Al-Aqsa Schools Trust

Overview

Al-Aqsa Schools Trust is an independent school where pupils feel safe, valued, and secure within a supportive community described as having a ‘family feel’. The report states that the school provides a ‘broad and ambitious curriculum’ with well-structured subjects, resulting in positive behaviour, high attendance, and strong academic outcomes for most pupils.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral relationships ensure pupils feel ‘valued and secure’, with concerns addressed ‘swiftly and effectively’.
• The curriculum is ‘well structured’, building knowledge progressively in subjects like science, mathematics, and English.
• Early reading is a priority, with ‘strong focus on phonics teaching’ and expert support for struggling pupils.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective help and are ‘closely monitored’ to ensure they achieve well.
• Leaders demonstrate robust compliance with independent school standards, including ‘rigorous’ health and safety checks.

Areas to improve

• Teaching in ‘a few foundation subjects in the primary phase’ is less effective, with feedback sometimes lacking precision, limiting pupil achievement.
• Adult interactions in the early years do not consistently promote discussion, meaning some children do not ‘consolidate learning through play as well as they could’.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, citing robust recruitment procedures and a culture that puts pupils’ interests first.