Bolton Muslim Girls School

Overview

Pupils are described as happy and safe in this “very welcoming school” where staff “care deeply for pupils’ well-being and safety.” The inspection highlights “very high rates of attendance” and pupils who behave with “maturity and confidence,” resulting in learning that is “not disrupted by poor behaviour.” The school has successfully increased curriculum ambition, particularly in key stage 3, helping younger pupils acquire broader knowledge.

Strengths

• Staff maintain “high expectations” for achievement which are “realised,” with pupils becoming “independent and thoughtful learners.”
• The curriculum is “high quality, broad and aspirational,” with teachers who “know their subjects well” and explain new learning clearly.
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is precise, with teachers using strategies and resources “well to help pupils with SEND learn all that they should.”
• Reading is prioritised, enabling early-stage learners to quickly become “confident, fluent readers.”
• Personal development is central, helping pupils grow through “community projects and faith-based events” and access to “impartial careers advice.”

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently check how secure pupils are in their learning, sometimes moving on to new topics before pupils are ready, which “hinders pupils from building a deep and rich body of subject knowledge.”
• The school’s assessment systems are not used consistently well in some subjects to ensure learning is secure; the school must ensure all staff are “fully equipped to check that pupils’ knowledge is secure before moving on to new topics.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”