Al-Khair School

Inspection of Al-Khair School 109-117 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 6BE

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Inspection dates: 26 to 28 November 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good 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 feel honoured to attend this school. They enjoy being part of a small community in which staff know them well. Pupils and staff build positive relationships. Pupils are safe because they can speak to any member of staff if they have a concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rightly say that the school gives them the best of both worlds in both their academic and faith studies. They enjoy a wide subject offer in which they achieve well. Pupils also gain a deep understanding of their faith through Islamic studies and Arabic. Pupils can be themselves in this supportive environment. For example, they enjoy wearing Islamic clothes each Friday.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong understanding of the importance of tolerance and respect. In personal, social and health education lessons, pupils learn about the importance of healthy relationships. There is zero tolerance of any form of bullying or teasing in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve and behave well. Pupils rise to and meet these expectations. They are polite and articulate. Pupils take great pride in their school and their work. Typically, pupils concentrate well in class and display positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy gaining rewards for high levels of effort, attendance and behaviour.

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better?

The school has been successful in addressing previous weaknesses in its oversight of the independent school standards. School leaders and those responsible for governance, including the proprietor, have introduced systems that ensure that their actions are having the desired effect. As a result, the school meets the independent school standards consistently.

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better?

The school has high aspirations for the achievement of all pupils. It keeps the curriculum under review. In addition to a wide range of subjects, pupils can now also select computer science as a GCSE option. All pupils take Islamic studies as an IGCSE. Pupils produce work of a good standard. They achieve well in their GCSEs. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same broad offer. The school’s focus on training ensures that staff make helpful changes to lessons and resources. The combination of knowing pupils’ needs well, training and targeted support ensures that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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better?

In each subject, staff have considered the important knowledge and skills that pupils need. They build in opportunities for pupils to revisit important concepts. For example, in history Year 7 pupils study the Anglo-Saxons before progressing to 1066 and the battle of Hastings. Through this learning, they encounter concepts such as monarchy and democracy. They return to these themes later when they compare the features of dictatorship and democracy. Teachers draw pupils’ attention to 26 to 28 November 2024 subject-specific language. They encourage pupils to read aloud in lessons. Pupils read fluently and with confidence. Where this is not the case, the school provides appropriate support. Pupils enjoy reading widely and for pleasure in the school’s new library.

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better?

Typically, teachers plan opportunities to check pupils’ understanding. This helps them to review and adapt learning for pupils. On occasion, teaching does not present information clearly enough. The tasks that pupils complete do not consistently enable them to learn and consolidate key information. This leads to some errors and gaps in pupils’ recall of their learning.

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better?

Staff feel well supported in the management of behaviour. There is a clear system of sanctions and rewards that staff understand and implement with consistency and fairness. Pupils appreciate this and, in turn, respect and uphold the school’s expectations of behaviour. Disruption to learning is rare. The school has robust procedures in place to monitor and tackle attendance that slips below the school’s high expectations. Recent refinements to these processes are beginning to bring about an upward trend of improving attendance.

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better?

The school ensures that it prepares pupils for life when they leave school. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and when they are in the local area. Extra- curricular activities are part of the school day for younger pupils. Over the course of a year pupils take part in golf, horse riding, archery and jujitsu. The school has introduced ‘drop-down days’, when all pupils visit places of cultural interest, such as the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Observatory. Pupils take on leadership responsibilities and have a voice in the running of the school. They take part in school events and older pupils help new Year 7 pupils to settle into school life.

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better?

There are opportunities for pupils to experience the world of work. Pupils learn about careers, university and apprenticeships. Pupils in Year 10 go on work experience. The school makes use of careers fairs and guest speakers. These give pupils access to high-quality interactions with employers and education institutions.

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better?

The school has ensured that 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 school has not ensured that staff consistently present information clearly enough or select the most appropriate methods and resources to ensure that all pupils learn and remember the information that they need. This means that sometimes misconceptions occur and are not addressed. Gaps in pupils’ 26 to 28 November 2024 knowledge prevent them from being able to develop a deep understanding of the subjects they are learning. The school should ensure that all staff implement the school’s pedagogical practices with consistency so that pupils can build on their knowledge over time.

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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 November 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 134585 DfE registration number 306/6096 Local authority Croydon

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School details

Inspection number 10299196 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Email address secondary@alkhairschool.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 to 7 October 2021 26 to 28 November 2024

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Information about this school

 The school is an Islamic independent day school for boys aged 11 to 16. It shares a building with Al-Khair Girls’ secondary school. Both schools have the same proprietor, governing body and headteacher. Staff work across both schools.  The current headteacher started at the school in September 2023.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school’s most recent inspection was a progress monitoring inspection in September 2023. The school did not meet all the independent school standards that were checked during the inspection.  The school’s previous standard inspection was in October 2021.

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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

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

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 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 and other school leaders. The lead inspector spoke to the proprietor and members of the governing body including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also sampled the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single

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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 around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and the responses to the online staff survey. Inspectors also met with different groups of pupils and staff, including non-teaching staff. 26 to 28 November 2024

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

 The school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the material change is implemented.  The school is proposing to add an extra pupil to each of its five classes. There is enough space in every classroom for an additional desk and chair. The outdoor space, toilets and communal areas of the school are sufficient. There are enough staff to teach and supervise five additional pupils.

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Information about the material change inspection

 As part of their checks on the school’s premises and accommodation, inspectors considered whether there was adequate space in classrooms and around the building for five extra pupils.

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The school’s progress in meeting previously failed standards

During the inspection we checked whether the school now meets the independent school standards that it was judged to have failed at its previous monitoring inspection on 28 September 2023.  The outcome of the inspection is: the school now meets the previously failed standards.

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The school now meets the following standards

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; and  34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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Information about the progress monitoring inspection

 As a result of unmet standards found at the time of the progress monitoring inspection in September 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan. The action plan was evaluated by Ofsted in January 2024. The DfE accepted the plan in January 2024.  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 26 to 28 November 2024 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 third consecutive progress monitoring inspection since an emergency inspection in May 2022.

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Inspection team

Lisa Strong, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Jonathan Newby Ofsted Inspector 26 to 28 November 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 looked after children, 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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