Al-Madani Girls School

Inspection of Al-Madani Girls School 339 - 341 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 5PR

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Inspection dates: 23 to 25 September 2025

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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?

Al-Madani pupils are extremely proud to be part of their school community. They rise to the high expectations which permeate all aspects of school life. Pupils achieve well with their academic studies and across the wider curriculum. They enjoy their learning and develop important skills such as resilience and perseverance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. It is shaped by the strong values of the school where mutual respect and courtesy are heralded. Pupils enjoy attending school and form strong and positive relationships with each other and staff. Older pupils act as super role models in the way they support younger pupils who are new to the school. Pupils describe this as feeling like they have lots of sisters at school. Break and lunchtimes allow pupils to enjoy spending time together. There is a happy and harmonious atmosphere throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong sense of community awareness. Pupils contribute to school life and beyond. They strive to be active citizens who contribute to society in meaningful ways. Community links outside of school are valued. For example, pupils show empathy and compassion in their interactions with a local care home and hospital. They demonstrate moral integrity and confidence in their collaborative work.

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better?

The proprietor and school have a clear vision for all pupils to study a broad range of academic subjects alongside their Islamic studies. The school carefully considers the subjects on offer to ensure that pupils are prepared well for their next educational steps. For example, this includes the school’s recent change to offer separate science subjects at GCSE.

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better?

Across the curriculum, the school has identified what pupils need to learn and in what order. Pupils’ learning sequentially builds as they move through the year groups. Central to the curriculum design is the emphasis on pupils’ reading ability. They are fluent and motivated readers who show strong comprehension and analytical skills. Additional support is effective for any pupils who need it. Teaching staff model being readers and exploring a range of diverse and interesting texts.

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better?

Pupils remember their learning well. Teachers routinely recap and check pupils’ understanding. They use questioning skills to probe and extend pupils’ learning. Teachers know pupils’ needs well and use this information to support them with their learning. There are no pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, sometimes, pupils need a little extra help to keep up with their classmates. Teachers provide timely support when this is the case. In many lessons, pupils complete tasks which contribute well to their accumulation of knowledge and skills. However, there are times when tasks and activities could be more precisely linked to the intended learning outcomes. 23 to 25 September 2025 In lessons, pupils show highly positive attitudes towards their learning. They are motivated and want to do well. They demonstrate high levels of focus and concentration. Pupils follow instructions and respond well to questions. They support

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better?

each other and work well in small groups to achieve sharing learning outcomes. Pupils rarely need reminders to be attentive as the school-wide culture promotes and values hard work, respect and courtesy.

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better?

The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about the values of Islam and a wide range of other faiths and cultures. They are well-informed about fundamental British values and what it means to be a British citizen. Pupils value diversity and difference for the richness it brings to society. The school has a comprehensive personal, social and health education programme. Pupils are knowledgeable about the importance of having a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and exercise. They learn about the importance of online safety and how to be discerning when accessing the internet and analysing artificial intelligence materials.

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better?

Pupils’ communication skills are highly effective and well-developed. The school encourages pupils to have a voice and be heard. There are opportunities for pupils to bid for leadership roles and engage in election and voting procedures. The school ensures pupils have time to debate and discuss issues which matter to them and others. Pupils are articulate and measured in their contributions and conversation.

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better?

Staff display pride and care in their work across the school. They appreciate the consideration given to their workload and well-being. In a small number of subjects, changes to staffing have meant that staff do not always receive the support that they need to deliver subject curriculums well. This means that the understanding about the learning opportunities provided to pupils in these subjects is variable.

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better?

The proprietor and governing body successfully focus on ensuring pupils have the confidence and skills they need to transition into the next stage of their educational journey. The governors support the school well. The proprietor ensures that the school meets the independent school standards (‘the standards’) consistently. This includes compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a few lessons, the selected tasks and activities do not link with the intended learning outcome. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils are provided with activities that deepens their knowledge and better prepares them for future learning.  In a small number of subjects, staff do not receive the clarity, guidance and support that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. In these subjects, 23 to 25 September 2025 pupils experience of the curriculum is variable. The school should ensure that in these curriculum areas, staff are provided with subject-specific guidance in the effective delivery of the curriculum, so that pupils experiences in lessons are consistently of a high standard

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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. 23 to 25 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 136955 DfE registration number 871/6002

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School details

Inspection number 10391759 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 to 15 September 2022 23 to 25 September 2025

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Information about this school

 Al-Madani Girls’ School is an independent Islamic secondary school for girls aged 11 to 16. It is situated in a former office building close to Slough town centre. The building is also used for religious instruction for younger pupils out of school hours.  The school is registered for up to 80 pupils. The school does not have any pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school is not currently using any alternative provision.  The headteacher was appointed in October 2024.

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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 evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team met with representatives of the proprietor body, the governing body and with senior school leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and religious education. 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.  Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning and experiences at school. They also analysed responses to the pupil survey.  The inspectors analysed responses to the staff survey and spoke to staff about their views of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and the additional free-text responses.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  The lead inspector toured the school site to gather evidence about compliance with the standards. Inspectors also reviewed a range of documents and policies.

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Inspection team

23 to 25 September 2025 Kate Fripp, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Stuart Bevan His Majesty's Inspector 23 to 25 September 2025 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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