Bristol's only Islamic faith school could be facing closure if standards do not improve, the Department of Education has said.
Andalusia Academy Bristol, in St Philips, was rated "inadequate" for the third time last year due to a "significant decline in standards".
The 180-pupil independent school then had an additional inspection last November and Ofsted has now published its findings.
READ MORE: Mama Bear's nursery rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted
The education watchdog found Andalusia Academy Bristol is still not meeting all of the standards required of an independent school.
The Department for Education has now said it is considering appropriate further action.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “All independent schools must meet the Independent School Standards or face action and ultimately closure.
“Following its inadequate Ofsted rating, the Andalusia Academy was issued with a notice to improve and required to submit an action plan to meet the standards.
“We are now considering appropriate further action in light of the school’s failure to meet the standards at its latest inspection.”
Andalusia Academy Bristol said that it has made good progress in rising to meet the Independent School Standards in comparison to previous years, adding it is "well on its way" to meet all of these.
The independent school said it welcomed Ofsted's feedback and that it has begun to develop and implement a progress plan.
To keep up to date with latest Bristol news, and discuss thoughts with other residents, join our Bristol City Centre community group on Facebook here
According to the report, the additional inspection was carried out with the aim to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.
Ofsted found that the overall outcome was that Andalusia Academy Bristol "does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection".
Despite some recent improvements, the report also found that curriculum plans and schemes of work still do not pay enough attention to the needs of of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
The report also described the policy for pupils who speak English as an additional language as "not fit for purpose".
Ofsted found that, while some aspects of safeguarding have improved, leaders’ records of concerns still do not provide sufficient detail to demonstrate that action is taken to keep pupils safe.
Leaders’ investigations into concerns about pupils and allegations against staff are incomplete and any follow-up actions are often not recorded, it continued, but noted that "pupils largely move around the school in a calm manner".
According to the report, the independent school on St. Matthias Park appointed a new headteacher in September 2020 and leaders’ capacity to bring about improvements is now shown in the revised action plan, which is "clearer, and has realistic timescales and suitable success criteria".
"This improved leadership capacity has led, for example, to a much more coherent approach to planning and implementing the curriculum," the report continues. "Nonetheless, the curriculum still has weaknesses, particularly in relation to the provision for pupils with SEND.
"Subject leadership also remains underdeveloped, although leaders have plans to address this. Leaders have improved some aspects of safeguarding, but key elements of a robust safeguarding culture are not in place.
"This is most obvious with respect to leaders’ record-keeping. Consequently, safeguarding remains ineffective."
Andalusia Academy teaches children aged between five and 16, but its secondary provision has been girls-only since 2017.
The school was founded in 2005 as an independent school with an Islamic ethos and is run by Bristol Islamic Schools Trust, charging annual fees of £3,500-4,000.
Want our best stories with fewer ads and alerts when the biggest news stories drop? Download our app on iPhone or Android
