Madni Academy

Independent School

DfES Registration Number 382/6017 Unique Reference Number 107794 Inspection number 301560 Inspection dates 27-28 June 2007 Reporting inspector Mrs Michèle Messaoudi

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Independent School

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002 (as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005). Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Independent School

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, 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

Madni Muslim Girls’ High School is an independent school providing full-time education to girls and boys aged four to seven years and girls up to sixteen years. It is housed in purpose-built premises situated in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, in Kirklees. It opened in 1986 to serve the local Muslim community of mainly Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritages. Most pupils travel from a 20-mile radius. At the time of the inspection, there were no pupils with a statement of educational need and the majority of pupils were bilingual or had English as an additional language (EAL). There are six pupils in the Reception class and 50 pupils of primary school age taught in three mixed-age classes. The school aims to ‘create a warm, caring Islamic atmosphere within which pupils can develop to their full potential; and build a firm foundation for future development and involvement as active and confident members

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Information about the school

of the Islamic faith and of society as a whole.’ The last Early Years inspection was carried out in 2004. The main school was last inspected in 2002.

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Evaluation of the school

Madni Muslim Girls’ High School provides a satisfactory quality of education, underpinned by a satisfactory curriculum and satisfactory teaching and assessment. Consequently, pupils make satisfactory progress overall, with good features in the secondary school. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Provision for their welfare and safety is satisfactory. The school is led by committed staff and has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection. The accuracy of its self-evaluation reflects its capacity to improve. It meets most of its aims and complies with most of the regulations.

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Quality of education

The curriculum is satisfactory overall, being broad and balanced. In the Reception class, the school plans activities following the Foundation Stage guidelines. A recent Early Years inspection found the provision to be satisfactory. This inspection finds that the planning is satisfactory and regularly evaluated. However, outdoor activities are not planned in the same detail as indoor activities, and the resources made available outside do not give pupils access to all six areas of learning. In the primary classes, the school teaches all the subjects of the National Curriculum, except for music. In addition, pupils have Islamic studies, Urdu and Arabic and provision in these subjects is good. There is a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills to enable pupils to access the rest of the curriculum. The school uses commercial schemes of work that ensure continuity and progression of learning. However, there

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Quality of education

is no curriculum overview and the planning is not based on a two-year cycle. Consequently, the school cannot monitor that no unnecessary repetition and overlapping occurs in the mixed age classes and cannot exploit fully opportunities for cross-curricular links.

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Quality of education

The secondary curriculum is planned satisfactorily and offers a broader spectrum of compulsory subjects. In Key Stage 3, pupils’ experience of technology is enriched by the addition of food technology and textiles. In Year 9, pupils also follow a course in child development leading to an entry level certificate. By the end of Year 11, pupils take GCSE examinations in nine subjects. However, their learning has been adversely affected by staffing difficulties, mainly in humanities and in science in Key Stage 3. Although the school has modified the curriculum in Key Stages 3 and 4 to support pupils who have specific learning difficulties, it does not have procedures to ensure that their needs are assessed appropriately and met fully. Staff use their initiative to support pupils who are at a less advanced stage of EAL. However, the managers have yet to devise a whole school strategy to develop literacy across subjects. They

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Quality of education

have planned the coordination and monitoring of core subjects across all phases as a priority for the next academic year. There is a good programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in place and a satisfactory programme of citizenship. The school has just started to implement a programme of careers guidance. Resources are insufficient in range, quality and quantity to support the curriculum and the use of information and communication technology in all subjects is underdeveloped.

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Quality of education

The quality of teaching and assessment is satisfactory. Staff have established good working relationships among their pupils and most staff manage their classes well. There is some good and outstanding practice in the school, but it is not shared. Staff are eager for professional development. In good lessons, the teaching is characterised by good subject knowledge, good knowledge of individual pupils, high expectations, very clear learning objectives and instructions, and challenging questioning that make pupils think. In outstanding lessons, the teaching communicates enthusiasm and provides a consistently high level of challenge for all, through a variety of methods encouraging independent thinking and work; this stretches all pupils so that they made outstanding progress. Where the teaching is satisfactory rather than good, the tasks do not match pupils’ abilities sufficiently closely. Teachers are not sufficiently informed of the aptitudes, needs and prior

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Quality of education

attainments of pupils to take these into account when planning lessons. Satisfactory teaching also relies too much on textbooks and worksheets, with missed opportunities for discussion, and does not use teaching assistants effectively. Occasionally, the teaching is not based on specialist subject knowledge. The main features of less successful lessons are poor use of time and resources. The school uses a wide range of assessments to test pupils’ learning. However, it does not use this information to monitor pupils’ progress rigorously and to plan how to improve teaching and learning so as to raise standards further. The quality of marking is inconsistent throughout the school. The best marking shows pupils how to improve. In the Foundation Stage, pupils are involved in assessment through the use of ‘I can do’ booklets.

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Quality of education

As a result of the satisfactory curriculum and teaching they experience, pupils make satisfactory progress overall. GCSE results over the last few years show that pupils achieve consistently highly in English, Islamic studies and Urdu.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and this is reflected in their good behaviour. Pupils are confident, friendly and form positive relationships with others. Most like their school and show a good attitude to learning. Through Islamic studies, assemblies, PSHE and citizenship, they gain a good understanding of right and wrong and of their duties and responsibilities as citizens. Although the school provides some opportunities for pupils to contribute to their community, the older pupils feel that these are insufficient. They would welcome more opportunities to lead assemblies and run projects. They help raise funds for charities.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Some assemblies promote pupils’ spiritual development outstandingly well, as for example, one in which the older pupils were invited to consider how helping others can contribute to their happiness and lift their spirit. Pupils are well prepared for life in a multicultural society mainly through the Islamic studies curriculum that includes learning about the main world religions, and through art and humanities. However, their cultural development is not enhanced by extra-curricular activities or enriched by educational visits. This has been noted by parents and pupils.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Pupils develop a wide range of basic skills whilst at school. Whilst standards are sound by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ high achievement in GCSE English, Islamic studies and Urdu indicates that the school is successful in helping them develop a strong identity as young British Muslim women. The study of psychology, business and commerce, food technology and textiles, in addition to core subjects, prepares them well for their future economic well-being.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

This aspect of the provision is satisfactory. The school has suitable procedures in place to minimize risks and safeguard pupils in all circumstances. It is a happy community in which most pupils feel safe. Although the school implements its anti- bullying policy satisfactorily, there is a perception among some pupils that instances of bullying are not dealt with effectively by the school. The school maintains admission and attendance registers in conformity with regulations. The attendance registers indicate a high level of lateness and unauthorized absence despite the school’s efforts. Although pupils learn about healthy living, the school does not promote this sufficiently vigorously. The school has been unsuccessful in its first attempt to provide healthy snacks owing to inadequate preparation. Many pupils say that they do not have enough opportunities for physical exercise, the meals provided by the school are not well balanced and the snacks sold in the tuck shop are

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

unhealthy. The school is already addressing these issues. It fulfils its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 2002.

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Suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school has recently updated its recruitment procedure to ensure that all the required checks are carried out prior to confirming staff’s employment. The review has highlighted a few past deficiencies, in not consistently checking medical fitness and obtaining sufficient references, which the school is already addressing.

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School’s premises and accommodation

The teaching and specialist accommodation is fit for purpose and well maintained. The playgrounds provide safe outdoor play but have not been marked or equipped to offer a variety of recreational activities and do not include a grassed area.

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

The school provides accurate information to parents and others. Parents are invited to meet their children’s teachers twice a year in the primary classes and once a term in the secondary classes to discuss the contents of interim and full reports. The best comments by teachers state what the pupil can do, cannot do and needs to do to improve. Most parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaires are supportive of the school.

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Procedures for handling complaints

The trustees have ensured that there is a suitable procedure for handling complaints fairly and promptly.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets all of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended January 2005, with the exception of those listed below.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of the curriculum (standard 1) and must:  provide appropriate plans for Key Stages 1 and 2 and ensure that they are implemented effectively (paragraph 1(2))

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 ensure that the curriculum provides the opportunity for all pupils to learn and make progress (paragraph 1(2)(i))  ensure that teachers show a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons (paragraph 1(3)(d))  provide classroom resources of an adequate quality, quantity and range and ensure that they are used effectively (paragraph 1(3)(f))  ensure that there is a framework in place to assess pupils' work thoroughly and that information from such assessment is utilised to plan teaching so that pupils can make progress (paragraph 1(3)(g)).

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of suitability of proprietor and staff (standard 4) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 prior to the confirmation of the appointment of all staff ensure that appropriate checks been carried out to confirm their medical fitness, previous employment history, character references and, where appropriate, professional references and that such information has been taken into account in determining whether their appointment will be confirmed (paragraph 4(c)).

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School details

Name of school Madni Muslim Girls' High School DfES number 382/6017 Unique reference number 107794 Type of school Muslim day school Status Independent Date school opened 1986 Age range of pupils 3-18 Gender of pupils Mixed (3-4 years), girls (5-16 years) Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 1 Girls: 203 Total: 204 Annual fees (day pupils) £600 (primary), £750 (secondary) Address of school 40-42 Scarborough Street Savile Town Dewsbury West Yorkshire WF12 9AY Telephone number 01924520720 Fax number 01924468516 Email address mmghs2005@yahoo.co.uk Headteacher Mrs Shakera Mirza Proprietor Savile Town Muslim Parents’ Association Reporting inspector Mrs Michèle Messaoudi Dates of inspection 26-27 June 2007

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