The headteacher at a newly opened secondary school was “honoured” after receiving ‘Outstanding’ in its first Ofsted report.

Olive Boys High School, in Ormerod Road, Burnley, was inspected between October 1 and 3 and was considered ‘Outstanding’ in all areas.

A report published on November 6 described how the school was outstanding in all areas.

Mahwish Hanif, headteacher at Olive High, said: “I feel like the vision is to create gentlemen of the 21st century, and inspectors were able to see that and saw how that is how we shaped our curriculum and our personal behaviour and attitudes.

“To have our values aims, objectives and ambitions recognised it was great to have that.”

Inspectors praised the warm and welcoming school and recognised the compassion students had towards one another and the strong friendships that were forged there.

Mrs Hanif said: “We have a very close-knit community, and we have a very supportive environment were our students feel honoured when we announced the result this week and there was an amazing reaction from our student body.

“Teachers are very proud and caring and loving and that comes through quite strongly. Parents are an integral part of our school community, we feel blessed to have that full package on board.”

High standards from the school on behaviour were praised and the report explained that pupils responded well to it and were respectful and courteous towards one another.

Extra-curricular activities, including public speaking, were said to help children build their confidence and strengthen their communication skills.

Maulana Firasat, principal at the £2,500 a year independent school, added: "We would like to congratulate everyone at the school as well as the wider community for this incredible achievement.

"The School's mission is to develop ‘British Muslim Gentlemen of the 21st Century' and we are humbled the inspectors were able to see this through the school's robust curriculum and personal development programme. 

"The report is a testament to the hard work, efforts, and dedication of the staff, students and parents.

"The school is committed to providing the best education and school experience for every student at the school, as well as supporting the wider community through our charitable work.

"We are delighted for everyone that their work has been recognised in this way and we are extremely proud of each and every individual involved in the school.”

The report said: “Pupils value opportunities that enable them to be positive role models for the younger pupils. For example, they lead eco-projects such as litter picking and raising environmental awareness.

“Pupils relish the variety of clubs which encourage them to pursue their interests such as gardening, computing, chess and coding. In particular, pupils thoroughly enjoy developing their culinary skills and sharing the tasty treats that they cook with their family and friends.”

A carefully designed curriculum ensures pupils learn all that they should and helps them to achieve well and pupils are well prepared for their next stage in education.

Essential subject knowledge that pupils need to learn is expertly identified and logically ordered and helps pupils to build on their knowledge securely over time.

The content provided to students has also been clearly explained and taught effectively and helps pupils to make insightful connections between their learning across subjects.

The report continued: “Teachers place a sharp focus in ensuring that pupils apply their learning to increasingly complex activities.

“They use assessment strategies skilfully to check that pupils know and remember the subject content well. This helps them to review and remedy any gaps in knowledge quickly.

“The school fervently ensures that there is high vigilance in identifying and meeting any additional needs of pupils with SEND. Consequently, pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.”

Olive High was said to zealously promote the love of reading and pupils who struggle with it receive targeted support which helps them to become competent and fluent readers.

Personal development was commended amongst pupils with students receiving a comprehensive personal, social, health and economic education curriculum, where they learn extensively about avoiding dangers in the community and online.

Inspectors added: “Pupils cherish the opportunities that they have to take part in charitable endeavours.

“They relished serving the community through ‘the big local mosque clean-up’, litter picking projects and church harvesting activities. This encourages the importance of helping others regardless of faith and culture.

“They are prepared exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.”

A well-implemented careers programme and rich set of experiences were also recognised, which included a trip to the Houses of Parliament.

Staff were also considered, specifically the way the school approaches managing workload and well-being, whilst providing the best education and experiences for pupils.

Inspectors concluded: “At the heart of the school’s success is its unrelenting efforts to nurture pupils to be ‘gentlemen of the 21st century’.”

Safeguarding arrangements were considered to be effective.