Ofsted raises 'extremely serious' safeguarding issues at faith school in Dewsbury

The head of a faith school in Dewsbury says it is “on a journey to make substantial improvement” following an Ofsted inspection that highlighted “extremely serious” safeguarding concerns
Institute for Islamic Education, Savile Town, DewsburyInstitute for Islamic Education, Savile Town, Dewsbury
Institute for Islamic Education, Savile Town, Dewsbury

It follows an inspection by education watchdogs who raised concerns after pupils’ complaints indicated they did not feel safe at the Institute of Islamic Education in Savile Town.

Executive head teacher Yusuf Seedat was responding to the contents of a report made after the education watchdog visited the Institute for Islamic Education in Savile Town in late November last year.

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Inspectors advised the school, which is located within the grounds of Makazi Mosque, to refer safeguarding issues to Kirklees Council’s children’s services and to the police.

A report by Ofsted revealed “a lax attitude towards safeguarding” at the school and that leaders “do not always act in the best interests of the pupils”.

Mr Seedat, who was appointed on November 1 before the inspection, said the school had put structures and systems in place “to improve further and we are on a journey to make substantial improvement”.

He said the Institute of Islamic Education takes safeguarding and welfare of its pupils “exceptionally seriously”.

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He added: “After our previous inspection, which highlighted concerns, the trustees and management team put in a concerted effort to improve all aspects of school life, which are underscored by Ofsted in their monitoring inspection report.

“The institute has invested heavily in supporting the leadership and management of the school by providing high-quality training and support from competent consultants complimented by Ofsted during their monitoring inspection.

“We recognise that the impact of these efforts will take a little bit of time to be fully felt and we stay committed to keep improving outcomes for all our pupils where significant minorities’ needs were not met.”

The school hit the headlines last year following another Ofsted inspection when inspectors found a book calling for gay people to be executed.

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Ofsted rates Dewsbury school 'inadequate' amid concerns over library book
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During the most recent inspection on November 25 and 26 last year inspectors found no books with inappropriate content.

Whilst many of the standards that led to concern previously had been met, at the latest inspection inspectors found that leaders were still not implementing safeguarding procedures.

The latest report published on January 25 said leaders “do not recognise when there is a serious safeguarding concern. This means that referrals to the local authority’s children’s services are not made when they should be.”

It went on: “Members of the inspection team identified a serious and significant safeguarding concern during this inspection. The school’s leaders had not linked readily available pieces of safeguarding intelligence together.

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“The inspectors asked the school’s leaders to refer this extremely serious safeguarding concern to the local authority’s children services and to the police.

“Several pupils’ needs, both of a safeguarding and well-being nature, were unidentified and unmet prior to this inspection.

“Pupils’ complaints indicated that they did not feel safe in school. Some pupils struggled to sleep. Their mental health was compromised. Some leaders are too concerned about the views of parents, rather than prioritising the child’s needs.

“Weak systems in analysing pupils’ attendance mean that some pupils can fail to attend the setting for a period of time without leaders taking action.

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“This is not effectively challenged or considered as a safeguarding concern. There are no records of when phone calls have been made to parents to check why pupils are not attending.

“This means that leaders are unaware of when pupils’ attendance becomes a concern. These pupils are not safeguarded effectively.”

The all-boys independent boarding and day school, which has 244 pupils aged 11-25 on its roll, was previously inspected in February 2020, and rated inadequate – the worst rating – amid concerns about teaching and leadership standards.