Al-Mizan School

Inspection of Al-Mizan School 46 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1JX

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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?

This is a school where pupils’ academic learning goes hand-in-hand with their personal achievements. Pupils are successful in both, especially in their attitudes and understanding of how to behave with integrity. Pupils are clear about why this is so; teachers make learning fun but also help them to learn new things. However, it is the result of the school’s broad-minded ethos as well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning are first-rate. They said that behaviour is ‘very good’. ‘Bullying is not a concern,’ said pupils. It rarely, if ever, happens and if it does, it is resolved quickly. Pupils are proud of the school and their achievements. As pupils noted, the school’s ethos provides them with a ‘code of conduct’ that emphasises respect and tolerance for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum and ethos place a strong emphasis on understanding and embracing the modern world. Pupils value their secular education as much as learning about their faith. They study other religions and topics such as relationships and mental and physical health as part of the school’s focus on preparing pupils for the modern world.

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better?

The school puts a great deal of emphasis on making sure it provides a safe, encouraging and positive environment for its pupils. It succeeds in doing so in spades. The school’s ethos and values ooze respect and tolerance for others. It promotes responsibility and excellence with a zeal that helps pupils to become confident citizens of modern Britain.

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better?

The curriculum is designed to also help pupils gain the skills and understanding that they need to flourish in the future. For the most part, subjects are planned to build pupils’ knowledge and understanding logically, bit by bit. In English and mathematics, the essential building blocks of knowledge are learned securely before going deeper into the subjects. Pupils’ understanding is checked regularly so that gaps in their knowledge can be filled. Subject content within topics is repeated to help pupils remember important ideas and use these to move to the next level.

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better?

In English, the focus on reading is paying dividends. Pupils read aloud to the whole class frequently. This helps all pupils, including those who may struggle, to develop their reading fluency well and read with increasing confidence. Similarly, the emphasis in lessons on vocabulary and key words is helping to grow pupils’ spelling and grammar knowledge. To support this work, the school has improved the range of books in the library. This is helping to get pupils to read for pleasure.

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better?

In some other parts of the curriculum, however, the school’s good intentions are not realised as effectively. In subjects such as history and geography, teaching lacks the expertise to ensure that pupils develop their knowledge logically over time. It means that pupils are taught lots of unconnected facts, making it difficult for them to 14 to 16 May 2024 develop a depth of understanding. For example, they know a lot about rivers but not how these facts can be used to understand the bigger picture. Sometimes, misconceptions are not corrected. This makes it difficult for pupils to develop an understanding of more complex ideas.

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better?

There is rigour in the school’s work to identify and plan for pupils with additional needs, with adaptations to teaching approaches and personalised support put in place for those pupils who need it.

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better?

Pupils’ wider development is supported through the extensive range of visits and trips. Pupils described how they visit churches and synagogues, the Science, Natural History and British Museums, and the Houses of Parliament. They talked enthusiastically about how much they enjoyed the recent residential trip. Pupils regularly raise money for charity.

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better?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and their attitudes to school are extremely positive. This has much to do with the school’s strong and purposeful ethos that promotes respect, tolerance and the importance of education. Attendance, too, is strong and the school has robust procedures to follow up pupils who are absent from school.

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better?

The proprietor and governors have a clear vision for the school and ensure that it is implemented effectively. This is one of the reasons for the school’s highly positive ethos. Staff workload and welfare are given due consideration.

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better?

The proprietor and governors recognise that there is more work needed to improve the curriculum further. They act quickly to tackle weaknesses. For example, vetting checks for new staff now meet requirements. As a result, the school and the proprietor ensure that the independent school standards are met in full.

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better?

The requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 are met.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum for some foundation subjects is not implemented as effectively as the school intends. This is because, in some instances, teachers do not have enough expertise in these subjects to ensure that pupils develop their knowledge and skills securely. Pupils learn and remember facts, but teaching does not consistently support them to connect them to understand more complex ideas. The school should ensure that teachers’ subject knowledge is updated regularly so that they have the breadth and depth of knowledge needed to extend pupils’ learning fully. 14 to 16 May 2024

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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. 14 to 16 May 2024

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School details

Headteacher Mohammed Badrudduza (also known as Mohammed Badr) Annual fees (day pupils) £3,930

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 to 9 June 2022 14 to 16 May 2024

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Information about this school

 Al-Mizan is a selective junior school which is located in the London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel. The school has a Muslim ethos.  The school shares the site with London East Academy which has the same proprietor. The two schools share the same governing body. The headteacher of Al-Mizan is also the headteacher of London East Academy.  The school’s most recent inspection was an additional inspection in June 2023. The school did not meet some of the independent school standards that were checked during the inspection.  A full standard inspection took place in June 2022. The school’s overall effectiveness was judged to be good.  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

 The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and topic (history and geography). For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also looked at the wider curriculum.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, who is the designated safeguarding lead, the assistant headteachers and the deputy designated safeguarding lead and inclusion officer.  The inspector met with the proprietor and the chair of the governing body.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the staff survey.  Meetings were held with pupils to discuss their views about different aspects of

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Information about this inspection

their school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. 14 to 16 May 2024  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.

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Inspection team

Brian Oppenheim, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 14 to 16 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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