ commitment and dedication to ensuring that pupils learn about life in modern Britain, British and Muslim values and how to keep themselves safe ensures that pupils prepare well for their futures.  Pupils are confident and self-assured learners. Pupils, parents and teachers say that since the school opened in September 2017, pupils’ confidence is developing rapidly. Pupils present their work to one another and are happy to discuss and debate their ideas openly.  It is clear that pupils have a passion for learning and really value their education. Leaders and teachers model their high expectations well. Through a programme of external speakers, pupils learn about a wide variety of careers available to them. Teachers encourage pupils to aspire highly for their futures.  Pupils learn about the risks they may face as they grow up. Through an appropriate

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Personal development and welfare

curriculum, which is a mixture of faith-based study, citizenship and personal, social, health and economic education, pupils learn, for example, how to stay safe online.  All pupils are confident in explaining how to live a healthy lifestyle. Pupils are able to talk about the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, as well as explaining the importance of mental health.  Teachers and leaders encourage pupils to take responsibility. Each pupil has a leadership role in school. Pupils also recently invited the community to a coffee morning that they designed and ran. Through this successful event, pupils’ confidence developed further.  Pupils say, and school records show, that bullying does not happen. This is because pupils work exceptionally well together and support one another. Leaders ensure that they teach pupils about bullying in all its forms. Pupils and staff are well aware of what to do if there

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Personal development and welfare

is an issue. Systems and procedures are in place to record and tackle bullying if it does happen.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils are self-disciplined and conduct themselves exceptionally well throughout the school day. In social times, pupils sit together because they are all friends. They respect the school building and leave it neat and tidy.  Pupils are committed to their learning. Low-level disruption rarely happens. If it does, teachers are quick to tackle it and it stops immediately so that all pupils can continue with their learning.  Pupils value their education and attend very well. Their attendance is well above the national average for secondary schools. Pupils and their parents recognise the importance of good attendance to ensure that pupils can make strong progress.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 From their starting points, pupils make good progress across the curriculum in a wide variety of subjects, including English and mathematics. Leaders and teachers focus on improving outcomes by improving the quality of teaching and learning. Since January 2018, improvements in teaching are beginning to ensure that teachers challenge pupils more to achieve highly.  Pupils read widely and often. Pupils are competent readers and comprehend fully what they are reading. They take opportunities to complement books at home with books from the school library and read a range of fiction and non-fiction texts.  Pupils are able to articulate their learning well and talk to each other and adults about their learning and progress.  A programme of external speakers, including a doctor, a dentist, an MP and a solicitor, ensures that pupils find out about a variety of careers opportunities. Pupils are confident

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Outcomes for pupils Good

that leaders will bring in speakers in careers which they are interested in, to help them find out more.  Teachers assess pupils regularly and internal data shows good progress. However, external moderation of assessments would give greater confidence in pupils’ achievements.

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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

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Rida Girls’ High School is an independent Muslim day school for girls. The school opened in September 2017, following registration with the Department for Education in July 2017. This inspection was the first standard inspection of the school.  The school holds registration status for pupils aged 11 and 12. At the time of this inspection, the school had contacted the Department for Education to request a material change for the premises and the age range of pupils attending the school.  The school intends to move to temporary premises until the purpose-built school, which is currently under construction, is ready. This is expected to be in September 2018.  The school does not use any alternative education provision or have any additional off- site units.  The school does not have any pupils who have an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out as the first standard independent school inspection. It was carried out earlier in the inspection cycle to incorporate a material change inspection for a change of premises and age range.  The inspection was carried out over two and a half days with half a day’s notice.  The inspector observed teaching and learning in a number of lessons, some jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector met with all pupils, both formally and informally. She also met throughout the day with the headteacher, governors, parents and the proprietor. She examined a large number of pupils’ workbooks. Five responses to staff questionnaires and eight responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, were also considered.  The inspector examined a range of documents required as part their assessment of compliance with the independent school standards, including policies, safeguarding

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Information about this inspection

information and records and the school website. The inspector toured the school building both inside and out.

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Inspection team

Debbie Redshaw, lead inspector 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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