The Fountain School

The Fountain School

Address: 109 - 111 New Cross Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, Bradford, BD5 8BP Unique reference number (URN): 134587

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Insufficient evidence: Inspectors were unable to gather sufficient evidence to judge whether safeguarding standards are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally achieve well. For example, performance in national assessments enables pupils to make positive next steps. Pupils can explain scientific concepts, such as evolutionary trees. Written work shows a sophisticated understanding of related areas, such as genetic engineering. In English, pupils articulate the motivations and actions of Lady Macbeth and apply this knowledge independently. Pupils use textual evidence to exemplify and support their points. Their knowledge of world religions is particularly rich. In conversation, older pupils convey well what they have learned as part of the citizenship curriculum.

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Achievement Expected standard

Achievement in a few areas of the curriculum is less consistent. For example, in humanities subjects, pupils' understanding is more surface level. This is because less time is spent embedding knowledge before moving on to new curriculum content.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders' work ensures attendance is high. Leaders monitor attendance closely. They work successfully with families, when pupils are often absent. Leaders identify patterns of attendance. However, they do not always make the best use of this information. For example, actions to support those pupils who are at risk of regular absence are sometimes not effective. Pupils encourage each other to attend well.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Calm, respectful attitudes are evident across the school. Pupils respect teachers and show maturity in their conduct. At social times, pupils from different year groups organise games among themselves. Pupils appreciate the help of teachers in lessons. Pupils act on advice, focus on learning and endeavour to do well. This is because leaders have embedded routines that pupils understand and can follow. Teachers know these routines well and apply them consistently. Behaviour in lessons across the school is positive. Pupils work together enthusiastically on group tasks. The culture of respect means that bullying and discriminatory language are not an issue.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have recently acted to strengthen curriculum and teaching in the school. There has been a helpful focus on developing staff expertise. Leaders have ensured there is support from other local schools, the sharing of staff expertise within the school and engagement with external improvement partners. These actions have helped to ensure that staff have secure subject knowledge. The curriculum is delivered consistently. Pupils enjoy their lessons. There is a clear and well-designed curriculum in many subjects. That said, pupils do not build up their skills in some humanities subjects, as well as in English and mathematics. In addition, leaders sometimes do not consider how they will adapt the commercial curriculums and resources they purchase. This can lead to some repetition of curriculum content. There is a clear focus on developing the subject vocabulary that pupils need to articulate their knowledge well. Opportunities to practise learning are woven routinely into classroom

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

teaching. Teachers provide useful models and examples of the type of work that pupils should aim to produce. This helps pupils to understand what is expected of them.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Pupils' prior attainment is known to leaders and staff. Staff make use of this knowledge through, for example, regular checks on learning. This allows for staff to intervene when pupils are struggling to learn specific parts of the curriculum. Some pupils also receive additional teaching to help them develop the key knowledge needed to access the curriculum. Leaders use assessment of pupils to help them understand whether their actions are successfully supporting pupils to access learning. This information is not used as regularly and precisely as it could be to adjust learning so that pupils make even better progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

No pupils who are currently on roll are identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, leaders ensure that the school has the knowledge to identify any potential support that is needed. In addition, leaders identify and help those pupils that have other barriers. For example, pupils who are often absent receive tailored support to help them come to school more regularly. Work with external agencies allows the school to draw upon relevant expertise.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders use the opportunities of the Muslim ethos of the school to develop their personal development programme for pupils. For example, pupils are given chances to sing during 'Nasheed lessons'. Knowledge of world faiths and respect for others is well embedded through the school's religious education programme. Pupils debate ideas about, for example, family life from different religious perspectives. The relationships and sex education programme develops pupils' mature understanding of different types of relationships as they move through the school. Computer science lessons, in conjunction with the personal, social and health education curriculum, helps pupils to develop a positive understanding of online safety.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The citizenship curriculum is enhanced through workshops and assemblies that expose pupils to visits by speakers from different backgrounds. For example, a talk by a baroness about parliament is supported by resources to develop pupils' understanding of democratic institutions. Leaders ensure that any external speakers also talk to pupils about careers. This, along with visits to universities and links between curriculum subjects and careers, means pupils understand the range of options available to them when they leave school. Pupils are aspirational as a result.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils are excited about upcoming trips and enjoy chances to broaden their horizons beyond the gates of school. Leaders organise visits to local theatres to see plays connected to the English curriculum. Rewards are well organised, for example, to celebrate the end of Ramadan. That said, leaders have not fully considered the breadth of opportunities in the

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Needs attention

local and regional area. Activities are not as systematically planned as they might be to expose pupils to a more diverse range of aspects of British culture.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

There are weaknesses in the school's systems to check the quality of provision. Leadership is concentrated in a small number of senior staff and the proprietor does not offer successful support to this group. This makes effective oversight of all areas of the school's operation difficult to manage. The proprietor does not have a clear view of the strengths and areas in need of further development. As a result, it lacks clear plans to continue to develop the school. This has meant that the independent school standards (the standards) are not consistently met in all areas. Areas related to the school's procedures for first aid, health and safety and risk assessment do not meet the required standards. While some aspects were improved during the inspection, this did not address all the issues found. The proprietor does not have a systematic method for ensuring standards are consistently met over time.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders' recent focus on developing the school curriculum is bringing success. The priorities for action are improving pupils' experiences in lessons. Leaders seek advice from external agencies, where needed, for example in relation to safeguarding. Pupils comment that the school is like a family. The incredibly positive views of parents and staff support this. Staff are well supported to fulfil their roles. The professional learning programme benefits pupils and strengthens the curriculum. Leaders take steps to increase the expertise of staff. Recent training for senior leaders, the addition of another senior leader in the school and the employment of subject specialist teachers all add leadership capacity.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils at The Fountain School feel a sense of belonging. This is because staff build a family atmosphere, where everyone is respected. Pupils are helped to build positive relationships with each other and with staff. The trips that school leaders organise, for example the upcoming 'sip and paint' trip, enthuse and excite pupils. These opportunities occasionally do not broaden pupils' experiences of the world around them as well as they might. Pupils look forward to coming to school. They feel safe in the nurturing environment that leaders have developed.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The positive ethos of the school underpins the sense of respect that all staff and pupils feel for each other. Pupils particularly enjoy the ways in which they can learn the academic and Islamic curriculums together at one school. Pupils behave well. They are encouraged to do so by a rewards system connected to important events in the Muslim calendar, for example Ramadan. Leaders plan opportunities for pupils to develop leadership skills. For instance, pupils identify ways to spend school funds to enhance the classroom environment. The well- developed careers programme builds pupils' aspirations and ambition for their futures. Pupils engage with charitable and fundraising work linked to world events. Leaders organise workshops by speakers, such as from the police and the NHS. This helps pupils develop an understanding of modern British society.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school does not identify any pupils as having special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, where pupils need extra support in lessons for particular topics and subjects, leaders ensure that staff are aware of pupils' needs. Teachers intervene and help pupils quickly during lessons. If pupils are absent, teachers help them to catch up with their peers. This helps pupils to gain the important knowledge they need.

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Next steps

The proprietor and those responsible for school leadership should develop strategic oversight systems to monitor the independent school standards (the standards). Leaders should take appropriate action, where issues are identified, to ensure all standards are met consistently. Leaders should further develop the curriculum so that, across all subjects, pupils consistently develop detailed knowledge. The proprietor and those responsible for leadership should tailor extensive opportunities for pupils to develop their cultural capital in line with their aspirations and interests.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this standard inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, and checked the school’s compliance with 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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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the proprietor. Inspectors also spoke to a school improvement partner brokered by the local authority and with members of the safeguarding team from the local authority.

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About this inspection

The name of the proprietor is Mohammad Afsar.

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About this inspection

The email address of the school is admin@fountainschool.co.uk.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. The school is located at 109-111 New Cross Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, Bradford BD5 8BP.

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Independent school standards

The school is registered to admit up to 116 pupils.

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Independent school standards

The school is registered on the 'Get Information About Schools'.

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Independent school standards

1. Quality of education provided Standards met

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Independent school standards

2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Standards met

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Independent school standards

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards not met

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Independent school standards

The following standards have not been met: Paragraph 11

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Independent school standards

The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that relevant health and safety laws are complied with by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written health and safety policy.

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Independent school standards

The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that first aid is administered in a timely and competent manner by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written first aid policy.

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Independent school standards

The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that– (a) the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and (b) appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified.

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Independent school standards

4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Standards met

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Independent school standards

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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Independent school standards

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Independent school standards

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Independent school standards

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards not met

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Independent school standards

The following standards have not been met:

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Independent school standards

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–

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Independent school standards

(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; (b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and

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Lead inspector:

Matthew Vellensworth, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Insufficient evidence

Inspectors were unable to gather reliable enough evidence to grade an evaluation area. This is rare and normally only happens if there are no pupils on roll at the school.

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Insufficient evidence

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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

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