Al-Furqaan Preparatory School

Al-Furqaan Preparatory School Independent school inspection report

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DCSF registration number 382/6019 Unique Reference Number (URN) 131131 Inspection number 353897 Inspection dates 12–13 May 2010 Reporting inspector Mohammad Ismail

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Published: 03 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. 090070 Independent school inspection report

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Section 162A 1 of the Education Act 2002, 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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Information about the school

Al-Furqaan is an independent Muslim day school, in Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. The school opened in 1996 and at present there are 122 pupils on roll, between the ages of four and 11. There are 17 children in the Reception Year in the Early Years Foundation Stage. All pupils are British and almost all of them are of South Asian origin. At present there are no pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school aims ‘to provide a comfortable and relaxed environment where all pupils can study Islam alongside subjects in the National Curriculum’. The school was previously inspected in June 2007.

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Evaluation of the school

Al-Furqaan provides a good quality of education. The school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and its pupils’ behaviour are outstanding. The school’s provision for child protection and safeguarding pupils is good and meets all the requirements. The provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety is good as is the overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school has made good improvement since its last inspection and meets its aims. The school meets all the regulations required for its continued registration as an independent school.

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Quality of education

The school offers a satisfactory curriculum. There is a detailed curriculum policy which is appropriately supported by schemes of work and lesson plans for each subject. The school offers most of the subjects in the National Curriculum and follows national strategies to enable it to effectively deliver the literacy and numeracy aspects of its curriculum. The quality of planning for core subjects of English, mathematics and science and Islamic studies is good. The quality of planning for citizenship, history, religious education, geography, art and physical education is satisfactory. The school allocates more time for the core subjects and there is sufficient time allocated for other subjects, apart from physical education where

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Quality of education

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 Independent school inspection report there is only one session per week at Key Stage 2. The school does not offer information and communication technology (ICT) as a discreet subject but instead links it with other subject areas of the curriculum. As a result, pupils are provided with limited opportunities to develop their ICT skills. The quality of the curriculum in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good where staff find creative and effective ways of enthusing children in developing their basic skills.

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Quality of education

The school makes good provision for personal social and health education (PSHE) according to its ethos. The mid-day prayers, supplications in lessons and Islamic studies programme provide extra support for the PSHE provision. The school organises some educational visits related to the subject areas of the curriculum. For example, visits to the local museum and the Bradford Industrial Museum. There are some extra-curricular activities which provide pupils with opportunities to extend their learning in different areas such as plays about different Islamic rituals and improving the quality of their handwriting and art work. The school’s curriculum meets the needs of its pupils and it helps them to be prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Quality of education

The school’s teaching and assessment are good. Teachers plan and deliver their lessons appropriately to meet the needs of all the pupils. Pupils are given the right level of work to match their learning needs. Teachers use different methods to make learning enjoyable and to involve everyone in their lessons. Teachers effectively link their lessons with different subject areas of the curriculum. All teachers are involved in the teachers’ training programme which has helped the school to improve the quality of its teaching since the last inspection. There are teaching assistants in most classes who work effectively with teaching staff to help pupils with their learning. Class time is managed to good effect. Teaching provision in the Reception class is also good and teachers plan and teach their lessons effectively and involve the children in different learning activities.

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Quality of education

Relationships between teachers and pupils are very good. During lessons pupils behave extremely well. They show respect to their teachers and their classmates and show a keen interest in their learning. Teachers motivate their pupils well and successfully engage them in their lessons. Pupils confidently ask questions and appropriately assert their views. They work well in groups during which they share their learning with each other and have opportunities to work independently.

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Quality of education

As a result of good teaching throughout the school, including the Early Years Foundation Stage, pupils and children make good progress. The last three years’ results for Key Stage 2 end-of-year tests show that most pupils have attained at least average expectations. There is a good marking and assessment policy in place. Pupils are assessed frequently and the data are collected throughout the school and fed into the progress-tracking system, which is effectively used by teachers for lesson planning and progress monitoring. Pupils’ work is regularly marked with helpful comments to support them in improving their work. Independent school inspection report

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their behaviour are outstanding. Their attendance is well above average and pupils’ attitudes to learning are outstanding. They say they love their school and enjoy their education. Children in the Reception Year are also extremely well behaved and their personal development is good. Pupils greet each other and their visitors warmly. They are very respectful and polite.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

All pupils take part in competitions to demonstrate their different talents including those of hand writing, art and sport. They do well in their core subjects which effectively prepares them for their future lives and education. They have a sharp understanding of the concept of democracy and how this works in practice, for example, by voting for representatives to the school council. They play an active role, therefore, in school life through the elected school council which enables them to help the school in different ways; they make suggestions for school improvement and all pupils help in fund raising for the school and for a local children’s hospice. The school promotes good community cohesion by teaching its pupils about other faiths and in providing opportunities for them to visit different places of worship. All pupils take part in the assemblies during which they learn to respect the law and the

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Pupils learn about British institutions in history and citizenship lessons. Inspectors found that pupils were acutely aware of the current national political events. The school is frequently visited by representatives from local civic organisations, for example, to improve pupils’ understanding of the fire service. The school maintains good working relationship with other schools in the area.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The provision for child protection and safeguarding pupils’ welfare, health and safety in the school and in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. There is an anti- bullying policy which is effectively implemented. The school successfully raises pupils’ awareness about healthy food and healthy lifestyles with a policy for ‘only fruit breaks’ and with no unhealthy food permitted at lunchtime. All the required policies are in place, including a safeguarding policy and all staff are trained in safeguarding at the required level including the school’s designated child protection officer. There are risk assessments for external visits and activities which meet the regulations. The school has a first aid policy and there are two first aiders amongst the staff trained at the required level. The school has a fire risk assessment which has been approved by a registered local fire safety company. All fire fighting equipment is regularly tested.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school promotes positive behaviour extremely successfully through an extensive programme of school assemblies which is enforced with a rewards and sanction policy. The school has created a three-year accessibility plan which meets the requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act. The school’s attendance and admission registers meet the regulations. Independent school inspection report

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Suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school has undertaken all the required checks to ensure that its staff, the proprietor and volunteers are suitable to work with children. There is a robust recruitment policy in place that is appropriately implemented. The school maintains a single central register which meets the regulations.

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School’s premises and accommodation

Since its last inspection the school has made significant improvements to its premises by providing more classrooms and washrooms. This has made the building more suited to enable all its pupils to learn effectively and safely. There are sufficient classrooms, an ICT suite, a medical room, a small library and sufficient washrooms for all staff and pupils.

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

The school meets all requirements by providing the necessary information to parents, carers and others through an up-to-date prospectus. The school has an effectively implemented policy of annually reporting on pupils’ progress to parents, carers and others.

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Procedures for handling complaints

The school has a complaints policy and a set of procedures, which meet all of the regulations. The school has taken steps to ensure that parents and carers are aware of these. No formal complaints have been registered in the past year.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

The overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children make very good progress in communication, language and literacy, and in problem solving, reasoning and numeracy, although very good progress is less evident in other areas of learning. Children thoroughly enjoy their learning and show high levels of engagement and enthusiasm. They receive well-placed praise and encouragement.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Through good provision, children have learning experiences planned for them to support the development of their basic skills. Staff are creative and find ways to enthuse the children. For example, children giggle with delight whilst completing a well-planned mathematical activity in the sand. Observations are recorded and are used well to plan for the children’s next steps in their development and practitioners show a very good knowledge of the children in their care. On occasions the breadth of children’s experiences is limited through restrictions on use of the outdoor area and the range of resources made available. However, because of the strong input that they receive, outcomes for children are good overall and they have a good understanding of how to stay healthy and safe, and they visibly enjoy their learning. Independent school inspection report They are particularly keen to stay healthy and talk about the way their bodies react

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

after exercise and compete for the highest number of stars for eating fruit. Behaviour is exemplary and children demonstrate respect for the people around them.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Staff are suitably qualified. Self-evaluation is accurate and shows that leaders understand how to further the development of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The management team is ambitious and shows a strong capacity to sustain improvement.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets all of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended (‘the Regulations’).

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by 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 ICT by offering discreet sessions in the subject for each class.  Provide at least two sessions of physical education each week for pupils in Key Stage 2. Independent school inspection report Inspection judgement recording form outstanding good satisfactory inadequate

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What the school could do to improve further

Overall quality of education √ 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 How good are the outcomes for children in the EYFS? √ What is the quality of provision in the EYFS? √ How effectively is the EYFS led and managed? √ Overall effectiveness: how well does the school meet the needs of children in the EYFS? √

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What the school could do to improve further

The quality of boarding provision (leave blank if not applicable)

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What the school could do to improve further

Evaluation of boarding provision Independent school inspection report

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School details

Name of school Al-Furqaan Preparatory School DCSF number 382/6019 Unique reference number (URN) 131131 Type of school Muslim day school Status Independent Date school opened 1996 Age range of pupils 4-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 54 Girls: 68 Total: 122 Annual fees (day pupils) £650 Address of school Drill Hall House Bath Street Dewsbury West Yorkshire WF13 2JR Telephone number 01924 453661 Fax number 01924 453661 Email address alfurqaanprep@yahoo.co.uk Headteacher Mr Aswat Proprietor Mr Y Bham Reporting inspector Mohammad Ismail Dates of inspection 12-13 May 2010

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