The British Muslim School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 June 2024

This is a school where everyone is made to feel welcome. The school ensures that pupils learn about how they can contribute to wider society as a British Muslim. Leaders are ambitious for what they want pupils to achieve and the qualifications they take at the end of Year 11. Pupils behave well and attend school regularly. There are positive relationships between staff and pupils. In many lessons, pupils are keen to contribute and share their ideas. Pupils say that bullying is rare, and they have confidence in staff to sort any issues out. As one Year 10 pupil commented, this is because 'we are all friends here'. Pupils study a range of subjects as part of the curriculum. There are a suitable number of GCSE subjects offered at key stage 4. However, there are inconsistencies in the way the curriculum is planned and taught. This means that pupils do not make as much progress as they should. Pupils have opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom. This year, pupils have visited the Houses of Parliament. There have also been visits to careers fairs and local universities.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not identified and set out the smaller blocks of knowledge pupils need to complete more complex tasks. This means that some pupils struggle to connect their learning together and build on what they already know. The school should ensure that the curriculum in each subject sets out the precise knowledge and skills pupils need to remember over time.
• There are inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum. Some teachers do not check pupils' understanding regularly enough or spot errors and misconceptions quickly. This slows pupils' progress. The school should ensure that the curriculum across all subjects is taught well to help pupils make better progress.
• The citizenship curriculum at key stage 4 is not as well developed as it is at key stage 3. This means that pupils in Years 10 & 11 are not developing and securing their knowledge across a range of important topics and areas. The school should ensure that the citizenship curriculum at key stage 4 is strengthened to help pupils deepen their knowledge and understanding.
• Despite recent work with an education consultant, the school lacks knowledge and expertise at leadership level. This is hindering the school's work to improve areas such as the quality of education. The school should take action to strengthen leadership and management to help move the school forward.

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