The School of the Islamic Republic of Iran

School progress monitoring inspection report

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The School of the Islamic Republic of Iran 100 Carlton Vale, London NW6 5HE

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraphs 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(2), 2(2)(e)–2(2)(e)(iii)  At the previous graded inspection in October 2022, leaders had not acted on their plans to provide careers information, education, advice and guidance (CIEAG) to pupils. For example, pupils in Years 10 and 11 had not received independent careers advice.  Although plans to provide high-quality CIEAG have been strengthened since the previous inspection, leaders are only just starting to implement them this term. This means pupils have continued to miss out on the support they need to make well-informed choices about their future careers. The impact of the plans being implemented from this term is yet to be seen.  These independent school standards (‘standards’) remain not met. Paragraphs 3, 3(a), 3(c), 3(d), 3(e), 3(f) and 3(g)  At the request of the Department for Education (DfE), inspectors also checked these

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Main inspection findings

requirements relating to the quality of education provided.  Across the school, arrangements for teaching and assessment continue to be suitable. Lessons are well planned and enable pupils to make gains in their learning. Teachers have suitably strong subject knowledge and manage classrooms well. The school is well resourced.  These standards continue to be met.  Some of the standards checked in Part 1 are not met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7–7(b)  At the previous inspection, leaders with responsibility for safeguarding had not received necessary and appropriate safeguarding training. Leaders and staff were not familiar with their statutory responsibilities to safeguard pupils. They were not vigilant to identifying when a pupil may be at risk of harm.  This inspection found there to have been improvements to the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Leaders have completed a suitable level of safeguarding training, and commissioned two external professionals to train staff in October 2022 and April 2023. Pupils spoken to confirmed they had a trusted adult to go to, and that they feel safe at school. Safeguarding leaders demonstrated their commitment to caring for pupils, and to referring concerns appropriately and quickly when they arise.  However, leaders still do not have a confident working knowledge of their statutory

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Main inspection findings

safeguarding responsibilities. This is especially the case in relation to allegations against adults, the role of the local authority designated officer, and the school’s filtering and monitoring arrangements. Leaders’ lack of knowledge potentially means pupils continue to be at risk.  This standard remains not met. Paragraph 16–16(b)  At the previous inspection, leaders’ policies and procedures relating to risk assessment were not implemented effectively.  This inspection found that leaders have reviewed and improved their risk assessment policy. They have introduced recorded ‘daily assessments to reduce risks’ checks, and strengthened the way in which the premises, activities and excursions are assessed for the risks they present. The school’s library is no longer in use. Instead, pupils have access to a range of suitable books from shelves between their classrooms.  This standard is now met.  Some of the standards checked in Part 3 are not met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors All paragraphs  At the previous inspection, leaders did not know and understand all the necessary safeguarding checks to be made on leaders and staff, including section 128 checks.  This inspection confirms that all the required checks have been carried out, including section 128 checks on leaders and governors. After some minor work to update the single central register during the inspection with pre-employment information that the school had gathered before the inspection, leaders have ensured that it includes the dates of all the required checks.  The standards checked in Part 4 are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 6. Provision of information Paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(c), 32(1)(d), 32(2), 32(2)(b)(ii), 32(2)(c), 32(3), 32(3)(e), 32(3)(g) and 2A(1), 2A(1)(g)  At the previous inspection, leaders were not providing parents and carers with all the required information. Information such as key policies, contact details for the proprietor body, copies of previous inspection reports and details of pupils’ academic performance were not available to parents on the school’s website.  This inspection found that leaders have published all the required information on the school website, including their safeguarding and relationships and sex education policies.  These standards checked are met.  The standards checked in Part 6 are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1)–34(1)(c)  The previous inspection judged leadership and management to be inadequate. Inspectors found that leaders had not responded with the necessary urgency to resolve the failings identified previously. Most of the standards that were unmet in March 2022 continued to be unmet in October 2022.  This inspection found leaders to have taken some suitable actions which mean some of the unmet standards from October 2022 are now met. However, they have still not ensured that the school has a suitably rigorous safeguarding culture. Actions to improve CIEAG are newly introduced at the start of the autumn term 2023 and have not had time to show any impact.  This is the ninth consecutive inspection that has judged some of the standards to be not met. Although leaders are getting gradually closer to meeting all the standards, they continue to demonstrate a lack of urgency and capacity.

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Main inspection findings

 The standard in Part 8 remains not met.

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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, as set out in the annex of this report. 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

Proprietor The Embassy of Iran in London

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School details

Dates of previous standard inspection 11 to 13 October 2022

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Information about this school

 This is an Islamic independent school. The school’s previous inspection was a standard inspection in October 2022. This inspection judged the school’s overall effectiveness to be inadequate for the fourth consecutive time.  The school is registered for 81 pupils aged 6 to 16 years. Currently, 98 pupils are on roll. The school is therefore operating beyond its registration agreement with the Department for Education (DfE) because it has exceeded the maximum number of pupils on roll that it is registered to admit.  On 15 March 2023, the DfE wrote to the proprietors to confirm The Secretary of State for Education’s intention to remove the school from the register of independent schools.  The proprietor information is incorrectly recorded on ‘Getting Information About Schools’, the DfE’s register of educational establishments in England and Wales, which names the headteacher as sole proprietor. The proprietor body is the Embassy of Iran in London.

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Information about this school

 The school makes no use of any alternative provision.

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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.  This was the first progress monitoring inspection since the school’s previous graded inspection in October 2022. The inspection was conducted without notice.  Inspection activities included meetings with the headteacher, the designated safeguarding leader and groups of pupils. Inspectors also toured the premises and visited lessons in all year groups.  An interpreter was present during this inspection.  Inspectors reviewed a range of evidence to check compliance with previously unmet independent school standards.  There were no recent responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

James Waite, lead inspector Ofsted 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 unmet at this inspection

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if– – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub- paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are– – 2(2)(e) for pupils receiving secondary education, access to accurate, up-to-date careers guidance that– – 2(2)(e)(i) is presented in an impartial manner; – 2(2)(e)(ii) enables them to make informed choices about a broad range of career options; and – 2(2)(e)(iii) helps to encourage them to fulfil their potential.

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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 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; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor– – 2A(1)(g) publishes a copy of the statement on a website and provides a copy of the statement free of charge to anyone who asks for one.

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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 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

 18(2) The standard in this paragraph is met if– – 18(2)(b) no such person carries out work, or intends to carry out work, at the school in contravention of a prohibition order, an interim prohibition order, or any direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act, or any disqualification, prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in either such direction;  20(6) The standard in this paragraph is met in relation to an individual (“MB”), not being the Chair of the school, who is a member of a body of persons corporate or unincorporate named as the proprietor of the school in the register or in an application to enter the school in the register, if– – 20(6)(a) MB– – 20(6)(a)(ii) does not carry out work, or intend to carry out work, at the school in contravention of a prohibition order, an interim prohibition order, or any direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act or any disqualification,

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in either such direction;  21(3) The information referred to in this sub-paragraph is– – 21(3)(a) in relation to each member of staff (“S”) appointed on or after 1st May 2007, whether– – 21(3)(a)(iii) a check was made to establish whether S is subject to any direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act or any disqualification, prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in such a direction.

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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)(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;  32(2) The information specified in this sub-paragraph is– – 32(2)(b)(ii) where the proprietor is a body of persons, the address and telephone number of its registered or principal office; – 32(2)(c) where there is a governing body, the name and address for correspondence of its Chair; and  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;

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Part 6. Provision of information

– 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 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Part 6. Provision of information

Parent View You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Part 6. Provision of information

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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Part 6. Provision of information

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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Part 6. Provision of information

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 . 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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Part 6. Provision of information

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Part 6. Provision of information

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