Madani Academy

Madani Primary School Merefield House, Nutfield Place, Buckland, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 4JZ

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The effective headteacher, supported well by equally dedicated staff, has ensured that the independent school standards are met fully.  School leaders are very proactive in promoting cohesion with the wider community. In particular, school leaders work well to reduce the risk of radicalisation and extremism, in its many forms, in line with the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty.  Pupils are looked after very well. Leaders promote a strong Islamic ethos with emphasis on respect, tolerance and kindness.  Since the last inspection, staff have worked together to improve the curriculum to make it more interesting. Pupils follow a broad curriculum with a balance of Islamic studies and national curriculum subjects. The curriculum is supplemented by a variety of clubs, visiting speakers and trips.  The school has a family atmosphere and pupils thrive, behave impeccably and feel safe.  Leaders have strengthened the quality of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

teaching considerably since the last inspection. Teachers know their pupils well and plan precisely to meet their needs.  Most pupils make strong progress across the curriculum, especially in mathematics. However, some pupils have to make up for a legacy of weak teaching in the past. The most able pupils are not yet writing routinely with a depth of expression that hooks in readers.  Pupils’ moral, spiritual, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. They rarely miss a day. Attendance is above average for primary schools.  Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas to improve. However, leaders have not ensured that there are up-to- date improvement plans in place that show exactly how they will measure success. Consequently, governors are not able to monitor the impact of leaders’ improvement plans sharply enough.

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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 leadership and management by: – implementing improvement plans which show clearly who will be responsible for each action – ensuring that plans show how leaders will monitor precisely the success of each action – strengthening the effectiveness of governors so that they call leaders to account for the impact of their actions  Improve teaching and pupils’ outcomes by: – providing support and opportunity for pupils to write with imagination and flair – developing pupils’ reading skills further by fostering a deep interest in a wide range of literature.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and governors ensure that a strong Islamic culture and ethos permeates all aspects of the school. The headteacher, who is also the proprietor, guides the school community expertly and makes sure that the independent school standards are met fully. School policies are thorough and many have links to Islamic teaching to illustrate their aims. As a consequence, the school community are clear about the vision and direction of the school.  Leaders wasted no time in tackling successfully the areas to improve identified at the last inspection. Teaching, learning and assessment have strengthened significantly. Leaders have appointed three experienced teachers who have had a significantly positive impact on the quality of education provided at the school. All staff have worked together as a team to raise expectations of what pupils can achieve.  The staff at the school say that they enjoy their work and feel greatly valued. There is a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

high degree of trust between staff. They say, ‘Working at Madani School is a privilege.’ Morale is high. They feel that leaders are very supportive. Leaders have developed a peer observation system so that good practice is shared effectively between staff. Staff are determined to improve teaching and learning further and tackle robustly areas that are less effective. Leaders encourage staff to collaborate with other schools and they take part in moderation training with the local schools. As a result, teaching, learning and assessment is strong and improving.  Since the last inspection, leaders’ monitoring of pupils’ outcomes has improved significantly. Teachers check standards of pupils’ work with each other and through moderation with teachers in other schools. Leaders and teachers closely record and analyse improvements in pupils’ learning and target pupils for extra support if they do not make enough progress. This well-organised approach enables standards to rise quickly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a very high priority for leaders, and is evident in the respectful relationships throughout the school community. Leaders promote British values successfully through the curriculum and in everyday activities.  The proprietor has made valuable links with the wider community. The local authority representative reports that school leaders take a proactive stance when working on the ‘Prevent’ duty. Leaders liaise well with the outreach aspect of Portsmouth Football Club and this strengthens relationships with the wider community further.  School leaders and teachers have developed a well-planned curriculum that provides effective learning through Islamic studies and a range of national curriculum subjects. The curriculum is enriched by a range of extra-curricular clubs, including cooking, Mandarin and computing. A large number of trips and visiting speakers are arranged so

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

that pupils’ knowledge and experiences are broadened.  Parents speak positively about the quality of education that their children receive. They recognise that teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection. As one parent said, ‘Staff are very committed to teaching children not only the curriculum, but how to become good and confident individuals.’  The headteacher shares his responsibilities with other staff and develops close working relationships with them. While this enables a number of staff to carry out the functions of leadership, at times, lines of accountability are not clear. Improvements depend on the commitment and initiative of individuals.  While leaders’ self-evaluation is accurate, their plans for improvement have not been updated recently, nor do they show exactly how they will measure success. They have not evaluated sharply enough the results of their actions to improve the school.

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Governance

 The proprietor has developed a governing body that has several skilled and knowledgeable individuals. They attend training to make sure that they are up to date with safeguarding requirements and best practice for governance. They know the independent school standards well and make sure that the school meets them consistently. Governors are determined to help the school go from strength to strength.  The governors visit the school regularly to see the day-to-day working of the school for themselves. Governors have undertaken health and safety audits using local authority checklists. They commission independent consultants to provide information about the quality of education provided. However, minutes of governors’ meetings do not reflect a high level of challenge to school leaders regarding the progress that the school makes with its action plan.  There is still work to do to strengthen governance arrangements so that the school

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. Safeguarding is effective because staff know the pupils so well. Leaders have made sure that staff are well trained in safeguarding procedures, including keeping children safe from the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.  The school site is secured well by a tall perimeter fence. Written risk assessments and observations during the inspection show that school staff are on the lookout continually for potential risks.  Staff know what to do should they have a concern about a child. Leaders work well with external agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Detailed chronological records of any concern and the outcome of any actions that have been taken are kept systematically.  The school has taken into account current government legislation to produce a suitable safeguarding policy that is published on the school website.

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Safeguarding

 The proprietor makes sure that all statutory checks on adults working or volunteering at the school are made. These checks are recorded systematically on a single central register.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching, learning and assessment across the school have improved significantly in the last year. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have experienced a consistently good quality of teaching over time.  Relationships between teachers and pupils are positive and highly respectful. This is a particularly strong part of teaching and learning and reflects the culture of the school.  Teachers know their pupils well and assess their starting points carefully. Planning in all subjects is strong so that pupils are provided with exactly the right support or challenge. Teachers are flexible in their approach so that, should they uncover pupils’ misconceptions, they adapt their plans accordingly.  In the last inspection, an area for improvement was the effectiveness of teachers’ questions. Typically, teachers have good questioning skills. They find out what pupils know and can do. Typically, they pose questions so that pupils’ learning is extended.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

However, weak questioning skills still exist in small pockets across the curriculum.  The teaching of writing is effective. Teachers deepen pupils’ understanding of grammar through precisely targeted activities. Pupils’ vocabulary is broadened successfully through stimulus material and experiences. Pupils write with accuracy because they are encouraged to edit their work to make it better. Teachers provide ample opportunity for pupils to write at length across the curriculum. Pupils’ writing is celebrated and displayed prominently on walls and corridors.  Teachers have overhauled the strategies for teaching reading. The newly stocked library enables pupils to read books that are not too difficult or too easy for them. Teaching at key stage 1 supports pupils to develop phonic skills successfully. Teachers help pupils to explore new texts so that pupils explain what happens in books. There is yet to be a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

focused impetus for able pupils to read a wide range of literary material.  Teaching of mathematics is strong. Pupils’ knowledge and mathematical skills are developed well. Pupils use a variety of support materials and strategies to work things out for themselves. Teachers provide plenty of opportunity to solve real-life problems and pupils write well about the approach that they take to solve problems.  Teaching promotes the features of Islam well. Teaching provides pupils with a combination of learning about the religion, including the writings in the Koran, and applying it to their daily lives. Because of the deep subject knowledge of the teachers, pupils are interested and take part in lessons readily.  Well-designed practical investigations are a prominent and successful feature of science teaching in the school. Pupils learn well about the world around them. They apply their growing scientific knowledge to understand new situations. In particular, teaching

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

promotes subject-specific terminology and vocabulary effectively.  Teachers assess pupils’ work and provide effective feedback, often as an instant verbal response and in line with the school’s policy. Teachers encourage pupils to refer to model examples or reference materials so that they can learn to correct their work themselves. Pupils listen carefully to their teachers and are eager to make their work better.  Parents are provided with detailed written information and regular updates about their child’s progress.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. Daily intervention groups benefit targeted pupils who need extra support.  Homework is set regularly and extends pupils’ learning well.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Leaders make sure that respect, kindness and equality of opportunity are the basis of day- to-day life of pupils at the school. All adults are totally committed to the welfare of pupils.  Teachers develop pupils’ confidence and resilience very well. Pupils have exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They are very keen to do their best. Pupils are proud of their school and their achievements. They take much care in the presentation of their work, an area to improve from the last inspection.  Leaders make sure that pupils learn about a range of religions and cultures so that they are prepared well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about Judaism, for example, and recently visited a synagogue. Black African month was studied through a range of activities. Pupils have a wide understanding and tolerance of differences that people may have.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of the school. An effective school council provides pupils with leadership skills. Staff use school council discussions well to gauge pupils’ views on where further improvements can be made.  Leaders place much emphasis on developing pupils’ contribution to the wider community. For example, pupils visit a local care home to read to the elderly residents and hold fundraising events for charity.  Pupils are supervised diligently. Pupils and their parents say that they are safe. Pupils learn effectively about keeping safe, especially when online. If pupils have concerns, they are confident that adults will resolve them effectively.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is impeccable. They are courteous, unfailingly polite and respectful to each other and adults. Pupils are very proud of their school.  Pupils report there is virtually no poor behaviour or bullying among their peers. Should there be a rare occasion of poor behaviour, staff support the pupil well to understand how to put things right.  Pupils’ attendance is above average for primary schools. Pupils enjoy and value their education. Leaders communicate regularly with parents about the importance of good attendance and punctuality. Leaders are proactive should attendance levels drop. Consequently, pupils rarely miss a day of school.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils join the school in Year 1 with a wide range of school experiences. Some have not attended school at all, while others have been in pre-school and Nursery. Consequently, pupils join with varying reading, writing and wider skills.  Pupils in Year 3 and 4 had below-expected attainment at the start of this year due to a legacy of weak teaching. However, inspection evidence found that they are catching up. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 now have good teaching and are making good progress.  Key stage 1 pupils make great strides in their phonic skills. Across the school pupils are making good progress in developing writing skills, although this has not yet made up for weak progress in the past for some pupils. Despite taking deliberate action to strengthen the teaching of writing, able pupils are not yet routinely writing with depth of expression that hooks in readers. Teachers are well aware that able pupils need more support to

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Outcomes for pupils Good

write more creatively.  Pupils make excellent progress in mathematics because teaching is of a consistently high standard across classes. Work in their books shows that pupils use their strong understanding of numbers and calculations to tackle a range of real-life mathematical problems. They explain their reasoning clearly.  Pupils learn about the content of the Koran diligently in Islamic studies. Pupils apply effectively the moral messages to their lives. They learn well about the Arabic alphabet and recite and translate passages with enthusiasm.  Because of a well-planned curriculum, pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. They develop good creative and technical skills in art and technology by working with different media. Pupils’ progress in humanities and science is strong because they have a keen interest in their topic curriculum.  Extra support for those that fall behind or those pupils with SEND is well planned and

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Outcomes for pupils Good

effective. As a result, these pupils make good progress.  Standards are rising quickly. Pupils are now making strong progress, especially in Years 5 and 6. They are prepared well for moving to the next stage of their education and to secondary school.

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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 4–6 July 2017

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Information about this school

 Madani Primary School is an independent Islamic day school. It is registered for up to 45 pupils, aged five to 11.  The school aims to ‘create an independent faith school which will deliver high-quality education of the national curriculum and Islam’.  Pupils are taught in three classes of Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6. The school does not currently provide education for children in the early years.  The school admits pupils from any faith.  There is a very small number of pupils with SEND.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  This is the third standard inspection since the school was opened in 2014. The previous inspection took place in July 2017, when the school was found to require improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the headteacher, who is also the proprietor.  A telephone conversation was held with the vice-chair of the governing body.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and a group of staff. There were 11 responses from staff to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  The inspector met with parents collecting their children from school and took account of one response to Ofsted’s online parental questionnaire.  Teaching and learning was observed across all age groups. The inspector was accompanied to all lessons by a senior member of staff.  The inspector carried out a scrutiny of pupils’ work. A meeting was held with a group of pupils. The inspector also looked at work in lessons and talked to pupils around the school.  Telephone conversations were held with a member of the local authority and the director of community projects from Portsmouth Football Club.  A number of documents were scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation,

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Information about this inspection

improvement plans, safeguarding documents and policies.  The school’s website was scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Sue Child, lead inspector 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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