Quwwat Ul Islam Girls' School

Inspection of Quwwat Ul Islam Girls’ School 16 Chaucer Road, Forest Gate, London E7 9NB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in the school’s nurturing environment. Pupils described the school’s community as ‘one big family’. There are strong professional relationships between staff, pupils, parents and carers and with the wider local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have spent time developing the school’s curriculum. The range of subjects that pupils study has increased since the previous inspection and the curriculum is broad and balanced. In the secondary phase, the curriculum is structured well and taught by subject-specialist teachers. Leaders are still in the early stages of developing the curriculum in the primary phase. In some subjects, the curriculum does not fully prepare children for Year 7.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are attentive in lessons and respect others. Leaders have high expectations for the behaviour of pupils. Pupils report that bullying is rare. If bullying does occur, leaders are swift to address it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have placed the personal development of pupils at the heart of all they do. Pupils are taught to be responsible, aspirational for their futures and prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders make sure that pupils are well informed about their next steps in education.

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better?

The curriculum has widened in recent years so that pupils learn a greater range of subjects than in the past. Alongside English, mathematics and science, pupils in Years 10 and 11 study Arabic, art, citizenship, computing, geography, history and religious education at GCSE. Subject leaders have considered the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn. Careful sequencing of this knowledge helps pupils to build their understanding successfully.

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better?

Leaders have redesigned the primary curriculum. Pupils study a broad range of subjects. However, the subject content selected by leaders does not develop pupils’ knowledge strongly. Leaders are not ambitious enough about what pupils should be learning.

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better?

Teachers in the secondary phase are subject experts. They deliver subject content clearly. They use assessment to check pupils’ understanding and address any knowledge gaps. Should any pupils fall behind, teachers spend time helping them to catch up. Teachers support pupils to remember their learning over time. In the primary phase, some teaching staff have not received sufficient training to enable them to support pupils who may be at risk of falling behind. Some teachers in the primary phase do not have enough knowledge of each subject to teach with confidence. Pupils sometimes struggle to understand what they are learning.

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better?

Pupils are polite and well mannered. They work hard and are determined to 14 to 16 June 2022 succeed. Pupils are caring towards each other. They celebrate each other’s successes. In the secondary phase, teachers engage pupils in debates about current affairs. They help pupils to learn about different points of view.

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better?

Leaders want pupils to be confident readers. The phonics programme used to teach early reading is well planned. Teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to support early readers. At times, English lessons for pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not build strongly on pupils’ early reading skills. Secondary pupils read widely and often.

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better?

Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They provide support to meet their needs and help pupils with SEND to be successful in their learning.

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better?

Pupils are ambitious. Teachers take every opportunity to highlight the pathways available to them. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 attend careers fairs and listen to visiting speakers from local sixth forms. They make the most of the range of clubs and educational visits that the school organises for them.

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better?

Leaders ensure pupils are well informed about the world in which they live. They have consulted with parents and planned a broad personal development curriculum.

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better?

Staff appreciate the work leaders do to manage their workload. They are proud to work at the school. Leaders seek external help for school improvement when they need it.

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better?

The proprietor body has ensured that all the independent school standards and schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 are met. They ensure that the school’s premises are well maintained. Risk assessments and health and safety checks meet requirements.

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better?

Leaders were made aware at the start of the inspection that the school’s complaints procedure did not meet requirements. Leaders made changes to this document so that this standard was met during the inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that they have the knowledge and skills to safeguard pupils in the school. The proprietor body ensures that leaders have the resources they need to ensure robust procedures for safeguarding. The school makes appropriate checks when recruiting staff.

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Safeguarding

The school has a safeguarding policy published on its website. Staff receive training to make sure they know how to follow the school’s procedures for keeping children safe. They know how to spot signs that a child might be at risk from harm and how to report concerns. Leaders make sure that vulnerable children and their families get the help they need. 14 to 16 June 2022 Pupils trust their teachers. All pupils said they could tell staff if they had any worries. Pupils in the primary phase are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils in the secondary phase receive age-appropriate education about healthy relationships, how to recognise and deal with sexual harassment and the significance of consent.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Much of the curriculum is ambitious and well planned, particularly in the secondary phase. However, leaders have not identified the key subject knowledge that pupils need to know as they progress through the primary phase. This is particularly the case in foundation subjects. Leaders need to make sure that the primary curriculum is knowledge rich and prepares pupils fully for their next stage in education.  Some teachers in the primary phase are not sufficiently trained to support the needs of pupils at risk of falling behind. They do not provide support that is tailored to the different needs of individual pupils. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive training to meet the individual needs of pupils who may be at risk of falling behind.  Some teachers lack subject knowledge and teaching skills to teach and explain the subject curriculum clearly to pupils. As a result, subject teaching is not

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

routinely clear and pupils’ learning is activity led. This means that pupils spend time doing activities but are not helped to accumulate key subject knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive subject-specific training so that explanations of key learning are clear.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . 14 to 16 June 2022

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) Primary £3,025 per year Secondary £3,225 per year Telephone number 020 8548 4736

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 to 27 February 2020 14 to 16 June 2022

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous standard inspection was in February 2020, when the school was judged to be inadequate. The school had a progress monitoring inspection in February 2022, when it was judged that the school met all of the independent school standards that were checked during the inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.  The school has a Muslim ethos.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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

This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with school leaders, including the headteacher, members of the proprietor body and wider leadership and development staff in the organisation.  Inspectors completed deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and science. They met with staff, visited lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at pupils’ work.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including records of safeguarding, attendance and behaviour and school improvement documents.  Inspectors conducted a premises check and looked at school policies to check compliance with the independent school standards.  Ofsted’s online staff survey and pupil survey were shared with staff and pupils but received no responses. The views of staff and pupils were gathered through discussions with inspectors during the inspection.  Inspectors also considered the views of parents through their responses to the parent survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Annabel Davies, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Jaeggi Ofsted Inspector 14 to 16 June 2022 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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