Mehria Primary School

Inspection of Mehria Primary School 23 Westbourne Road, Luton LU4 8JD

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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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 at Mehria Primary School grow into resilient and confident individuals. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and the adults that look after them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They study a broad curriculum that teaches them to be positive learners and good citizens. Pupils enthuse about the knowledge they have gained in subjects such as history. They learn about British values, different faiths and the different families that make up society. Pupils learn to love reading. They read with increased confidence and fluency. Teachers provide ample opportunities for pupils to practise their reading skills in lessons and catch up if they fall behind.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in and out of the classroom. They forge productive relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils speak highly about the different ways adults support them to improve their work. Pupils play well with each other at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a safe place for pupils to learn. They feel safe and say that adults sort out the rare instances of bullying that occur. Pupils move onto their next stage of education equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for future learning.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have made significant improvements to their curriculum. Staff teach a well organised curriculum. This is aligned to national curriculum content and builds on pupils’ prior knowledge. Leaders have developed effective ways of checking what pupils know in each subject. This helps teachers to design sequences of learning that meet the different needs of pupils.

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better?

Teachers know precisely what to teach pupils. They check pupils’ understanding routinely during lessons. Teachers adapt teaching to meet different pupils’ needs in the class. This means that pupils learn and achieve well in these subjects.

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better?

Pupils learn to read fluently. Teachers know what sounds pupils should know and by when. Pupils who need to catch up do so quickly. In key stage 1, pupils learn to use their phonics knowledge well. As a result, most pupils are writing simple sentences accurately by the end of Year 1. As pupils move through the years they learn to improve their writing through precise guidance from teachers. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils are completing writing that is of a good quality.

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better?

In other subjects, such as history and geography, leaders have chosen curriculum content carefully. Pupils learn through a wide range of topics. Pupils successfully deepen their subject knowledge from year to year. This helps pupils to build on prior learning. Leaders’ amendments to the curriculum in a small number of subjects are new. Where this is the case teachers do not always teach specific subject knowledge and skills in the precise order needed so that pupils achieve as well as they could. 4–6 October 2022 Pupils develop a rounded understanding of different faiths and visit a range of places of worship. Pupils learn how to stay healthy and safe, and are prepared for life and work in modern Britain. They learn about different aspects of healthy relationships when appropriate for their age. Pupils enjoy swimming and sport. They take part in extra-curricular activities and trips throughout the year to further enrich their

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better?

Staff enjoy working at the school. They value the training that they receive to improve their subject knowledge. Governors are clear about their roles. They routinely check the impact of school leaders’ actions. Governors bring a wealth of experience and skills to support leaders to ensure that the school is consistently meeting the independent school standards. Skills include understanding the requirements around all aspects of equality and ensuring that the school fulfils its duties in fulfilling the requirement set out in section 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Governors routinely ask leaders questions about pupils’ achievement. They frequently check on other aspects such as health and safety and safeguarding. However, governors do not always challenge leaders or hold leaders fully to account for their actions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All independent school standards in relation to pupils’ welfare are met, including ensuring that appropriate risk assessments are in place. Staff can explain that they know what to do if they have concerns about a child. There are clear processes in place that guide staff on how to spot specific signs of concern, such as neglect and abuse. Leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns are recorded in sufficient detail and followed up accordingly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out all the necessary employment checks on staff and safeguarding checks on visitors to the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and proprietor)

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What does the school need to do to improve?

 In subjects where the curriculum planning is newer, teachers are not so confident at ensuring they teach subject-specific skills in enough depth. Leaders need to continue supporting teachers to develop their expertise further in these subjects so that they teach with the same skill and precision as they do in other subjects.  Governors do not always precisely challenge leaders well enough about the work they do. This means that they do not know well enough the impact of leaders’ actions to improve in areas such as the quality of education. Governors need to sharpen their challenge of leaders’ actions so that they can hold school leaders to account and understand fully the impact of leaders’ actions to improve provision. 4–6 October 2022

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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. 4–6 October 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 134289 DfE registration number 821/6010

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School details

Inspection number 10243305 Type of school Day primary school with a religious ethos

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–6 March 2020 4–6 October 2022

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Information about this school

 Mehria Primary School is registered with the Department for Education (DfE) as a school with a Muslim ethos, for boys and girls.  The school admits pupils of any or no faith. It opened in 2006. In October 2019, the DfE agreed to increase the maximum number of pupils on roll at any time from 90 to 110 pupils.  The school is in a residential neighbourhood of Luton. A mosque and a funeral service are located within the school’s grounds. Classrooms are in separate buildings from the mosque and the funeral service.  Wonderland Nursery (URN EY438249) operates in a separate part of the school building. The nursery provides day care for children up to five years old. This is inspected and reported on separately.  No pupils have an education, health and care plan.  All pupils speak English as an additional language, and all are bilingual.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school does not use supply staff.

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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 first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, and spoke with staff and pupils.  The lead inspector held two separate telephone meetings with the chair of governors and the proprietor.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s single central record of pre-employment checks on staff, school policies, minutes of governor meetings and records of pupils’ attendance.  All documentation relating to the independent school standards were checked. 4–6 October 2022  Inspectors considered two responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and three responses from Ofsted’s staff survey. They also considered six

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Information about this inspection

responses from Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.  The subjects covered in depth as part of this inspection were English, including early reading, mathematics, history and geography. In each subject, inspectors visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with subject leaders, teachers and pupils.

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Inspection team

Cindy Impey, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kay Leach Ofsted Inspector 4–6 October 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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