Setting

Education and boarding inspection summary for Madinatul Uloom Al Islamiya School Heath Lane, Summerfield, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY10 4BS

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Outcome

The education overall effectiveness judgement is: inadequate

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Outcome

The judgement for the experiences and progress of children in the boarding provision is: inadequate

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What is it like to attend this school?

◼ Madinatul Uloom Al Islamiya School aims to develop pupils' knowledge and understanding through the study of distinct Islamic and secular curriculums. Leaders expect pupils to work hard and achieve well. However, the secular curriculum at all key stages lacks quality, both in its construction and in its delivery. This hinders pupils’ progress. ◼ Pupils are keen, happy and enthusiastic individuals. They greet each other, staff and visitors with a warm and welcoming smile each day. Staff and pupils treat each other with genuine care, courtesy, politeness and respect. One pupil’s comment that, ‘The school is like a family’ was echoed by all. ◼ For younger pupils, the Islamic and secular elements combine to deepen pupils’ understanding of their faith in the context of modern Britain. However, this is not so for sixth-form students. Provision for sixth-form students’ wider personal development is weak.

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What is it like to attend this school?

◼ Pupils feel safe. The strong, respectful school community means that pupils do not worry about bullying. Pupils trust adults to resolve any issues and know who to turn to for help. However, leaders lack the professional curiosity needed to safeguard pupils. Leaders wait to be told the detail if another agency raises a concern. They do not follow up reports quickly to help ‘join the dots’ and keep pupils safe. Education and boarding inspection summary: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamiya School 11-13 October 2022 The inspectors made seven recommendations to help the school improve, covering safeguarding of pupils, pupils’ quality of education, provision in the sixth form and careers education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school does not meet the independent school standards relating to quality of education provided, welfare, health and safety of pupils, premises of and accommodation at schools and quality of leadership in and management of schools.

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ Children are not kept safe due to shortfalls in leaders ability to safeguard children and their lack of professional curiosity that ensures a safeguarding culture in the school. Leaders also do not pay due regard to guidance provided by the secretary of state.

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ Leaders have not ensured that information regarding concerns for children’s mental health are clearly shared with boarding staff at all levels. In addition, leaders and managers have not ensured that there is clear assessment of this risk and guidance about protective actions in place where needed. Leaders have also not ensured that they gain information from statutory partners quickly so that they can make assessments about children’s safety when they go home. In addition, there are insufficient systems in place for staff to know when children leave the school site with staff. These shortfalls constitute significant failures to safeguard children effectively.

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ Children appreciate the time and energy staff put into caring for them. Staff are committed to children developing and making progress. They work hard to know children and their interests well so they can help them settle into the school. Children enjoy activities such as football and martial arts. In contrast, there are limited activities away from the school site which limits children’s opportunity to develop their interest and their social skills outside of the school community.

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ Children enjoy staying at the school and like their boarding houses on the whole. Leaders and managers have an ambitious program of refurbishment for the boarding houses. This work has started but has a long way to go. As a result, some areas of the boarding accommodation appear run down and in poor repair. As a result, the boarding accommodation is not yet the warm, welcoming, homely environment leaders are aiming for.

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ Children get on well with each other on the whole. Bullying is not a feature of this school and children are clear that this is unacceptable. Children are respectful and welcoming, which is a reflection of the boarding staff who care for them. Children’s behaviour is largely exemplary and this is helped by the respectful sense of community and clear systems to manage poor behaviour on the infrequent occasions it occurs.

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What is it like to board at this school?

The school does not meet the national minimum standards for boarding schools relating to Standard 2 – Management and development of boarding, Education and boarding inspection summary: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamiya School 11-13 October 2022 Standard 4 - Boarding accommodation, Standard 8 – Safeguarding, Standard 17 – Promoting good relationships.

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What is it like to board at this school?

The inspectors made four recommendations to help the school improve, covering the recording of interviews to evidence candidates safeguarding knowledge, increasing social opportunities for children away from the school site, putting individual supervision meetings for staff in place to support their development, and to further develop the prefects induction and training for their role.

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ View the full inspection report for the education provision: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/117044 .

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What is it like to board at this school?

◼ View the full inspection report for the boarding provision: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/1/SC043039 . Education and boarding inspection summary: Madinatul Uloom Al Islamiya School 11-13 October 2022 regulates and inspects 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. 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 .

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What is it like to board at this school?

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 .

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What is it like to board at this school?

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What is it like to board at this school?

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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