Ofsted Report Condemns Muslim Free School

Ofsted inspectors have condemned a Muslim free school, open for less than a year, as "dysfunctional" and inadequate in every category of its inspection.

The regulator had been due to inspect the Al-Madinah school in Derby at the end of its first year, however following reports of concerns about teaching standards and treatment of pupils.

The report, which can be viewed in full on the Ofsted website, declares: "This is a school that requires special measures."

The reports key findings include:

• This school is dysfunctional. The basic systems and processes a school needs to operate well are not in place.

• This is a school which has been set up and run by representatives of the community with limited knowledge and experience. Leadership and management, including governance, are inadequate and have been unable to improve the school.

• The school has not been adequately monitored or supported.

• Pupils’ achievement is inadequate because the staff’s expectations are too low and pupils do not make enough progress.

• Teaching is inadequate. Many teachers are inexperienced and have not received the training and support they need.

• In many lessons, pupils are given the same work to do regardless of their different abilities.

• Behaviour and safety are inadequate because attendance is low and declining.

• Procedures for ensuring pupils are safe do not meet requirements.

• The governing body is ineffective. Until recently, the governing body had not appreciated how poor pupils’ experiences are. The school’s finances are not properly managed and the usual safe recruitment processes have not been followed.

The report did also highlight the following strengths of the school:

• Pupils feel happy in this school. Pupils’ spiritual and moral development is well supported in and out of school. Islamic Studies contribute well to promoting pupils’ understanding of the similarities between different religions. Inspectors saw no evidence during the inspection of boys and girls being treated unequally.

• There is a clear vision for the purpose and place of this school in the community. The school engages well with its parents but has not translated its vision into reality.

• Good relationships exist between pupils and between pupils and staff.

The school has said that it accepts the report and would use it to move forward.

(MH/IT)