Noorul Uloom

Inspection of Noorul Uloom Park Lee Rd, Blackburn BB2 3NY

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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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 thrive at this happy and welcoming school. They enjoy highly positive and warm relationships with each other and with staff. They benefit greatly from the strong pastoral care that they receive to guide and nurture them should they need additional help and support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave with unwaveringly high levels of respect for each other and adults. They are exceptionally polite, courteous and thoughtful. They are fully involved in the life of the school and community and embrace their roles as ambassadors for the school with pride. For example, older students deliver aspirational assemblies and younger pupils listen intently and considerately to these. Pupils also visit a local hospice and homeless shelter. They fundraise to support these and other charities in the community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate that people may have different views and beliefs from their own. Diversity is valued and pupils treat people from other faiths and backgrounds with respect and tolerance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is extremely ambitious for its pupils. It has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. These are fully realised. Pupils are highly committed to their education. They are determined and driven to be successful in their lives in school and beyond. Most pupils achieve well.

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better?

The school has designed a suitably broad and rich curriculum. Its schemes of work identify the most important knowledge for pupils to learn. Small steps of learning are ordered in a logical way to help pupils acquire knowledge securely over time.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They have the resources and equipment that they need to help them to deliver the curriculum well. They effectively model the use of ambitious vocabulary and choose appropriate activities to help pupils learn the intended curriculum successfully. Pupils across the school achieve well.

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better?

The school has ensured that pupils of different abilities can learn well. However, in some subjects and reading, the school’s systems to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge are in the early stages. This means that at times, some pupils are not as prepared as they should be for new learning. It also means that interventions are not as effective as they should be in helping pupils to catch up quickly.

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better?

The school’s systems to identify the additional needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are also underdeveloped. Currently, the school has not identified any pupils with SEND. This means that the support that some pupils receive may not be as precise as it should be to fully meet their needs. 8 to 10 May 2024 The behaviour and attitudes of pupils are exceptional. Pupils behave impeccably in lessons, at breaktimes and around the school. Bullying and discrimination are never tolerated. The school has a strong focus on supporting positive attendance. It takes effective action to secure improvements if pupils have low prior attendance.

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better?

The school has developed a comprehensive personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education curriculum. It fully reflects the school’s Islamic ethos and fundamental British values and pays particular regard to the protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010. Pupils are prepared exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. They are equipped to be successful, confident and independent citizens.

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better?

Pupils access appropriate impartial careers information, education, advice and guidance. They learn about different careers and the pathways into them. For example, pupils meet employees from a wide range of professions such as dentistry and the uniformed services. They also meet with representatives from colleges, apprenticeships and training providers. Additionally, older pupils complete a work placement. Pupils are successful in securing places in post-16 provision.

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better?

The curriculum that supports pupils’ personal development is extensive and provides a wide, rich set of experiences for pupils. The work of the school to develop pupils’ character permeates through all aspects of school life, including the secular and religious curriculums, assemblies and through discussions in, and outside of, lessons. There are many meaningful opportunities for pupils to develop talents and interests outside the academic curriculum. For example, pupils thoroughly enjoy the wide range of clubs, including pottery, art and calligraphy, debating, archery and British Sign Language. They also appreciate the opportunities that they have to visit museums, farms, castles and places of worship.

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better?

The school has ensured that the education that it provides has a positive impact on pupils. Leaders work closely with other schools and the local authority in order to access additional support and guidance. Leaders also have a good understanding and knowledge of the independent school standards (the standards) and have ensured that these are consistently met. They have also ensured that the school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. However, the proprietor’s systems to hold leaders to account are underdeveloped and, subsequently, it does not provide sufficient support and challenge to school leaders.

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better?

Staff appreciate the steps that leaders have taken to reduce their workload so that they can focus on their teaching. The school engages positively with parents and carers so that they can support their children’s education.

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better?

The school meets the health and safety and premises requirements. The building is maintained to a high standard and classrooms and other spaces are bright, clean and well resourced. There is a large, safe and secure outdoor area that pupils can spend time in at breaktimes and where they can participate in physical education and activities. 8 to 10 May 2024 Policies, including an effective safeguarding policy that meets the current government requirements, are made available to parents on request.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s systems for identifying pupils with additional needs, including pupils with SEND or pupils with gaps in their knowledge, are in the early stages. This means that some pupils’ specific needs are not as precisely known as they should be. The school should ensure that pupils’ additional needs are identified so that their individual needs can be met quickly and effectively.  Some of the proprietor’s systems in place to hold leaders to account are underdeveloped. As a result, the proprietor is not sufficiently assured of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The proprietor must ensure that it provides effective challenge and support to school leaders.

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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. 8 to 10 May 2024

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School details

Type of school Other independent faith school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 to 9 December 2021 8 to 10 May 2024

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Information about this school

 This is an Islamic faith secondary school.  The proprietor also operates Markazul Uloom, an Islamic faith secondary school for boys.  The school is registered to admit up to 200 pupils. Some pupils choose to stay in the post-16 provision to complete their Islamic studies programme. There is no formal curriculum in the post-16 provision.  The school is located at Park Lee Road, Blackburn, BB2 3NY.  The previous standard inspection was 7 to 9 December 2021.  The school does not use any 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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The Department for Education commissioned Ofsted to carry out this standard inspection earlier in the cycle than previously planned as a result of concerns about the school.  Inspectors spoke with a member of the proprietor body, the headteacher and other school leaders and staff.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including those relating to the standards and the curriculum.  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 considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses from the Ofsted surveys for

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Information about this inspection

staff and for pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime, in lessons and 8 to 10 May 2024 around the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, science and PSHE. They met leaders and teachers and visited a sample of lessons. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their learning in these subjects. They also considered the curriculum across some other subject areas and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector made a tour of the school premises to check the suitability of the premises and accommodation against the relevant standards.

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Inspection team

Sally Timmons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson Maitland His Majesty’s Inspector 8 to 10 May 2024 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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