Madrasatul Imam Muhammad Zakariya

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

Pupils consider it a privilege to be part of this caring school community. They describe it as a happy place where they grow in confidence and express their religious identity freely. Pupils in key stage 4, and students in the sixth form, said that their Islamic learning is just as important to them as their academic qualifications. They are successful in both. Pupils know that the school has high expectations of them. In their conduct and their achievement, pupils respond to these expectations well. By the time they leave school, pupils are ready to take their next steps in education. Most move on to ambitious college courses. Many former pupils visit the school to share their experiences of university study and their professional careers. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They are thoughtful and polite when they debate their opinions about social and moral issues. The school provides them with a rich and diverse education. This broadens their cultural understanding and helps them to develop a deep respect for people from all faiths and backgrounds. They learn to challenge religious and gender stereotypes constructively. This prepares them well to make a valuable contribution to society.

What the school should improve

• The strategies that teachers use to assess pupils' knowledge, including their reading knowledge, do not identify specific gaps in pupils' learning accurately. This makes it difficult for teachers to revisit any missed or forgotten learning before moving on. The school should ensure that teachers use effective assessment strategies to identify any gaps in pupils' knowledge so that these can be addressed appropriately.
• Some of the proprietor's quality assurance processes lack rigour. They do not provide the proprietor with enough reassurance that the standards are met consistently. The proprietor should further strengthen its processes to ensure that the school's policies and procedures are implemented as well as intended.
• Some information related to safeguarding is not properly recorded. This has the potential for crucial details and patterns linked to pupils' well-being and safety to go unnoticed. The proprietor must ensure that safeguarding records, including information regarding the destinations of pupils who leave the school roll, are clear and comprehensive.

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