Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah

Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 1 Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah Willows Lane, Bolton, Lancashire BL3 4HF

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this boarding school

Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah was established in 1993 and is an independent boy’s day and boarding school with a clear Islamic ethos and religious purpose. The majority of boarders are British Muslims of Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage, although some children are European citizens living in this country.

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Information about this boarding school

The curriculum comprises Islamic studies, which are taught in the morning, and a secular curriculum, taught in the afternoon.

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Information about this boarding school

Many pupils remain at the school following their post 16 studies to complete their higher level Islamic qualifications. This means some learners stay at the school between the ages of 16 and 25.

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Information about this boarding school

At the time of this inspection there were 19 boarders under the age of 18 at the school. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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Information about this boarding school

The head of boarding has been in post since September 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The boarding school is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 2 Date of last inspection: 13 June 2023 Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 3

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improvement to be good

From their starting points children make progress, not only academically, but also in for example, improving their confidence and social skills. Parents were overwhelmingly positive about the impact school has had on their child. One parent reported, ‘2 of my boys attend this school, I have seen such great improvement in their education, character manners and behaviour. I am very proud that my children attend this school’.

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improvement to be good

Children’s feelings about their boarding experience are positive. Children say that they are treated fairly by the staff and enjoy the boarding experience because they have close relationships with each other and the staff. Children told the inspectors that they trust the staff and feel that they can talk to them whenever they need to. This helps to ensure that the children maintain positive emotional well- being.

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improvement to be good

Education attendance is good, and children make good progress with their academic and religious studies. Boarding staff support children to transition between boarding and education. Some of the boarding staff work across both settings and support the children with their educational needs. This provides stability and consistency.

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improvement to be good

Children are in good health. All parents spoken with said that their children’s health needs are met. However, the recording of administering medication is not effective. For example, no records are kept of medication administered to children. This could have a negative impact on the health of children.

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improvement to be good

The school provides children with regular opportunities to communicate with and spend time with their families. Staff respond to parents’ feedback when possible and make parents welcome when they visit their children. Children enjoy a wide range of activities both on site and in the local community. This helps their health, well-being and social skills. They say that they look forward to the weekend activities and that day trips out such as go karting are fun.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have made improvements to the boarding accommodation for children. For example, carpets have been replaced, the environment has been refreshed, and bedrooms and corridors have been freshly painted. The work undertaken has resulted in improvements to the boarding environment for children, and leaders are aware of the need for ongoing development and maintenance.

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improvement to be good

Despite children saying that they feel safe in the school, managers have not ensured that all staff responsible for children understand their roles and responsibilities Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 4 around safeguarding. Staff are not sufficiently clear about procedures to follow if there are safeguarding concerns. This potentially leaves both children and staff vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Children are polite and respectful to each other, staff and visitors. There are systems in place to address poor behaviour, which children understand. There have been no incidents of physical intervention, and the use of consequences is minimal. Positive behaviours are clearly encouraged. Children respond well to this approach, developing greater consideration for others and learning the benefits of cooperative behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff and children are clear that there is zero tolerance to bullying across the whole school community. Children say that bullying is rare, and they know who to go to if they have any concerns.

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improvement to be good

No children have gone missing from the school or the boarding provision. The staff understand the procedures to follow should such an incident occur.

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improvement to be good

Since the beginning of this academic year children and staff from the boarding provision have not taken part in fire evacuation drills and are unaware of the procedures to follow in the event of a fire. This was addressed during the inspection but shows a lack of oversight and attention to matters that, if left, have the potential to compromise the safety and welfare of children.

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improvement to be good

An effective recruitment process ensures that all necessary background checks are carried out on all prospective employees, no matter what their role. This ensures that only adults with appropriate employment histories work at the school.

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good

Since the last inspection a new principal has been appointed who is also the head of boarding. The school has also seen changes in the staff team since the last inspection, leading to an improvement in the quality of care provided for the children who board at the school However, some areas of leadership continue to require improvement. This includes areas such as staff safeguarding knowledge and supervision of staff.

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good

The principal is supported by a new senior leadership team who are ambitious to drive forward improvements and to raise standards, while strengthening and preserving the ethos of the school. Senior leaders and managers are motivated and ambitious to learn from inspection and monitoring activities to drive improvement.

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good

Staff have regular meetings when they discuss boarding matters and practice. However, leaders have not developed regular and recorded individual support meetings for staff to challenge and develop them. Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 5 Governors share the school’s vision and ethos and have relevant experience of education, boarding, safeguarding and finance. They support the principal by providing effective scrutiny, challenge and oversight of the boarding provision to ensure that there is continuous improvement.

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good

Staff receive the training and knowledge they need to meet the children’s needs. Relationships between the staff are positive. They are supportive of one another and work closely as a team. This provides the children with consistency and stability.

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good

An independent visitor has been appointed, and their visits provide an additional layer of scrutiny and oversight of the residential provision. Children confirmed that they have contact details for the visitor.

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good

Staff work in partnership with parents and external professionals. This means that children receive a well organised package of care and education. Parents are very positive about the care their children receive. They say that the residential provision provides huge benefits for their children. Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 6

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schools

The school does not meet the following national minimum standard(s) for boarding schools:

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schools

 The school’s leadership and management fulfil their responsibilities consistently and effectively so that the standards are met. (Boarding schools: national minimum standards 2.4)  All medication is stored safely and securely and accurate records are kept of its administration. Staff are properly trained to provide the support that pupils need when administrating medicines. Prescribed medicines are given only to the boarders to whom they are prescribed. Boarders allowed to self-medicate are assessed as being sufficiently responsible to do so. Where applicable, schools have regard to government guidance. (Boarding schools: national minimum standards 7.6)

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schools

 The school should ensure that all staff are aware that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility throughout the school and the boarding facilities. (Boarding schools: national minimum standards 8.2)

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schools

 In addition, fire drills are regularly (at least once per term) carried out in ‘boarding time’. At least one drill per year should be carried out overnight, unless the school has assessed that this would be detrimental to boarders’ welfare. (Boarding schools: national minimum standards 10.3)

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schools

 Any staff member or volunteer employed or volunteering in a position working with boarders has a job description reflecting their duties, receives induction training in boarding when newly appointed, and receives regular reviews of their boarding practice, with opportunities for training and continual professional development in boarding. (Boarding schools: national minimum standards 20.1)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Children Act 1989 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the national minimum standards. Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 7

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Boarding school details

Social care unique reference number: SC009423

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Boarding school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Luqman Amla

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Boarding school details

Email address: info@boltondarululoom.org.uk

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Michelle Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for boarding school: Al Jamiah Al Islamiyyah 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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