Jamia Islamia Birmingham

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Jamia Islamia Birmingham Islamic College, Fallows Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, West Midlands B11 1PL

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7, 7(a), 7(b)  At the time of the previous inspection, the school’s safeguarding policy and procedures were judged to be effective. They reflected the government guidance in ‘Keeping children safe in education’. Staff completed training to help develop their understanding of how to keep pupils safe. This is no longer the case.  Since the last inspection, the proprietor, governors and those with responsibility for safeguarding have not ensured that the school’s policies and practice are informed by the current guidance in ‘Keeping children safe in education 2020’. The safeguarding policy is on the school’s website. However, the policy is not suitable.  Too little attention is placed on ensuring pupils are helped to be safe in their local community. Consequently, staff are not able to identify when a pupil, or student, is at risk from factors such as criminal exploitation, county lines or knife crime. Equally,

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Main inspection findings

policies and procedures for dealing with peer-on-peer sexual violence and sexual harassment do not provide the right guidance to reduce the chance of this happening.  There has been a significant turnover of staff since the last inspection. Staff no longer complete safeguarding training that ensures they can spot the signs that a pupil has been harmed or is at risk of harm. Staff have a very narrow view about the risks pupils face, in and out of school.  The proprietor and leaders have not ensured that these standards remain met. Paragraphs 16, 16(a), 16(b)  At the time of the previous inspection, processes for the assessment of risk were judged to be effective. Leaders had recently reviewed their risk assessment policy. Risks were quickly identified, and written assessments were put in place swiftly. This is no longer the case.  Procedures to keep pupils safe while the school waits for pre-employment checks for

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Main inspection findings

new members of staff are not sufficient. Recently appointed members of staff have started teaching in the school without the necessary references being received, or an agreed risk assessment being put in place. This places pupils at risk of harm.  The proprietor and leaders have not ensured that these standards remain met. Part 6. Provision of information Paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(c), 32(1)(d), 32(3), 32(3)(e), 32(3)(g)  At the time of the last inspection, these standards had not been met. The school website had not been maintained in accordance with the independent school standards. Several policies and information that should have been published were missing from the school’s website.  Since the last inspection, the proprietor has ensured that some of the required information is now available to parents on the school website. This includes Ofsted inspection reports and an overview of pupils’ academic performance. Parents are

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Main inspection findings

contacted by text or electronic message to advise them that new information is on the website.  These standards are now met. Paragraphs 32(3), 32(3)(a), 32(3)(b), 32(3)(d)  At the last inspection, the proprietor and leaders had not ensured policies related to managing pupils’ behaviour, exclusions, special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), health and safety, first aid and anti-bullying were available on the school website or shared with parents. This remains the case.  The safeguarding, admissions and complaints policies are available on the school’s website. However, these policies are out of date and do not reflect the school’s procedures or current government guidance. This is because leaders have adopted some policies from other schools and have not ensured that these reflect the school’s context or actual practice. Leaders are in the process of making sure the policies reflect the

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Main inspection findings

existing provision at Jamia Islamia.  The proprietor and leaders have not ensured policies for managing pupils’ behaviour, exclusions, SEND, health and safety, first aid and anti-bullying are accessible to all parents. They have not made them available either through the website or through accessible paper copies that can be requested. While leaders have established a text or electronic message service to parents to inform them of the policies on the website, the policies needed are not available on the website.  The proprietor has not ensured that these standards are met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(c)  At the last inspection, the proprietor and those with responsibility for safeguarding had ensured that policies and procedures were effective in keeping pupils safe and promoting their well-being. Leaders had acted quickly to address historical concerns around health,

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Main inspection findings

safety and welfare. They had also ensured that pupils were safe on the premises. This is no longer the case.  Current school policies and safeguarding training do not consider current government guidance. The current policy is not informed by the statutory guidance in ‘Keeping children safe in education 2020’. Training does not help to develop all staff’s understanding of how to recognise the signs of when pupils and students might be at risk. For example, training does not include information about the risks in the local community and how pupils can be taught how to stay safe.  This standard is not met. Paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)  At the last inspection, the proprietor and leaders had not ensured that they had the necessary understanding of the independent school standards and expertise to make sure that the independent school standards would be met continually and consistently. The proprietor was not clear if the independent school standards were met or not. This

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Main inspection findings

remains the case.  The proprietor board does not have enough knowledge of the independent school standards. The proprietor does not check or validate what school leaders tell them. This limits how effectively they hold leaders to account to ensure that these standards are met.  The capacity for improvement at the school is focused on the associate headteacher. While he understands the weaknesses in the school and has started to implement some plans to improve these areas, many gaps remain. Equally, since the last inspection, some standards that had been met previously are now not met. These relate to safeguarding and the promotion of pupils’ well-being.  Since the last inspection, an additional full-time deputy has been appointed. This aimed to provide greater capacity in the leadership team. This recently formed team is still developing their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.

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Main inspection findings

Consequently, their actions have not had the desired effect in meeting a greater number of the standards.  These standards are not met. Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010  Leaders ensure that the school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school’s accessibility plan contains relevant details about how the school intends to make the school’s curriculum, premises and information accessible.

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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. 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

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 13

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School details

Proprietor Jamia Islamia (Birmingham) Trust Limited

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School details

Principal Rezaul Haque (Principal) and Monsoor Hussain (Associate headteacher) Annual fees (day pupils) £2,000

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School details

Website www.jamiaislamiabirmingham.co.uk

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School details

Email address info@jamiaislamiabirmingham.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 11–13 June 2019

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Information about this school

 During this inspection, we were told that the proprietor is Jamia Islamia (Birmingham) Trust Limited, with the chair of the proprietor board being Rezaul Haque.  At the end of the last academic year, the previous headteacher left the school. The associate headteacher now works with the principal to lead the school. A second deputy headteacher has been appointed.  The last standard inspection of the school took place in June 2019. The schools’ overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate. A significant number of independent school standards were not met. At a progress monitoring inspection in November 2019, the school had made progress in meeting some of those standards, but several remained unmet.  Pupils do Islamic studies in the morning, while following the national curriculum in the afternoon.  Students in the sixth form complete daily courses in employability and skills to help develop their understanding of the world of work.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision. One sixth-form student attends a local college in the afternoon.  There are no pupils on roll who have an education, health and care plan.

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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.  The Department for Education did not commission Ofsted to evaluate the school’s progress in meeting previously unmet standards in Part 1 of the independent school standards: Quality of Education. This is owing to the disruption Covid-19 (coronavirus) has had on schools since March 2020.  Progress monitoring inspections are normally completed without notice. However, in line with the interim phase guidance, the lead inspector telephoned the school to announce this inspection 30 minutes before they arrived at the school.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the proprietor body, a trustee and the associate

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Information about this inspection

headteacher to talk about the current action plan and developments at the school since the last inspection. He also met with the designated safeguarding lead.  The lead inspector scrutinised a range of documents including policies, risk assessments, action plans and information on the school website. He also looked at the school’s single central record to review the pre-employment checks that leaders make on staff.

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Inspection team

Chris Pollitt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain un-met at this inspection

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Part 6. Provision of information

 32(3) The information specified in this sub-paragraph is- – 32(3)(a) particulars of the school’s policy on and arrangements for admissions, misbehaviour and exclusions; – 32(3)(b) particulars of educational and welfare provision for pupils with EHC plans and pupils for whom English is an additional language; – 32(3)(d) particulars of arrangements for meeting the standards contained in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 13.

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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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Standards that were met at the previous inspection, but are now judged to not be met at this inspection

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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.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 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 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)(c) actively promote the wellbeing of pupils.

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Part 6. Provision of information

32(1) The standard about the provision of information by the school is met if the proprietor ensures that-  32(1)(c) particulars of the arrangements for meeting the standard contained in paragraph 7 are published on the school's internet website or, where no such website exists, are provided to parents on request;  32(1)(d) following an inspection under section 108 or 109 of the 2008 Act, a copy of the report of the inspection (if it has been sent to the proprietor) is published and maintained on the school’s internet website, and provided to the parents of each registered pupil, by any date specified by the body who conducted the inspection.

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Part 6. Provision of information

 32(3) The information specified in this sub-paragraph is–  32(3)(e) particulars of the school’s academic performance during the preceding school year, including the results of any public examinations;  32(3)(g) a copy of the report of any inspection carried out under sections 108 or 109 of the 2008 Act or section 87(1) of the 1989 Act. 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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Part 6. Provision of information

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Part 6. Provision of information

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Part 6. Provision of information

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Part 6. Provision of information

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Part 6. Provision of information

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Part 6. Provision of information

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