Rawdhatul Ilm Wal Huda

Inspection of Rawdhatul Ilm Wal Huda 32 Moss Street, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 5JT

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Inspection dates: 26 to 28 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a friendly and welcoming community where pupils and staff are valued. Pupils love coming to school. This is reflected in their high rates of attendance and exemplary behaviour. Pupils are happy in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well mannered. They cooperate very well with each other and are highly attentive. They listen carefully to their teachers and one another. Pupils contribute exceptionally well to lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils’ achievement. Most pupils meet these expectations by learning well across the curriculum. The school caters equally well for pupils’ social and emotional development. Pupils celebrate other’s achievements and contributions through assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience high-quality support and guidance. They said that their teachers really care about them. Pupils learn about differences between people. They are tolerant and respectful citizens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in a wide range of enrichment opportunities. These include trips and visits such as to an ice-skating rink, a farm and museums. Pupils spoke excitedly about outdoor activity trips. They also enjoy participating in a variety of clubs and sports, including cooking, art, football and dodgeball. Pupils relish taking on a variety of leadership responsibilities, including volunteering in the library, leading assemblies and as school councillors.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils. Alongside Islamic studies, pupils study a wide range of secular subjects. Subject curriculums clearly set out what pupils should know and by when. The careful design of the curriculum helps teachers to build on pupils’ learning as they move through the school. Pupils work hard and achieve well across a wide range of subjects.

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better?

Many teachers have secure subject knowledge. They use their expertise well to explain new ideas and concepts clearly to pupils. In the main, teachers successfully use a range of assessment strategies to check on what pupils remember. In most subjects, teachers make sure that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know and can do. However, in a very small number of subjects, teachers do not check carefully enough that pupils’ knowledge is secure before they move on to new learning. When this happens, some pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Staff encourage pupils to read for pleasure. Many pupils are taught to read with fluency and confidence. In the main, staff help those pupils who find reading more difficult to catch up. However, there is a small number of pupils who have insecure phonics knowledge. The school’s systems do not 26 to 28 September 2023 pinpoint the gaps in these pupils’ reading knowledge effectively enough. This hinders how well these pupils access the curriculum.

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better?

Currently, no pupils in school have been identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, the school has ensured that staff have appropriate training and expertise to identify, assess and meet the needs of any pupils who may have additional needs.

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better?

Pupils display very high standards of conduct during lesson changeovers and on the school grounds at breaktimes. They move around the school sensibly and in a mature way. Pupils are highly courteous and respectful to visitors. They are punctual to lessons and thrive when engaging in high-quality discussions and debates.

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better?

The school places a strong emphasis on supporting pupils’ mental health and well- being. Pupils receive appropriate relationships and sex education and health education. Pupils learn about fundamental British values such as democracy and the rule of law. The school makes every effort to listen to the views of pupils when making decisions about the day-to-day running of the school.

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better?

The school has recently devised an appropriate programme of careers information, advice and guidance. Pupils hear from a range of visiting speakers about different jobs. Leaders have commissioned an external careers agency to deliver a range of careers-related events. However, some aspects of the delivery of the careers programme are still in their infancy. The school is taking effective steps to strengthen the careers education programme.

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better?

The school communicates well with parents and carers and provides guidance to them on how to support their child’s learning at home. The school works closely with staff to ensure that their workload is manageable. For example, it ensures that subject resources are shared across staff. This has helped to improve staff well- being.

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better?

Members of the proprietor body challenge and support leaders in equal measure to ensure that the school’s statutory duties are carried out fully. This includes compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The proprietor body has ensured that all the independent school standards (the standards) are consistently met. The boarding judgement has no impact on the overall effectiveness judgement for the whole school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In one or two subjects, some teachers do not check carefully enough that pupils’ 26 to 28 September 2023 learning is secure before moving them on to new learning. This prevents some pupils from building up their knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers are well equipped to check that pupils’ knowledge is secure before introducing new topics and concepts.  The school’s systems to check how well older pupils are learning to read do not always identify where pupils have missing phonics knowledge. This means that a small number of pupils do not receive the support that they need to enable them to catch up quickly with their reading. The school should ensure that those older pupils who need additional support with their phonics knowledge are identified and helped to catch up quickly with their reading.

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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. 26 to 28 September 2023

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School details

Social care unique reference number 2684768

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School details

School category Independent boarding school

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School details

Email address info@rawdha.org 26 to 28 September 2023

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Information about this school

 Rawdhatul Ilm Wal Huda is an Islamic faith school.  The school operates from premises at 30 Moss Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 5JT.  The school was registered by the Department for Education on 23 September 2022.  This is the first standard inspection of the school.  The school is registered to admit up to 450 girls between the ages of 11 and 25. At the time of the inspection, the pupils were in Year 7 to Year 10.  The school occupies a new purpose-built building which incorporates both the school and the boarding provision over five floors. The boarding provision is located on the top two floors of this building.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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 inspection was carried out at the same time as an inspection of the boarding provision.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders, staff and members of the proprietor body, including the chair. An inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors checked the school’s compliance with the standards. As part of these checks, inspectors toured the school premises, accompanied by a school leader.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, they held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed some pupils reading to familiar 26 to 28 September 2023 staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects with leaders.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to many pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self- evaluation document and improvement plans.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. No responses were received to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ahmed Marikar, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 26 to 28 September 2023 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

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

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