Al Kauthar Girls Academy

School progress monitoring inspection report

p.1

New Horizon Community School Newton Hill House, Newton Hill Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS7 4JE

p.1

Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2(2)(e), 2(2)(e)(i), 2(2)(e)(ii)  At the time of the previous inspection, this standard was judged not to be met. This was because pupils were not accessing enough unbiased advice and guidance to enable them to make informed choices for their futures.  The governors have evaluated the school’s careers offer against the Gatsby benchmarks. School leaders have ensured pupils are given careers information and are able to access independent advice and guidance.  A member of staff now delivers careers lessons. There is an interesting and varied careers programme. For example, on international women’s day, pupils looked at different historical figures and linked this work to careers and opportunities for women, and how these have changed over time.  The headteacher has made links with local colleges and schools with sixth forms. The headteacher has organised speakers to come into school from these local providers.

p.1

Main inspection findings

These speakers have given pupils information on what courses are on offer and how to apply for a place at a college or sixth form.  There is a careers information section on the school’s website. This contains a wide range of careers-related sites and provides pupils with direct access to the national careers service.  The headteacher has invited speakers into school. They have spoken to pupils about the work they do. Pupils can make their own suggestions about careers they would like to find out about. For example, some pupils were keen to know more about midwifery and a visiting speaker provided information on that and other careers in nursing.  Planning for pupils’ futures is supported through work experience opportunities and visits to careers fairs.  Pupils’ work in their careers folders shows that they are interested in what they are learning about their future options. Pupils provide school leaders with evaluations of

p.1

Main inspection findings

speakers and ideas for topics they want to research or places they want to visit.  Recently 90% of leavers went on to further study at local sixth forms and colleges.  These previously unmet standards are now met. Paragraph 3, 3(a), 3(c), 3(d)  At the previous inspection, the headteacher had set in place actions designed to bring about improvement to the quality of teaching. However, these actions were at an early stage and it was not possible to judge their impact across the school. At the first progress monitoring inspection these standards remained unmet.  During this inspection, it was not possible to evaluate these standards within Part 1 of the independent school standards due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the work of the school.  At the previous progress monitoring inspection, the newly appointed headteacher had made some staffing changes. There has been a period of stability since that inspection

p.1

Main inspection findings

with no new staff appointed. The headteacher said this has given him the opportunity to allocate subject responsibilities to teachers.  School leaders now have a system in place for checking teaching and learning.  The headteacher has the support of a school improvement partner who has provided training on teaching and learning to the staff team. The planned training programme was interrupted by the national restrictions linked to COVID-19. The training programme has continued to be affected by local restrictions following the easing of the national measures in the summer.  School leaders have continued to implement this training themselves. However, the headteacher recognises the importance of external support. He is keen to get the additional training that the school improvement partner can provide back on schedule as soon as possible.  These previously unmet standards could not be evaluated at this progress monitoring

p.2

Main inspection findings

inspection. Therefore, these standards remain unmet. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b)  School leaders have implemented arrangements for safeguarding that are effective. The headteacher has ensured that information about safeguarding and pupils’ welfare, such as the school’s safeguarding policy, is available from the school’s website and is compliant with current, statutory guidance.  The proprietor provides staff in the school with training in safeguarding and child protection. This ensures that all staff are up to date with their training and know how to help children keep safe.  This standard was met at the previous progress monitoring inspection and continues to be met. Part 6. Provision of information Paragraph 32(1), 32(1)(c)  The headteacher has ensured that there is a safeguarding policy which meets current government guidance and is published on the school’s website.

p.2

Main inspection findings

 This standard was met at the previous progress monitoring inspection and continues to be met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)  At the time of the last progress monitoring inspection, plans were in place for future improvement in the areas covered by the remaining unmet standards. However, it was too early to be able to judge the impact of leaders’ actions upon some areas of teaching and learning. This meant that the standard relating to the quality of leadership in and management of schools was not able to be judged fully and remained unmet.  Since the last inspection, the proprietors have continued to support the headteacher in his changes to the curriculum and the staffing structure. The headteacher and deputy headteacher share the monitoring of teaching and learning and provide reports for governors.  The proprietors meet regularly with the headteacher and have continued to invest in

p.3

Main inspection findings

training and external support.  During this inspection, the inspector did not evaluate the extent to which the school meets the standards in Part 1: Quality of Education. Some of these requirements were not met at the previous inspection. The Department for Education (DfE) did not commission Ofsted to evaluate these standards owing to the ongoing impact of COVID- 19 on schools. Therefore, the inspector’s judgement about the effectiveness of leadership and management at the school has not included an evaluation of the quality of education.  These previously unmet standards could not be evaluated at this progress monitoring inspection. Therefore, these standards remain unmet.

p.3

Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets 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. This included some of 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.

p.4

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.

p.5

School details

Proprietor Parviz Hussain, Ejaz Hussain, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Rasheed Ali, Shazad Ilyas, Jamil Ahmed Chair Shazad Ilyas

p.5

School details

Email address info@newhorizonschool.co.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous standard inspection 8–10 January 2019

p.5

Information about this school

 New Horizon Community School is an independent Muslim day school for girls aged between 11 and 16.  The previous full standard inspection took place in January 2019 and the school’s overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate. There was a progress monitoring inspection in July 2019 when several of the unmet standards were judged to be met and some standards remained unmet.  The school is registered to admit up to 100 pupils.  There are no pupils currently on roll who have an education, health and care plan.  The school does not make use of any alternative education provision.  The headteacher named on the DfE’s ‘Get information about schools’ website is no longer the headteacher at the school. The headteacher has not changed since the last progress monitoring inspection.

p.5

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.  The DfE did not commission Ofsted to evaluate the school’s progress in meeting all the previously unmet standards in Part 1 of the independent school standards: Quality of Education. This is owing to the disruption COVID-19 has had on schools since March 2020.  This inspection was the second progress monitoring visit since the inspection in January 2019, when the school was judged to be inadequate for overall effectiveness. There was a progress monitoring visit in July 2019, when the school was judged to have met several of the unmet standards from the inspection in January 2019.  Following the progress monitoring inspection in July 2019, the DfE directed the school to

p.7

Information about this inspection

write an action plan by early November 2019. The purpose of this action plan was for leaders to show what steps they would take to meet the standards that continued to be unmet. This action plan was evaluated in December 2019 and judged not to be acceptable. The DfE rejected the school’s action plan in January 2020 and commissioned this second progress monitoring inspection.  This inspection was carried out without notice. The inspector made a phone call to the headteacher before going onto the school’s site to ensure compliance with the school’s COVID-19 protocols.  The inspector met with one of the proprietors, who is also a governor, the headteacher and members of staff.  The inspector reviewed policies and documents associated with safeguarding and with the independent school standards.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work and photographic evidence of pupils’ involvement in careers events. The inspector did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures

p.7

Inspection team

Patricia Head, 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 .

p.7

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.

p.8

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/ofsted .

p.8

Inspection team

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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

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 . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8