Rida Girls High School

Inspection of Rida Girls High School 39 Warren Street, Savile Town, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 9LX

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

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

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Rida Girls High School benefit from a school with a ‘family feel’ in which staff care for pupils is exemplary. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm, friendly and respectful. Pupils strive to meet the high expectations that teachers have of them and thrive in an environment in which they are encouraged to grow into confident, articulate young women. The Islamic ethos of the school underpins the positive experiences for pupils.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour at the school is superb. Pupils are curious and enthusiastic in lessons. They are proud to attend the school and have high aspirations for the future. Visits from external speakers, local colleges and businesses are highly effective in helping pupils to see a positive, ambitious future for themselves.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to be leaders and to develop independence. When inspectors visited, pupils were proud to show inspectors the careers fair they had helped to organise. The upcoming culture day was a cause of excitement. Enterprise days encourage pupils to work in the community. Leaders ensure that pupils have meaningful chances to express their views about how the school could change and improve. For example, pupils were instrumental in bringing about recent changes to the school day.

p.2

better?

Leaders have taken effective steps to address the issues identified on the previous standard inspection in June 2022. Safeguarding arrangements have been updated and refined. The quality of education has been improved.

p.2

better?

The curriculum now in place at Rida Girls High School is ambitiously constructed. In English, for example, leaders ensure that pupils have opportunities to experience a range of increasingly sophisticated texts. In all subjects across the curriculum, there is a focus on the subject-specific vocabulary that pupils need. Pupils understand and use this vocabulary. The value of oral communication is prioritised by leaders. Pupils are given regular chances to speak in formal and informal situations throughout the school day. This means that they confidently express themselves, for example, in conversations about the subjects they study. Recent and ongoing training for teachers means that staff are well placed to identify and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

p.2

better?

In a small number of subjects, there is not a sharp enough focus on ensuring that the knowledge pupils need becomes progressively more sophisticated from one year to the next.

p.2

better?

There is a strong focus on reading in the school. Dedicated reading lessons are used to support pupils who need help with fluency and comprehension. Teachers receive information about strategies to use to support pupils in the school. Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils get the support they need. For example, all staff 4 to 6 June 2024 have been trained in a phonics programme so that they can support pupils who need help with decoding words when they are reading.

p.2

better?

The school has an incredibly positive atmosphere. All lessons that inspectors visited were calm. Pupils behave with respect towards adults and each other. Attendance is high. Pupils are punctual to lessons. There are regular respectful greetings between pupils and staff. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum teaches pupils the importance of respect. The positive impact of this is evident across the school.

p.3

better?

The wider development of pupils is a particular strength of the school. There are a wide variety of clubs and opportunities which pupils enthusiastically attend. When inspectors visited, pupils were enjoying Nasheed club. In keeping with the school’s focus on oracy, there is a debate club. Calligraphy, crochet and an array of other opportunities are available. PSHE lessons ensure pupils have a confident understanding of, for example, different faiths and cultures. This helps pupils to recognise and celebrate difference. Relationships education ensures that pupils can talk about issues related to consent confidently.

p.3

better?

Leaders have designed a unique and ambitious approach to careers education which is rare in its scope. Pupils have conversations regarding careers from the very beginning of their time at the school. Leaders have designed a skills tracker to enable them to help pupils develop important attributes ready for when they leave school. This is linked to pupils’ interests. This ensures that pupils develop skills relevant to their interests and allows leaders to provide tailored opportunities to pupils. The impact of this is evident in the positive destinations for pupils and the high ambition they demonstrate.

p.3

better?

There is a sharp focus on ensuring that the school meets the independent school standards. Leaders have a strong understanding of their responsibilities in this area. The school building has step-free access and a lift to allow access to upper floors should any pupils with mobility issues attend the school. The school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

p.3

better?

Leaders across all levels of the school have an ambition to develop the ‘whole pupil’. This goal is commonly shared and understood. Governors challenge and support leaders as they aim to improve the school. For example, initiatives are currently being developed to strengthen the subject-specific training that staff receive. Staff across the school feel well supported. They are proud to work here and share the views of pupils that the school is like a family. Similarly, parents who expressed a view to inspectors are proud to send their children to the school. They know that the school has a strong focus on pupils’ personal development as well as academic achievement.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 4 to 6 June 2024

p.3

(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a small number of curriculum subjects, the specific knowledge that pupils need is not clearly planned so it becomes progressively more sophisticated. This means that it is not always clear what content knowledge should be covered in some subject topics. Leaders should ensure that the content knowledge mapping matches the quality of the best subjects across the whole curriculum.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 4 to 6 June 2024

p.4

School details

Chair Yasir Master (also known as Yasir Patel)

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 14 to 16 June 2022 4 to 6 June 2024

p.5

Information about this school

 Rida Girls High School is a secondary school for girls. It has an Islamic ethos.  Since the last inspection, there has been significant change in leadership at the school. A new headteacher has taken up post this academic year and an executive leadership team, including an executive headteacher and three other members of staff, has been employed by the proprietor body.  The school is situated in the Zakaria Education Centre.  The school’s previous standard inspection was in June 2022. During that inspection, some of the independent school standards were not met. A progress monitoring inspection in May 2023 subsequently found that all the independent school standards were met. A material change inspection in October 2023 regarding a change to the number of pupils admitted found that the independent school standards were likely to be met if the change was implemented.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

p.6

Information about this school

 No pupils in the school have education, health and care plans.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

p.6

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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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

p.6

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.

p.6

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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the executive leadership team and members of the governing and proprietor bodies, including the chair of those bodies.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, science, PSHE and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 4 to 6 June 2024  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans, spoke to leaders and visited lessons of some other subjects.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator to discuss SEND provision at the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding the inspectors reviewed the single

p.6

Information about this inspection

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 that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors visited outdoor spaces used by the school, spoke to leaders for attendance and behaviour and conducted a tour of the school premises.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils both formally and informally and visited clubs and enrichment activities that were held during the inspection.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils, parents and staff through surveys, including Ofsted Parent View.

p.7

Inspection team

Matthew Vellensworth, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

Marian Thomas Ofsted Inspector 4 to 6 June 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.

p.7

Inspection team

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 .

p.8

Inspection team

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 .

p.8

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspection team

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

p.8