Setting

CONTENTS

What the school must do in order to comply with the regulations

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CONTENTS

Compliance with the regulations for registration

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CONTENTS

1. The quality of education provided by the school

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CONTENTS

The quality of the teaching and assessment

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration?

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CONTENTS

2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration?

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CONTENTS

3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration?

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CONTENTS

4. The suitability of the proprietor and staff

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration?

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CONTENTS

5. The suitability of the premises and accommodation

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration? 6. The quality of information for parents and other partners

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration?

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CONTENTS

7. The effectiveness of the school's procedures for handling complaints

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CONTENTS

Does the school meet the requirements for registration?

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by the Office for Standards in Education under Section 163 of the Education Act 2002 in order to advise the Secretary of State for Education and Skills about the school's suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about the school

London East Academy is a newly established, independent Islamic secondary school for boys. It is situated in the heart of the East London Muslim community and shares very large, modern premises with the London Muslim Centre and the East London Mosque. There are two classes for pupils in Years 7 and 8 and there are plans to include Key Stage 4 within three years and to seek language college status.

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Information about the school

The school's intention is to `contribute towards producing a new generation of scholars and leaders who will become good citizens, guide their communities and make a significant contribution to contemporary British society.'

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Information about the school

It offers a curriculum which includes National Curriculum subjects and Islamic sciences with special emphasis on Arabic language.

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Summary of main findings

London East Academy is a good school. There has been a considerable amount of development since the appointment of a new headteacher in November 2004, two months after the school opened. Although still at an early stage, the curriculum is broad and balanced. It is well planned and taught, enabling most pupils to make good progress. The pupils are well motivated and their behaviour is good. The school benefits from sharing excellent, purpose-built premises with a very large mosque and community centre. This contributes to a sense of purpose and community spirit. The pupils enjoy being at the school and their relationships with teachers and other staff are very good.

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What the school does well

o it ensures good teaching and learning, supported by excellent resources in all areas of the curriculum; o its Islamic ethos is well established, helping to ensure that pupils' behaviour and aspirations are high; o its pupils make good progress in the Arabic language; o its excellent facilities and displays contribute to a pleasant, calm and purposeful atmosphere; o it is establishing rigorous and regular assessment procedures; and o its relationships with parents and the wider community are already well established.

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What the school must do in order to comply with the regulations

The school meets all the requirements for registration.

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Next steps

Whilst not required by the regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development:

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Next steps

o improve the balance of time between curriculum subjects, particularly with regard to art, humanities and technology; and o improve the planning of the curriculum by the development of detailed schemes of work to include all subjects taught, for example art, citizenship and personal, social and health education (PSHE).

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The quality of the curriculum

The school has been in operation for only eight months and there is a great deal of curriculum development still underway. There is a comprehensive curriculum policy, supported by appropriate schemes of work in most subjects. Those for the main subjects are detailed and feed through into practice in the classroom. In some other subjects, such as art, citizenship and PSHE there is as yet only a basic level of planning.

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The quality of the curriculum

The curriculum includes all National Curriculum subjects except music. At present there is only a relatively small amount of time given to humanities, art and technology. There is a large amount of time given to Arabic language and Islamic studies, which is consistent with the Islamic aims and objectives of the school. Arabic, Islamic and Qur'anic studies are taught with particular emphasis on applications to real life and combine effectively with citizenship and PSHE. This ensures excellent connections between academic study within the school and life in the wider community. For example, pupils recently made a visit to the local synagogue as part of their citizenship curriculum.

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The quality of the curriculum

Pupils appreciate the range of after-school clubs and activities which enable them to pursue those curriculum areas which they find most interesting or in which they feel the need for extra help. They feel that the school's curriculum is relevant to their needs and succeeds in stretching them to the best of their capabilities.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

The standard of teaching in the school is good, and sometimes it is very good. Only one of the lessons observed was less than satisfactory. The headteacher and governors are involved in assessing the quality of teaching and learning on a regular basis.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

There are good relationships between teachers and pupils. Lessons are planned and taught with care and attention to individual pupils' specific needs. Pupils are enabled to acquire new knowledge, understanding and skills, and to make good progress. They are motivated by the teaching and are interested in the lessons. A teaching assistant supports pupils' learning, although there has not yet been appropriate training to ensure the most effective use of this additional resource.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

Teaching is supported by a very good range of brand new classroom resources, including textbooks, computers, and teaching aids. Interactive whiteboards enable the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in lessons to vary visual presentation to make lessons more interesting and stimulating. Good use is also made of other audio-visual equipment. Large, indoor play areas and a fully-equipped sports centre are available for physical education and games. A school library is planned for the beginning of the next academic year.

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The quality of the teaching and assessment

Teachers use a wide range of assessment to record pupils' progress, including the use of National Curriculum levels of attainment. Pupils achieve highly against these measures. Pupils use of self- assessment and target-setting is developing effectively alongside teachers' assessments.

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

The school's provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is excellent. It has a pervasive ethos of religious observance and high academic achievement. In many curriculum areas there is emphasis on developing as an individual within an active religious community and a multi-cultural society. Both in Islamic studies and citizenship lessons there is good work on understanding contemporary British culture and society, and educational contacts have been made with other local religious communities and public services in order to bring to life social and political issues.

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Pupils are able to feel a part of, and participate in the life of the community around them by virtue of the way the school is an integral part of a large mosque and community centre. They help in the organisation of public events, especially during the month of Ramadan. Displays reflect the school's participation in nationally recognised events.

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

The pupils are given a very good range of opportunities to develop their confidence and self- knowledge. They deliver talks in assembly, assess their strengths and weaknesses of character in PSHE, and organise and run the tuck shop. There is an effective school council, which is particularly appreciated by the pupils, and allows them to influence school policy in a number of matters, including a re-design of the school uniform.

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2. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

The school's behaviour policy and system of merits, along with a good range of opportunities for pupils to accept responsibility for their own behaviour and for service to the school community, has resulted in a high level of good behaviour both within lessons and around the school.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school takes good care to promote the welfare, health and safety of the pupils. There are well- written policies on discipline, First Aid and child protection, each of which is effectively implemented. Pupils particularly appreciate the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy and are well aware of the relevant procedures. All admission and attendance registers are completed appropriately. Careful records are kept of disciplinary sanctions and minor injuries incurred during school time. Staff are effectively deployed to supervise pupils outside lesson times.

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3. The welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school benefits from the use of excellent, modern premises in which all health and safety requirements are fully met, as well as those of the Disability Discrimination Act 2002.

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4. The suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school is owned by the East London Mosque and overseen by an active and committed board of governors, who, along with the staff are clearly dedicated to the success of the new school. Appropriate checks have been carried out to confirm the suitability of staff to work with children and on their professional qualifications, medical fitness and character references.

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5. The suitability of the premises and accommodation

The school is located in modern, purpose-built premises which provide excellent accommodation and facilities. These include large classrooms and seminar rooms, a well-equipped science laboratory, a computer suite, and an area which is currently being developed for use as a library. There are two very large halls available for indoor play and physical education, and use is also made of a local park and sports centre. As the school is based on two floors of a newly opened community centre and is connected to a very large mosque, there is an atmosphere of purposeful activity throughout in light, airy and pleasant surroundings. The integration of the school into the life of the community is particularly evident on Fridays, when the pupils, supervised by staff, join in with several thousand worshippers for the Friday prayer.

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6. The quality of information for parents and other partners

The school provides a full range of information to parents of both enrolled and prospective pupils, including a comprehensive parents' handbook containing details of school policies and procedures. There are reports to parents on their sons' attainment and progress on a regular basis and the school has already held one parents' evening.

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7. The effectiveness of the school's procedures for handling complaints

The school publishes a comprehensive policy that provides a thorough framework for addressing complaints and which 80% of parents expressing an opinion said they understood in the pre- inspection questionnaire, though there have been no formal complaints to date.

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School details

Name of school: London East Academy DfES ref number: 211/6394 Type of school: Islamic Secondary School Status: Independent Age range of pupils: 11 - 13 years Gender of pupils: Boys Number on roll (full-time pupils): Boys 48, Girls 0, Total 48 Annual fees (day pupils): £2,500 London Muslim Centre 46 - 80 Whitechapel Road London Address of school:

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School details

E1 1JX E-mail address: admin@leacademy.com Telephone number: 0207 650 3070 Fax number: 0207 650 3071 Headteacher: Mr A M Faradhi Proprietor: East London Mosque Lead Inspector: Mr Ibrahim Lawson D ates of inspection: 25 - 28 April 2005

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School details

educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced verbatim without adaptation , and the source and date of publication are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted website (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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