Darul Uloom London School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 February 2025

Pupils settle into school life quickly and make strong and lasting friendships. This is due to the sense of camaraderie and community in the school. Pupils have respectful relationships with staff. Staff know their pupils well and look after them. Pupils have trusted adults and 'independent listeners' that they go to if they need advice or have concerns. Pupils and their families like the school's emphasis on Islamic studies and this is the main reason for pupils to attend the school. Pupils value the personal and spiritual enrichment they get from these. In some secular subjects, standards of work across the school are not high. While there is some improvement in current pupils' achievement, there is variation in how well subjects are taught. This impacts on the extent and depth of pupils' learning. As boarders, pupils take pride in how independent they become. Staff encourage pupils to take responsibility and to play their part in looking after the school. For example, sixth-form students support younger pupils in lessons and the school council makes recommendations for school improvement. Pupils' behaviour reflects the school's high expectations of conduct. They share respectful relationships with staff and each other.

What the school should improve

• The quality of education, including in the sixth form, is inconsistent. In some subjects, pupils do not develop foundational knowledge and skills in Years 7 to 9. This means that they struggle with work in later years and do not achieve highly in external examinations, particularly at GCSE. In Years 10 and 11, a number of subjects focus heavily on examination technique. Pupils are not taught a rich body of knowledge as a result. The school should ensure that all subjects are consistently well taught, so that pupils' learning across the curriculum is deep and secure in all year groups.
• At times, assessment is not well used to ensure that pupils understand important knowledge before they move on in their learning. This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge that slows progression through the curriculum. The school should ensure that checks on prior learning are used effectively to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge before moving on to new learning.
• The curriculum offer in the sixth form is narrow and lacks ambition. This limits students' opportunities for further education, training and employment. The school should ensure that the sixth-form curriculum offer is suitably ambitious.
• The school, including the proprietor, does not have clear oversight of the school's effectiveness. It has not taken prompt action to stem a decline in the quality of education. A number of the independent school standards are not met. The school should ensure that it has robust systems in place to quality assure the curriculum and secure the necessary improvements to its provision.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)