Al Madina School for Girls

Overview: Al Madina School for Girls is a small school with a clear Islamic religious ethos for girls aged 11 to 16. The school has a strong sense of community, with pupils feeling a sense of belonging and trust in staff. Pupils achieve well, with a high proportion gaining a grade 5 and above in GCSE examinations.

Strengths:

• Pupils achieve well, with a high proportion gaining a grade 5 and above in GCSE examinations.
• The school has a clear and effective system to support pupils' attendance, with leaders taking a firm line while working sensitively with families.
• Pupils demonstrate an impressive understanding of fundamental British values, recognising the various ways they can bring about change through the democratic process.
• The school provides a well-planned careers programme, including work experience, employer visits, and outings to careers fayres.
• Pupils benefit from a well-sequenced personal development and wellbeing programme that prioritises physical and mental health.

Areas to improve:

• Leaders should continue to provide staff with guidance on how curriculum and teaching can be adapted with greater precision to support the academic progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The school should ensure that staff provide well-chosen opportunities for pupils to rehearse and apply their learning, helping to build their confidence to independently tackle activities, including writing in depth about what they know.
• Leaders should ensure that their work continues to improve pupils’ attendance and to further reduce rates of persistent absence.

Safeguarding: The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfilling their specific responsibilities and having established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed.