Darul Hadis Latifiah

Inspection of Darul Hadis Latifiah 1 Cornwall Avenue, London E2 0HW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like their school. They are proud to attend and describe it as a ‘big family’ and a ‘home from home’. Pupils feel cared for, respected, and safe. Their behaviour and attendance are excellent, including in the sixth form. Bullying is very rare and dealt with effectively when it occurs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff successfully develop boys into confident, ambitious, well-rounded and good-humoured young men. Pupils truly value their learning. They enjoy the many clubs, projects and trips on offer, and the very regular opportunities to present and perform to their peers. Pupils work hard, complete their homework, read widely and listen carefully to their teachers. Pupils achieve well in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics. They are very well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are extremely happy with the school’s work. Typical comments include: ‘my son is not just happy, he is blossoming in every way at this school’; ‘I believe the school provides an excellent education with dedicated teachers’; and ‘my son feels safe and confident and that is what matters to me the most’.

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better?

Leaders and governors have transformed the school. They have done this by focusing on areas that needed to get better. They have improved subjects, safeguarding arrangements and opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Big improvements can be seen on all fronts.

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better?

Leaders and the proprietor are committed to providing a broad, high-quality education for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Since the previous inspection, senior leaders have worked tirelessly. Their work has been successful and standards in the school have improved. For example, leaders provided training for teachers and raised standards in literacy. They also made sure that work in all subjects challenges pupils to achieve well.

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better?

Teachers use detailed plans in almost all subjects. These plans are designed so that pupils build on their learning as they move through the school. In English and history, for example, pupils become passionate readers, writers and historians. Pupils also do well in mathematics and science. This prepares them very well for future study, including in the sixth form. Pupils achieve excellent results at GCSE in a wide range of subjects. They achieve particularly well in mathematics, physics, chemistry, history and Arabic.

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better?

Pupils enjoy a range of activities, especially debating and homework clubs, basketball and football. They told us they enjoy using the library, and the regular essay, debate and fiction-writing competitions. Pupils are looking forward to the new computer programming club next term. 4–6 February 2020

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In the sixth form, all students study an Islamic sciences programme. They also choose from other subjects such as business studies, biology and mathematics. Pupils who have recently left the school did well. They all completed the Islamic sciences programme successfully and achieved well in their other courses. Leaders provide high-quality careers guidance and support. This helped these students to move on to university or employment.

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Leaders and governors are thinking about ways to make the curriculum even better. For example, they intend to introduce a new computing course for pupils in Years 10 and 11. They are also planning a better creative studies programme. Leaders are also working on plans to provide more subjects for students in the sixth form to choose from.

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school’s strong work. Teachers’ skilful development of pupils’ character is exemplary. For example, in history, we saw pupils in Year 9 teaching the lesson on the American economic boom of the 1920s. This demonstrated their developing knowledge of the topic. It also challenged pupils to present accurate information, and to answer their peers’ questions.

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Pupils study Islam and a well-planned personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme. These courses prepare them very well for life in modern Britain. Pupils are passionate about equality. They have a thorough understanding of British values and all the protected characteristics. Pupils access good-quality, regular and impartial careers information, advice and guidance.

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Leaders and governors meticulously check that all the independent school standards are met. They also ensure that a suitable accessibility plan is implemented well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a sharp understanding of the school’s context, and how to keep pupils safe. Staff have regular, up-to-date training, including about the ‘Prevent’ duty. Staff know how to spot pupils who may be at risk, as do pupils about their peers. Systems for identifying, referring, monitoring and documenting concerns are fit for purpose. Leaders work closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure that pupils get the right support. Leaders recruit staff safely. They consider and minimise risks well, for example in the premises and when pupils go on trips.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum is broad and enriching. However, teaching of some subjects, such as creative studies and information and communication technology, is not as coherently sequenced as other subjects in all year groups. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that 4–6 February 2020

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teachers’ subject knowledge is strong in all curriculum subjects, supported by effective subject leadership. This will ensure that teaching consistently helps pupils to learn, remember and be able to do more.  The technology curriculum is not strong enough for pupils in Years 10 and 11, and the sixth-form curriculum could provide pupils with more subjects to choose from. Leaders should fully implement their plans to develop the technological curriculum offer for pupils in Years 10 and 11, and to expand the curriculum offer in the sixth form. This will give older pupils more opportunities to study and enjoy computing, and sixth-form students a broader range of options.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 4–6 February 2020

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School details

Unique reference number 131745 DfE registration number 211/6389

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School details

Inspection number 10115239 Type of school Other independent school

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sixth form

Annual fees (day pupils) £3,000 (ages 11 to 16) £2,000 (ages 16 to 20) Telephone number 020 8983 3663

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 6–8 February 2018

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Information about this school

 Darul Hadis Latifiah is an independent Islamic secondary school for boys. The school includes sixth-form provision for students aged 16 to 20, who study a four- year Islamic sciences course alongside other qualifications.  Since the last inspection, a member of staff has been promoted to vice principal. He now leads on the quality of education. 4–6 February 2020

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 The school’s governing body is also the proprietorial body.  The school makes no use of off-site alternative provision.  The school complies with its registration agreement with the Department for Education.  The school’s most recent inspection was a progress monitoring inspection in October 2018, when the independent school standards checked were judged to be met. Prior to this, the school’s most recent full standard inspection was in February 2018, when the school’s overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate, and some of the independent school standards were not met.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection 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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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the vice principal and the assistant principal throughout the inspection. We also met with three governors, the chair of the proprietorial body, the principal and a group of teachers.  We did deep dives in English, history, PSHE education and creative studies. We visited lessons, spoke with pupils, leaders and teachers, and reviewed pupils’ work. We also visited lessons in business studies, mathematics, science and Islamic studies.  We observed the weekly whole-school assembly. We met with groups of pupils to discuss their personal development and behaviour, including members of the school council and a group of sixth-form students. We observed pupils informally between lessons and during breaktimes.  We met with the designated safeguarding leaders and reviewed a range of documentation, including checks on staff, risk assessments and attendance information. We carried out checks on the premises, health and safety and

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Information about this inspection

compliance with the other independent school standards. We also held telephone conversations with the local authority’s ‘Prevent’ duty programme manager and the local authority’s designated safeguarding officer.  We reviewed a range of documentation, including policies, curriculum plans and reports to parents. We also reviewed minutes from meetings of the governing body, information about complaints and the school’s self-evaluation summary and development plan.  We considered the responses from parents on Ofsted Parent View, and the responses from staff and pupils via the online questionnaires. 4–6 February 2020

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Inspection team

James Waite, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kanwaljit Singh Ofsted Inspector 4–6 February 2020

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to achieve 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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