Andalusia Academy Bristol

Andalusia Academy Independent school inspection report

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DCSF registration number 801/6130 Unique Reference Number (URN) 130391 Inspection number 348761 Inspection dates 25 May 2010 Reporting inspector John Seal HMI

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Published: June 2010 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 Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk No. 090071 Inspection report template – Light touch inspections

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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 1 , as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005 2 , the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This was a light touch inspection which focused principally on the quality of education provided by the school; its provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; the arrangements for safeguarding pupils; and the improvements the school has made since its last inspection.

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Information about the school

Andalusia Academy is an independent Islamic day school for boys and girls aged from four to eleven years and for girls from eleven to sixteen years. At the time of the inspection, there were 24 children in the Reception class and no pupils in Years 5 and 6. The school is run by Bristol Islamic Schools Trust. The aims of the school are to: ‘create a "centre of excellence", where all children are valued and helped to reach their full potential in a safe and secure Islamic environment which is conducive to their learning.’

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Information about the school

The school is situated in a building which was previously a council-run school located in the centre of Bristol. Andalusia Academy opened in 2005 and moved to its current site in 2008. All the pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds and a significant minority are at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language. There is one pupil with a statement of special educational needs. The school is registered for 240 pupils and there are currently 185 on roll. The school was last inspected in July 2007.

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Evaluation of the school

Andalusia Academy continues to provide a good quality of education and to meet its aims. All but two of the regulatory requirements are met. The overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and they make good progress because of the good teaching and assessment, supported by the good curriculum. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The promotion of pupils’ welfare, health and safety is satisfactory and all but one element of the school’s safeguarding procedures are secure. Consequently, although the school has worked hard to improve this aspect, the same regulation from the last inspection is still not met. The school premises are sound and now meet the requirement to provide appropriate facilities for pupils who are ill; however,

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Evaluation of the school

1 www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/ukpga_20020032_en_14#pt10-ch1-pb4-l1g162 2 www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2005/ukpga_20050018_en_15#sch8 Inspection report template – Light touch inspections the regulation regarding the appropriate number of toilets for pupils is not met. Many pupils have expressed a wish for a library in their questionnaires as the school does not have one. The school meets the regulations for providing information to parents and there were no complaints in the previous school year.

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Quality of education

The overall quality of education is good. The good curriculum is underpinned with a clear policy and schemes of work. These are based on the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for the youngest children in Reception and the National Curriculum for the primary- and secondary-aged pupils, and cover all subjects except for music. Personal, social and health education has improved since the last inspection: it is suitably planned and taught across the school, for example through ‘circle time’ for younger pupils and citizenship for the older ones. The school’s religious ethos is effectively supported through the well-planned Islamic studies and the teaching of the Qur’an. The school provides well-planned Arabic lessons across all age groups. The secondary-aged pupils have access to a good range of GCSE courses and careers advice. The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are planned effectively as is information and communication technology which is an improvement

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Quality of education

since the last inspection. Physical education is taught regularly, but because of the lack of external space at the school, older pupils regularly visit the local sports centre. The school extends the curriculum by providing clubs for homework, and additional sporting activities. Regular educational visits take place which include the local shopping centre, castles and national museums. Visitors are regularly invited to the school to supplement learning including the police and local authors.

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Quality of education

Teaching and assessment are good. As a result, all pupils from the youngest in the Reception class to the older pupils studying for their GCSE examinations make good progress. There is a significant minority of pupils who are in the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language. These pupils receive effective additional help and support and consequently make good progress. Lessons have clear learning objectives and teachers explain what they want pupils to do very well. Activities are well planned and although there are limited resources, these are used well to optimise pupils’ learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about their lessons and are keen to learn. Islamic studies and Arabic are well taught by specialist teachers throughout the school. Although the Qur’an is generally taught well, there are occasions when a concern with the pupils’ pronunciation of words outweighs the teaching about their meaning and messages. As a result, pupils take part in the

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Quality of education

lessons without a thorough understanding of what they are reading. In other subjects, the best lessons provide pupils with time to discuss their learning with each other, and to extend their skills and knowledge. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and have high expectations of attainment and presentation. Consequently, weaknesses in primary-aged pupils’ handwriting, which was an area for improvement at the last inspection, have been addressed. In a few lessons, Inspection report template – Light touch inspections teachers impede the pace of lessons by talking to the whole class for too long. This results in pupils losing interest and their learning slowing down.

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Quality of education

The good assessment is demonstrated in how well the teachers know their pupils and use this prior knowledge and understanding to plan lessons. There are good systems in place across the school to monitor pupils’ progress including suitable individual education plans for those who require additional support in learning English. Pupils’ books are marked regularly and conscientiously by teachers. The school regularly assesses pupils’ progress over time using a range of standardised tests and assessments. At the end of Key Stage 4, pupils achieve GCSE grades which are higher than average. Parents receive informative reports which describe their children’s progress and achievements.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The Islamic ethos of the school ensures that all children and pupils are provided with clear moral and spiritual guidance which contributes to their outstanding behaviour. Pupils of all ages are polite and courteous. They work well together and treat each other with respect. Their understanding of other people’s faiths and beliefs is supported through visits to different places of worship and involvement in a variety of inter-faith projects and the local council of churches. The school has appointed staff who are from different ethnic and religious backgrounds and, as a result, pupils have a good understanding of inclusion and of the need for tolerance. Pupils have positive attitudes to school and their learning, which can be seen in the consistently high attendance rates. Pupils make a positive contribution to the school community though a range of roles

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

and responsibilities which include membership of the school council and working with the local parks department in improving the adjacent park which is used at breaktimes. Pupils have raised funds for charities which include ‘Hats for Haiti’. The school organises appropriate opportunities for pupils to learn about public institutions in England including visits from the police and local religious leaders.

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Safeguarding pupils’ welfare, health and safety

The provision for safeguarding pupils’ welfare, health and safety is satisfactory including for children in the Reception class. At the time of the last inspection it was good. It is now satisfactory overall because no evidence was available during the inspection to show that the designated safeguarding officers had attended the higher level of training, as required. The school is aware of this issue and has arranged for the training to be repeated in the very near future as a matter of urgency. All staff have the required checks prior to appointment and these are recorded in the single central register. There are suitable safeguarding policies and procedures in place and staff have recently received the required up-to-date training at a lower level. There are very few incidents of bullying and, over the last twelve months, there have been a very small number of temporary exclusions. Although pupils have generally good

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Safeguarding pupils’ welfare, health and safety

awareness of how to live healthy lifestyles a few of the older pupils bring in salty Inspection report template – Light touch inspections snacks which they eat during the morning break. The school carries out suitable risk assessments for both on- and off-site activities. The school has no development plan to support the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

The overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory. It cannot be better than this because the school’s provision for safeguarding is only satisfactory. Children settle in well to the Reception class and are well cared for by the staff. Children behave well and are encouraged to share and be polite.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

The provision and outcomes for the Early Years Foundation Stage are good overall. The quality of the teaching is good, there is a good balance of child- and adult-led activities. As a result, children make good progress from generally low starting points especially those who are at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language. By the time they start Year 1, almost all of them have skills and knowledge which are in line with age-related expectations. Teachers plan activities well, and the children benefit from the additional lessons in Arabic, Islamic studies and the Qur’an. The curriculum generally matches the needs of the children and is in line with the six key early years areas of learning. The staff work hard to overcome the physical restrictions of the older building which inhibit the provision of outdoor learning which can only be provided with supervision and a limited range of

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

temporary equipment and resources. The school is well aware of these physical limitations and there are suitable plans in place to improve provision in the very near future. The well-qualified and experienced staff work well together, and make good links with parents and carers. Although the Reception class is effectively led and managed by the assistant headteacher, the overall leadership and management is satisfactory because of the satisfactory safeguarding provision. Staff take responsibility for all children and encourage them successfully in developing positive relationships with adults and each other.

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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 provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety (standard 3) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 ensure that the senior member of staff with designated responsibility for safeguarding receives safeguarding training in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidance (paragraph 3(2)(b)). Inspection report template – Light touch inspections The school does not meet all requirements in respect of the premises and accommodation (standard 5) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 provide sufficient toilet facilities for all pupils (paragraph 5(k)).

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

In order to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended in 2002, the school should devise a three-year accessibility plan. 3

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by the regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development.

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What the school could do to improve further

 Improve the provision for outdoor learning for the Early Years Foundation Stage children.  Ensure that pupils learn about the meaning of passages of the Qur’an which are studied.

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What the school could do to improve further

3 www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/ukpga_19950050_en_1 Inspection report template – Light touch inspections Inspection judgement recording form outstanding good satisfactory inadequate The quality of education

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What the school could do to improve further

How well the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of pupils 

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What the school could do to improve further

How effective teaching and assessment are in meeting the full range of pupils’ needs 

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What the school could do to improve further

How well pupils make progress in their learning 

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What the school could do to improve further

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

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What the school could do to improve further

Quality of provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 

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What the school could do to improve further

The overall welfare, health and safety of pupils 

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What the school could do to improve further

The quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision

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What the school could do to improve further

How good are the outcomes for children in the EYFS? 

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What the school could do to improve further

What is the quality of provision in the EYFS? 

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What the school could do to improve further

How effectively is the EYFS led and managed? 

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What the school could do to improve further

Overall effectiveness: how well does the school meet the needs of children in the EYFS?  Inspection report template – Light touch inspections

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School details

Name of school Andalusia Academy DCSF number 801/6130 Unique Reference Number (URN) 130391 Type of school Muslim Status Independent Date school opened 2005 Age range of pupils 4−16 Gender of pupils Mixed in Reception through to Year 6. Girls from Years 7−11 Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 46 Girls: 139 Total: 185 Number of pupils with a statement of special educational need Boys: 0 Girls: 1 Total: 1

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £3,000 for Secondary £1,950 for Primary Address of school Old School Building St Matthias Park St Phillips Bristol BS2 0BA Telephone number 0117 929 1661 Email address admin2aab@bist.org.uk Headteacher Mrs Maqsood Proprietor Bristol Islamic School Trust Reporting inspector John Seal HMI Dates of inspection 25 May 2010

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