Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Amy Storer Headteacher Zaytouna Primary School 500 London Road Derby Derbyshire DE24 8WH

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School

Following my visit to your school on 20 May 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received three successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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School

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 ensure that the curriculum leaders for geography and music receive support to develop confidence and expertise in leading those areas of the school’s curriculum.

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Context

All staff and almost all pupils returned to school on 8 March 2021, when schools reopened to all pupils.

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Context

Leaders have taken account of the impact of COVID-19 when planning school improvement. Leaders are confident this has not slowed the pace of their actions.

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Context

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in senior leadership. The headteacher was appointed in September 2019. The deputy headteacher was appointed in June 2019. The inclusion leader was appointed in September 2020. A new chair of governors was appointed in September 2020.

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Main findings

Leaders acted quickly to address the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. After consulting widely, leaders have rewritten the curriculum in all subjects. They have ensured that the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. It sets out precisely what pupils should know in all subjects and in all year groups, from the early years to Year 6. Leaders say that their aim is for pupils to ‘know more, remember more and do more’ at each stage of their education. Leaders have ensured that staff have received training to improve their subject knowledge.

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Main findings

Members of the well-trained team of curriculum leaders have a clear overview of their subjects, in almost all areas. Currently, senior leaders maintain oversight of geography and music. The curriculum leader for geography was appointed in January 2021. She is in the early stages of developing her role. A curriculum leader for music has yet to be appointed. In all other subjects, leaders work effectively with staff to refine and deliver the curriculum. Teachers regularly check the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning. This helps them to assess what pupils know and to plan pupils’ next steps in learning.

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Main findings

Pupils told me that teachers check what they can remember at the start of each lesson, through the ‘last lesson, last week, last month, last year’ routine. Pupils say this makes it easy for the learning to ‘stick in your memory’. Pupils were proud to recall what they had learned in science and mathematics. For example, they used ambitious vocabulary when recalling information about forces, electricity and the human body from previous science lessons.

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Main findings

Leaders have continued to refine the reading curriculum over recent months. They have ensured that all staff are trained to teach phonics. They have checked that reading books match pupils’ phonics knowledge. I observed several pupils reading to a familiar adult. I noted that staff consistently encouraged pupils to apply their phonics knowledge when reading unfamiliar words. Pupils who were in the early stages of learning to speak English were equally confident in applying what they had been taught in phonics sessions. At the last inspection, leaders were asked to work with parents to improve pupils’ attendance. Latest figures show that overall attendance is improving. Rates of persistent absence have reduced to below the national average.

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Main findings

All of the evidence gathered during the course of this inspection suggests that leaders and those responsible for governance have strong capacity to drive improvement.

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Additional support

The multi-academy trust has provided significant support for the school since the last inspection. This has consisted of support for curriculum development, leadership and remote education. This has had a positive impact on the quality of education provided by the school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the multi-academy trust chief executive officer, pupils, staff and the chair of governors to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection.

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Evidence

I visited lessons and observed pupils reading to a member of staff. I reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 21 free-text responses, and 29 staff questionnaires. I reviewed documents relating to the curriculum and to safeguarding.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Transform multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derby City. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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