Lantern of Knowledge Secondary School

Lantern of Knowledge Secondary School

Address: 30-36 Lindley Road, Leyton, London, E10 6QT Unique reference number (URN): 132848

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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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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils’ attendance is above national averages. This is because leaders ensure that pupils and parents and carers understand the importance of coming to school each day. Pupils know that school is a place where they are safe and where they will learn well. Leaders also establish routines that support and sustain the school's high expectations for attendance. Members of staff work as a team to ensure that expectations are consistently understood and followed across the school, including providing additional guidance and support for pupils when it is needed. Leaders' effective approach to attendance means that every pupil is supported consistently well, including those with additional barriers to their learning.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders have embedded a highly positive culture of behaviour which supports pupils to learn well. Pupils are dedicated to their learning and respond well to the high expectations that staff have for them. Across the school, including in classrooms, there is a calm and respectful learning environment. Pupils are polite and courteous to each other, staff and visitors. There are highly respectful relationships between teachers and pupils. Pupils say they feel safe, that behaviour is very positive at the school and that bullying would never be tolerated. Pupils behave cooperatively at social times. Due to their knowledge of the ways that people can be different and fundamental British values, such as respect and tolerance, pupils are clear that any discriminatory behaviour is unacceptable.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have embedded a broad and balanced personal development programme. It supports the school’s context well and prepares pupils for life in modern Britain in a highly effective manner. Pupils' learning about, and understanding, of fundamental British values is embedded within the curriculum. Pupils' understanding is enhanced further by planned citizenship lessons. Leaders carefully consider how best to teach pupils important subject matter such as that linked to online and offline safety, sexuality, consent, drugs and domestic abuse. The school makes sure that these themes are taught sensitively to pupils. Leaders are highly effective in promoting equality of opportunity and diversity. They make sure that pupils' develop an awareness of faiths and perspectives that differ to their own experiences.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The careers programme is highly ambitious and taught from Year 7 onwards. It includes, for example, a two-week period of work experience in Year 10. The breadth and quality of the school's approach helps to ensure that pupils are well prepared for life beyond school. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of enrichment activities. They take part in these activities regularly, such as computer coding, badminton and table tennis. A range of sporting tournaments enable pupils to develop teamwork skills. Leaders support all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, to take part in an extensive range of educational and personal development visits. These include, for example, outings to the Bank of England, William Morris Gallery and walks around the local area.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have a determined focus on developing pupils as leaders within the school's 'advocacy' programme. This supports pupils to work cooperatively with each other and show

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Expected standard

respect to adults and their peers. Staff know pupils well and show genuine care and respect for them. Pastoral support is well matched to pupils' needs, including, for example, mental health and anxiety, with training ensuring that staff are aware of and know how to respond to potential concerns. Pupils say there is always someone to talk to about any issue. Pupils feel listened to and are encouraged to make key decisions about school life through the student council. For example, pupils have made effective changes to how lunch is organised.

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Achievement Expected standard

All pupils make positive progress in their learning of the curriculum. This includes pupils with potential barriers to learning, for example, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who are disadvantaged. Pupils continue to secure their knowledge of foundational knowledge and skills in English and mathematics very quickly, right from their entry to the school. Leaders ensure that pupils develop their reading skills effectively, including, for example, confidence when reading out loud. This helps pupils to further show their knowledge and understanding across the wider curriculum. Pupils sit a range of external examinations and typically achieve highly.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils are well prepared overall for the next stages in their education. They acquire and demonstrate the knowledge and skills they need to be confident and successful in their next steps. Leaders' effective work to develop this knowledge means that pupils leave Year 11 with a confirmed destination for the next stage of their employment, education and/or training.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have designed and implemented a broad curriculum for pupils, centred on clear expectations for the knowledge pupils should learn in each subject. The curriculum is delivered by teachers who are suitably skilled in supporting pupils to learn the intended knowledge and key skills successfully. Generally, teaching includes well-thought-through classroom activities and approaches to developing pupils' understanding over time. Carefully planned strategies for checking's pupils learning enable teachers to speedily identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and then address these. This means that teaching, on the whole, helps pupils to build upon their secure prior knowledge. This is the case for all pupils, including those who may be disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils have strong foundational knowledge in English and mathematics. When it is necessary, leaders make sure that extra support is put in place for pupils to master these foundational skills and allow them to access and learn the broader curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

While teaching supports pupils to learn well overall across the whole curriculum, there are a few subject areas where the school's teaching approaches are not as consistently effective in promoting pupils' understanding and progression. On occasions, teaching expectations do not support pupils to aim as high in these subject areas as they do in other curriculum areas.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders quickly identify any barriers to learning that pupils have as soon as they join the school. This work means that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those who are disadvantaged, are supported to learn the curriculum well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that all staff receive appropriate training to support pupils with SEND or other barriers to learning and wellbeing. This means that staff are generally able to plan for and meet the needs of their pupils well. The progress that pupils with barriers to their learning make is carefully monitored by the school. This enables leaders to assess the appropriateness of extra support and adaptations for pupils' learning in a speedy manner and, when necessary, put in place effective adjustments to each pupil's provision.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders also work appropriately with parents and carers and external agencies to deliver bespoke support for pupils with barriers to their learning. For example, leaders' work in this area supports these pupils to attend school regularly, learn the curriculum well overall and to take a full part in the wider opportunities that are offered by the school, including for example, representing the school in sporting fixtures. Leaders also identify and remove any barriers that may prevent pupils from having their voice heard in school life, such as through the student council.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are clearly ambitious for the pupils in their school and make decisions in pupils' best interests. Leaders are role models of high expectations. They ensure that staff are well motivated and supported to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to guide the academic and personal development of pupils effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including the proprietor and governors, are committed to the inclusive ethos of the school. Through the oversight of the proprietor and governors, leaders are challenged appropriately to ensure the best for all pupils. They are also equally supported in their work to help pupils to be successful. The proprietor and governors maintain a forensic focus on fulfilling their statutory duties, including those related to equalities and safeguarding. This work helps to ensure that the independent school standards are all met.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work effectively to establish a focused professional learning culture, ensuring that any barriers to this in practice are identified and overcome. For example, in order to broaden and extend teaching expertise, leaders work closely with other schools, using evidence- based research and consulting with external experts. Staff are highly motivated and keen to develop their teaching skills in the classroom. Leaders continue to review and embed the school's professional learning offer for staff to enable the level of leaders' ambition to be raised even higher. Leaders ensure that all of the school's work is based on what is in the best interests of the pupils which, in turn, promotes an environment which sets pupils up to succeed. Parents and carers feel very much a part of this inclusive school.

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

Pupils feel privileged that they attend a school that supports the development of their character and academic knowledge and skills, while also supporting their wellbeing. Pupils feel safe and are supported to be successful in their studies and broader development. Pupils know and appreciate that the staff at this school act in their best interests.

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

Pupils are supported well to develop key knowledge in relation to the fundamental British values, including how these connect to their own experiences, both in school and beyond. Pupils are keen to become life-long learners who promote values such as harmony, mutual respect and tolerance. They routinely demonstrate these values through their everyday actions, such as through their work representing different views and perspectives on the student council or how they support each other in their studies while at school.

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

Pupils are prepared well for the next stages of their education, employment and training. They want to grasp every opportunity to build knowledge and succeed, and, in turn, go on to make a positive contribution to society. Pupils are supported to make informed choices about their future education and careers because of the comprehensive careers guidance that they receive while at school. Their learning of the school's broad and engaging curriculum is typically thorough. Pupils also generally achieve highly in the external assessments that they sit. Pupils with barriers to their learning are supported to swiftly and successfully overcome them.

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

Pupils are happy at school. They behave well and bullying is rare. If it does occur, staff deal with it appropriately and promptly. Pupils take full advantage of the enrichment opportunities offered by the school. These range, for example, from playing badminton to attending computer coding club. These activities support pupils to develop their individual talents alongside, and outside of, the academic curriculum.

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Next steps

Leaders should further develop staff's pedagogical knowledge and skills to ensure that pupils are consistently supported to understand and embed learning effectively across all of the curriculum subjects.

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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

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Independent school standards

This inspection took place from Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 September 2026.

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Independent school standards

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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Independent school standards

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the proprietor during the inspection.

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Independent school standards

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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Independent school standards

This school has an Islamic religious character.

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Independent school standards

The school uses no alternative provision.

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Independent school standards

The school has appointed a new headteacher since their last inspection.

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Independent school standards

The school is registered to admit 130 pupils and currently has 66 on roll.

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Independent school standards

The name of the proprietor is Imran Sidyot.

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Independent school standards

The fees currently charged are £5,453 per annum.

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Independent school standards

The email address of the school is info@lanternofknowledge.org.uk

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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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Facts and figures used on inspection

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

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

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Facts and figures used on inspection

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

All standards have been met. 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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