Mehria Primary School

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Mehria School 23 Westbourne Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU4 8JD

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2(1), 2(1)(b), 2(1)(b)(i)  In the February 2018 inspection this standard was not met because the school did not have suitable written plans that considered the ages and aptitudes of pupils. Leaders have made the necessary improvements.  Teachers use published schemes of work to teach English and mathematics. They have written plans to show how these subjects are taught. Plans are in place for the long term, over a number of weeks as well as daily plans as part of the schemes of work.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, teachers write their own plans for their classes based on the national curriculum expectations. Curriculum plans are in place. However, leaders’ coordination of what is taught in subjects such as history and geography is still developing. Currently some pupils repeat work in different year groups.  All plans and schemes of work are age appropriate and broadly consider pupils’ abilities.

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Main inspection findings

Leaders monitor teachers’ use of the plans to ensure that the requirements of the schemes of work are met.  Leaders have ensured that the requirements of these paragraphs included in this standard are now met. Paragraph 3(g)  At the time of the February 2018 inspection, the school did not have systems to accurately measure the amount of progress that pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics.  Leaders stated in their action plan to the Department for Education (DfE) that they would introduce a new assessment system, so they could use a more robust approach to measure and improve the progress that pupils make. Although the action plan was deemed not acceptable in July 2018, leaders have made sure that they have introduced the planned new system. This occurred in September 2018.  Leaders have linked with another local maintained school to assist with choosing a suitable assessment system for Mehria School. Staff have received training during the

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Main inspection findings

autumn term. The assessment system is suitable, and leaders and teachers have a better understanding of the starting attainment points of pupils.  Leaders have ensured that the requirements of the paragraph included in the standard are now met. Paragraph 3, 3(a), 3(c), 3(d)  The introduction of the assessment system is new. Leaders have spent time training staff and are confident that they now understand pupils’ starting points. However, teachers are not using the information about pupils’ starting points to plan activities and adapt the published schemes of work so that pupils can make better progress. This was the same during the February 2018 inspection.  Leaders are monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment but are still not focusing well enough on the progress and achievement that pupils are making over time. They now have more information and a clearer understanding of what they need to do

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Main inspection findings

to hold teachers more firmly to account for the progress that pupils make. However, it is too early to see the impact of leaders’ work on raising the quality and consistency of teaching and learning throughout the school, which remains inconsistent.  Pupils’ books demonstrate that the most able pupils are not provided with suitable learning activities that help them use and apply their skills in different ways. This is because teachers are following the published schemes of work without considering the precise needs of the pupils in their classes. Consequently, the most able pupils are not achieving as well as they could.  Similarly, progress is slow for pupils who require additional help and support so that they can build on their knowledge and understanding. This is because teachers move on before pupils have fully understood. These pupils’ books demonstrate that pupils’ mistakes and misunderstandings continue. These pupils are not making the progress

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Main inspection findings

they should.  The standard of pupils’ work in subjects other than English and mathematics remains too inconsistent. In some classes, pupils enjoy a range of subjects and activities. In other classes, pupils do not experience the full range of subjects well enough so that they can deepen their understanding and make good progress, for example in history or geography.  Leaders have not ensured that the requirements in these paragraphs contained in the standard are met. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b) Paragraph 16, 16(a), 16(b)  In the previous inspection, the requirements contained in the paragraphs for this independent school standard were met.  Leaders continue to ensure that child protection policies, staff safeguarding training, pupils’ medical needs and welfare arrangements are in place. However, they have not been vigilant in ensuring that policies and procedures for protecting pupils, when using

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Main inspection findings

the internet at school, are followed.  During the inspection, policies for safely using the internet were found to be out of date for nearly one year. Staff and pupils were unclear about the procedures to follow or whether they would report any unsuitable online incidents. Inspectors found that the school did not have appropriate filters on the computers to protect and prevent pupils and staff from accessing or seeing unsuitable material. Leaders did not have practical and preventative measures in place to mitigate further risk.  Leaders’ ongoing and routine assessment of risk is not sufficiently well developed. This is the case when employing staff and considering routine online risks for pupils of primary school age.  Suitable and timely risk assessments are in place for pupils when they leave the site to go on a school trip.  Leaders responded swiftly and appropriately during the inspection to report the internet

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Main inspection findings

safety issue. They demonstrated that they have a desire to protect pupils and to provide well for pupils’ welfare.  Leaders have not ensured that the requirements contained in these paragraphs of the standard are met. Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Paragraph 18(2), 18(2)(d) Paragraph 21(3), 21(3)(a)(ii), 21(3)(a)(vi)  In the previous inspection in February 2018 the standard relating to the suitability of staff, supply staff and the proprietors was met. However, in this progress monitoring inspection, weaknesses were found with leaders’ processes and procedures. This standard is no longer met.  New teaching staff have been employed at the school and commenced employment in September 2018. Essential checks about whether adults are barred from working with children were not carried out before they commenced employment or swiftly. No risk assessments were put in place in the interim period.

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Main inspection findings

 Leaders’ failure to ensure that all employment processes and procedures are carried out in line with statutory expectations have resulted in other paragraphs within the standard not being met.  The paragraphs contained in this standard are not met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)  The requirements of this independent school standard were not met at the February 2018 inspection. This was because leaders were not ensuring that all the standards regarding the quality of education were met. Inspectors judged the quality of the provision to require improvement. Importantly, the unmet standards related to ensuring that pupils made good progress according to their ability and that teachers planned learning that considers the different starting points of pupils and provides for their needs.  The DfE requested that leaders provide an action plan for how they will meet the

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Main inspection findings

previously unmet standards. This action plan was deemed unacceptable in July 2018. Leaders have not adapted the action plan, though they have continued to use it to address issues highlighted in the previous Ofsted inspection report.  There have been no significant changes in the leadership of the school. Minutes of leadership and staff meetings demonstrate that the development of the assessment system has been a priority for the school. Everyone has worked together to implement the system to ensure that leaders now have a clearer understanding of pupils’ achievement.  Minutes of governors’ meetings demonstrate that they receive information from the headteacher and that this forms the basis of their understanding of the performance of the school. Minutes of meetings show that governors meet regularly and are beginning to hold school leaders to account for improving the quality of education.  In the previous inspection, leaders were informed that the information on the website

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Main inspection findings

was misleading and difficult to follow. At that time leaders stated that the website was in the process of being updated. This remains the case. Information has not been amended. Within the school, there is the necessary information available for parents. However, leaders state that they are still due to update the website and create a new one.  Leaders are committed to providing pupils in the community with an education in line with their ethos and values. Pupils are happy, and relationships are positive with all adults around the school.  Leaders are working more closely with other schools within the area and the local authority. Leaders ensure that child protection arrangements are suitable and in place.  Leaders have not ensured that as they focus on improving the quality of education for pupils, other systems and processes continue and are maintained. This is because roles and responsibilities fall to too few people. As a result, in this monitoring visit, previously

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Main inspection findings

met standards are now unmet.  Leaders have not ensured that the requirements of this standards are met. Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010  School leaders have still not produced a suitable accessibility plan that is relevant to the school. They do not meet the requirements of Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection, as set out in the annex of this report. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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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 Day primary school with a religious ethos

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 20–22 February 2018

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Information about this school

 Mehria School is registered with the DfE as a school with a Muslim ethos, for boys and girls. The school admits pupils of any or no faith. It opened in 2006 and is registered to take a maximum of 90 pupils.  The school is in a residential neighbourhood of Luton. A mosque and a funeral service are located within the school’s grounds. Classrooms for learning are in entirely separate buildings from the mosque and the funeral service. The school uses the mosque building for playtimes, physical education and lunchtime activities.  No pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan.  The school aims to ‘produce hardworking, well-mannered and well informed young Muslims who are able, through their knowledge, skills and good character, to benefit from the opportunities that Allah provides and to go on to be a positive force in society’.  Since the previous standard inspection, the name of the proprietorial body has changed.

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Information about this school

It is no longer Jamia Islamia Ghousia Trust. The individual names of the proprietors are stated above in the school details.  To date, Ofsted has conducted a pre-registration visit, seven inspections and evaluated three action plans. These are: – 30 May 2006, a pre-registration visit was carried out and registration was not recommended – 28 March 2007, a standard inspection when the overall effectiveness of the school was judged to be good – 9 December 2009, a standard inspection when the overall effectiveness of the school was judged to be good – 5 December 2012, a standard inspection when the overall effectiveness was judged to be outstanding – 26 January 2016, a standard inspection where the overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate with several unmet standards about the suitable recruitment of staff – 30 June 2016, an evaluation of an action plan which was judged to require improvement – 19 October 2016, a monitoring inspection when independent school standards were

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Information about this school

not met – 23 February 2017, an evaluation of an action plan which was judged as not acceptable – 15 May 2017, a monitoring inspection when independent school standards that were checked were met – 20 February 2018, a standard inspection where the overall effectiveness of the school was judged as requires improvement. Independent school standards were not met.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  This was the first monitoring inspection since the standard inspection in February 2018 when the school was judged to require improvement.  The inspection was conducted with no notice.  Inspectors observed pupils’ learning across all year groups and spoke informally with them about their learning. Pupils’ workbooks were analysed in a range of subjects to assess the quality of teaching and learning over time.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, staff and a group of pupils. Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding and child protection leads. Inspectors spoke with representatives of the local authority. Neither of the

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Information about this inspection

proprietors nor governors were available at short notice.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents including school policies, information relating to safeguarding pupils, the single central register of employment checks, schemes of work and assessment information to determine the progress that has been made since the previous standard inspection.  Minutes of governors’ meetings, staff meetings and leaders’ monitoring information was scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Kim Hall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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— – 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(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.

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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.

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The school must meet the following requirements

The proprietor ensures that the arrangements are made to meet the requirements of paragraph 3 of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that— – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b) such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State.  16 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that— – 16(a) the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and – 16(b) appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified.

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

 18(2) The standard in this paragraph is met if— – 18(2)(d) the proprietor ensures that, where relevant to any such person, an enhanced criminal record check is made in respect of that person and an enhanced criminal record certificate is obtained before or as soon as practicable after that person’s appointment.  21(3) The information referred to in this sub-paragraph is— – 21(3)(a)(ii) a check was made to establish whether S is barred from regulated activity relating to children in accordance with section 3(2) of the 2006 Act; – 21(3)(a)(vi) checks were made pursuant to paragraph 18(2)(d).

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standards

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if— – 2(1)(b) the proprietor ensures that the written policy and schemes of work: – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan. 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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standards

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standards

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standards

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standards

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standards

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