Tawhid Boys School, Tawhid Educational Trust

Tawhid Boys School, Tawhid Educational Trust 21 Cazenove Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 6PA

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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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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher is determined that the school should provide the best possible education for all pupils. He ensures that all of the independent school standards are met.  Trustees are skilled and knowledgeable. They have a clear understanding of the key issues to address to maintain a good standard of education. They hold leaders to account and support them effectively.  The school’s system for assessing pupils’ progress is highly effective. Teachers make good use of assessment information to plan learning that meets the needs of all pupils.  Pupils make good progress in a range of subjects, including English, mathematics and science. By the end of Year 11, standards of progress and attainment in mathematics are very strong.  The most able pupils make strong progress across the curriculum. Those pupils who join the school with weaker numeracy and literacy skills receive extra help that has a positive effect on their progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school provides a safe environment for pupils. The vast majority of pupils behave well and enjoy their school life. Attendance is good.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Leaders and governors are committed to the promotion of British values. As a result, pupils are well prepared to take their place in society as British Muslims.  While teaching, learning and assessment are good overall, some pockets of weaker teaching remain where teachers do not have high enough expectations. As a result, the work of some pupils is poorly presented and, on occasion, incomplete.  Teachers do not consistently adhere to the school’s feedback policy. As a result, not all pupils commit to improving their work.

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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: – all teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve – pupils understand consistently what they need to do to improve their work.  Ensure that teachers consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy so that low-level disruption is eradicated.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher has led the school since it opened and has an unswerving determination to ensure its success. He has an in-depth knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has demonstrated the ability to bring about improvements through effective strategic planning.  Trustees are equally ambitious for the success of the school. Trustees are well qualified to undertake their roles; they have strong links with the school. Trustees meet with leaders regularly and provide clear strategic direction; they check actions effectively and are not afraid to question when things are less successful.  The school improvement plan accurately evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the school and provides an effective link to the independent school standards. As a result, the independent school standards are met in full.  Leaders track pupils’ progress and attendance carefully and use this information to target

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

support for individual pupils. Pupils who arrive at the school with low prior attainment benefit from additional support. These strategies have a positive impact on pupils’ progress.  Staff are proud to work at the school. Those staff who met with inspectors and responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire believe that their opinions are valued and that leaders have created a positive culture. Leaders recognise the need to ensure that the training teachers receive is constantly under review to ensure they have access to, and share, best practice.  The headteacher manages the performance of teachers well. He sets targets that focus clearly on improving the quality of teaching and learning and improving pupils’ outcomes. Robust actions are taken when staff have not achieved the standards required. Leaders are aware that there needs to be greater consistency in the advice given to pupils on how to improve their work and in the standard of work expected.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The curriculum enables pupils of all abilities to have a good range of opportunities. The courses on offer enable pupils to acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to progress to the next stage of their education. Nevertheless, leaders accept that pupils need more opportunities to fully develop their creativity, particularly at key stage 4.  The school successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through both curricular and extra-curricular activities. Pupils have a good understanding of British values. A range of trips and visits supports the formal curriculum. For example, pupils have visited the Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, the Houses of Parliament, the Royal Courts of Justice, Turkey and Spain.

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Governance

 The governance of the school is strong. Trustees know the school well and understand what it needs to do to continue to provide a good education for pupils. The chair of the board of trustees is experienced and is driven by a passionate commitment to the school. The trustees have integrity and care about the things that matter most. Trustees ensure that they receive appropriate information and reports from leaders to inform them of the school’s performance. They ask relevant questions based on the information leaders provide and are effective in holding leaders to account. Trustees visit regularly to broaden and deepen their understanding of the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe across the school. Leaders provide regular training in all aspects of safeguarding. As a result, staff are able to identify signs of abuse, including those that may be associated with radicalisation.  The designated safeguarding lead maintains up-to-date records, completed in a timely manner.  The single central register, which records all of the necessary checks on staff who work with children in the school, is compliant with regulations. Statutory requirements for the recruitment of staff are in place, so that those who work in the school are safe to work with children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. This is because teachers have good subject knowledge and relationships between teachers and pupils are positive.  Leaders use a number of tests as pupils join the school to confirm pupils’ starting points. Progress is tracked carefully and robustly against this information. Teachers use this information to plan structured learning to meet the needs of the individual boys they teach. As a result, pupils make strong progress and achieve well, particularly in English, mathematics, and science.  Teachers use effective questioning to address misconceptions. In some lessons teachers skilfully probe pupils’ responses to deepen understanding and reshape tasks and explanations. For example, skilful questioning in a Year 11 English lesson enabled pupils to better understand concepts in poetry and develop well-articulated reflections.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, are keen to do well, and collaborate willingly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

with each other in lessons. Little time is lost to low-level disruption.  Pupils are encouraged to read widely. Through the well-resourced library, pupils enjoy access to a wide variety of texts. Those pupils who require additional literacy and numeracy support receive the help they need through the careful planning of learning activities. As a result, they make good progress.  Pupils commit to improving their work in subjects where teachers provide feedback in line with the school’s policy. In subjects where teachers do not adhere to the school’s feedback policy, pupils do not know what they need to do to improve. Consequently, pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable.  The standard of work in exercise books is generally good, particularly for most-able pupils. However, some teachers do not have high enough expectations both in terms of presentation and standard of work. As a result, progress for pupils varies between

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school provides a pleasant and inclusive environment. Pupils feel safe at school: they are secure in the knowledge that adults will intervene and help them should they have a problem. The school has well-established programmes to raise pupils’ awareness of risks, including those of extremism and radicalisation, potential abuse on social media, and when travelling to and from school.  The school is a courteous and tolerant community. Pupils who spoke with inspectors indicated that bullying is rare but that when it does occur staff deal with it swiftly and effectively. Pupils are taught appropriately about the different forms of bullying and the impact bullying can have on an individual.  Most pupils are confident and assured; they take pride in their appearance and their work. Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They are keen to do well, they listen

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Personal development and welfare

carefully to teachers when they explain topics and, in the main, they complete the tasks they are set. A few pupils lose concentration when teaching does not meet their needs. These pupils consequently make less progress.  The curriculum, assemblies and tutor time contribute to the promotion of key values to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Many activities are designed to raise pupils’ awareness of diversity and to promote tolerance and respect of other faiths and cultures. Consequently, pupils have a good understanding of modern society beyond their own community and of current social issues.  Pupils are keen to take advantage of the opportunities to develop leadership skills. Programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the school council and ‘youth travel ambassadors’ encourage pupils to volunteer in their local community and help prepare them for their future lives.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are polite to staff and visitors and treat each other with good humour. The vast majority of pupils conduct themselves well in lessons, around the school and at break and lunchtimes. Pupils treat their school with respect.  The school is an orderly environment. Pupils respond quickly to instructions and requests from staff, allowing learning to flow smoothly and, largely, without interruption.  Leaders analyse behaviour records and pupil misconduct so that improvements follow. Pupils develop good behaviour and learning habits as a result.  Leaders are stringent in their expectations about attendance. Overall attendance is in line with the national average and pupils are punctual to school.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Most pupils make strong progress across the school. For pupils who left the school at the end of Year 11 in 2017 and 2016, standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science were above the national average. Progress and attainment in mathematics is particularly strong.  In 2017, performance in Arabic and humanities dipped. Improvements to teaching in these areas have addressed this issue.  Current school information shows that pupils at key stage 4 and key stage 3 are achieving well and are making strong progress from their respective starting points across the curriculum, including in English and mathematics. Pupils at risk of underachieving are identified early, and effective intervention strategies are in place to support them.  The most able pupils in the school reflect on, and successfully refine, their work. They use teachers’ feedback very well to deepen their understanding and extend their written work.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

As a result, the most able pupils make substantial progress across a range of subjects. However, scrutiny of pupils’ work by inspectors indicates that some lower- and middle- achieving pupils do not always make the gains of which they are capable. This is because teachers do not consistently expect enough of them.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. As a result, at the end of Year 11 all pupils go on to study at a sixth form, sixth-form college or college of further 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

Date of previous inspection 25 November 2014

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Information about this school

 This is an Islamic secondary school for boys.  The school is registered to take pupils from the age of 10. Currently, the youngest pupils start at the school from the age of 11.  There are no pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or pupils with an education, health and care plan. There are no disadvantaged pupils. Almost all pupils speak English as an additional language.  The school was last inspected in November 2014 when it was judged to be good.  The school uses no alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out observations across all year groups and across a range of subjects, some jointly with the headteacher. They looked at pupils’ work and asked them about their views of the school.  Inspectors looked at arrangements at break and lunchtime.  A range of documents were scrutinised relating to self-evaluation, safeguarding, assessment, behaviour and attendance, school improvement planning and the work of trustees.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders to evaluate the impact of their work. Inspectors also held meetings with the chair of the trustees, two groups of staff and different groups of pupils. The lead inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors considered six responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with seven responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Carolyn Dickinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

Parent View You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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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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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