Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School

Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School Daws Lane, London, NW7 4SL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Pupils make good progress in reading and writing in every class. Standards are above those achieved by other children of their age. This is a direct result of the investment made by the governors in a programme of training and materials to improve teaching.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make outstanding progress because of the excellent support they are given.  Most teaching is good because teachers explain clearly what pupils are expected to learn by the end of the lesson. They plan lessons well.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding due to the strong emphasis and high expectations of the Jewish culture.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in the school and on the playground. They play and learn well together. There is no bullying of any kind and pupils feel very safe and love coming to school.  The outstanding leadership of the headteachers makes sure that pupils make

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This is a good school

good progress. They make sure teachers understand that they are responsible for the progress pupils make. They show teachers what good teaching is and help them to get better. Where teaching is not good enough and teachers have left the school, the headteachers have taught classes until good teachers are found.  The governors give excellent support to the school. They make sure that pupils and teachers are safe and have everything they need to do a good job.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not consistently good in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The most-able children in the Nursery and Reception classes do not make enough progress in mathematics.  Pupils’ handwriting is not as good as it should be.  Governors are beginning to visit lessons but have not had training on what good teaching and learning looks like.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited 10 lessons; most of these visits were made jointly with the headteachers.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work to check their progress and to see how well the work was marked.  The inspector listened to pupils in Year 1 read.  The inspector held meetings with the headteachers, the subject leader for Jewish studies, the leader for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, members of the governing body, a group of parents and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector held telephone meetings with the School Kodesh Improvement Partner (SKIP), an adviser from the Department for Education and the Rabbi of the school, also the honorary principal.  Forty two parents responded to Parent View, the online questionnaire.  The inspector looked at a range of documents. These included the school’s checks on how well it is doing, school improvement action plans, the school’s own data on pupils’ progress and

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Information about this inspection

policies, procedures and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Julie Winyard, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most children are of White British heritage.  The school is a Free School and is committed to the practice of the Jewish faith.  The school is currently housed in temporary accommodation and will move to a new, purpose- built school in September 2013.  Since the school opened in September 2011 there have been a lot of changes in teaching and support staff.  There are two headteachers who share the job of headteacher in the school.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus is low. There are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs. There are no pupils supported at school action.  The school currently has pupils from age three to six.  The school does not use any teaching in places away from the school for its pupils.  No pupils are eligible to receive pupil premium, which provides additional money for looked after

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Information about this school

children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families.  The school has recently made links with a nearby outstanding school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes so it is always good by making sure that teachers:  plan activities with a good level of challenge for all abilities in the class, especially the most- able in mathematics  are clear about what children are going to learn by doing the activities planned for them  and other adults in the classroom, ask children questions that help them to think about what they are learning and deepen their understanding.  Improve pupils’ handwriting across the school by:  making sure that they are taught how to hold a pencil comfortably  having high expectations for pupils to write neatly and with careful letter formation from when they start to learn to write.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start the Nursery with skills and experiences that are generally in line with those expected for their age. They make good progress in reading and writing but the most-able children do not do so well in mathematics. This is because activities planned are not always a good match to their level of ability. This is also the case in the Reception class. For example, in one mathematics activity a child could not work out how to add two numbers correctly because she had not been taught different ways to do this.  Pupils’ attainment across the school is improving speedily and where teaching is consistently good, attainment is above average.  Pupils recognise letters and sounds (phonics) well in the early stages of reading and writing. They read with confidence and enjoyment and are using their knowledge of sounds when they write. Older pupils also enjoy reading and are making good progress.  Pupils are making good progress with writing across the school. This is because of good teaching

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The achievement of pupils is good

and also the many different opportunities they are given to write. For example, in a Jewish studies lesson, pupils in Year 1 were very excited to write about what they would need for their party.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same rate of progress as other pupils in the school. This is because the tasks they are given in lessons are a good match to their learning needs. Adult helpers are given excellent guidance on how to work with the pupils and there is a good level of expert support from specialists, such as speech therapists, where this is needed.  Pupils’ handwriting is not good enough because they are not taught from when they start school how to form letters in a consistent way.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lesson observations and the work seen in pupils’ books show that teaching is usually good in most classes. This is why pupils make good progress and achieve well. In the outstanding teaching seen, teachers expect all pupils to work very hard and they make sure that every pupil can achieve their best work. For example, in a Jewish studies lesson, a pupil who finds learning difficult wrote an impressive shopping list without extra help and with great enthusiasm.  Most teachers’ planning is detailed and clear about what pupils are expected to learn by the end of the lesson. This is not always the case for the most-able children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in mathematics. Also, sometimes activities are fun but do not have a clear purpose so opportunities for learning are missed.  Teachers are skilled with the wide range of technology teaching aids in their classrooms and use them to help pupils learn better. As a result, pupils are very confident in the use of iPads to help

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The quality of teaching is good

them find out new information.  Teachers make sure that all pupils take an active part in lessons. They make good use of partner work so that every pupil gets a chance to give their ideas.  Teachers talk to pupils about their work during lessons and explain what they need to do to improve their work. Where they mark the books of older pupils they write helpful comments and suggest the next steps for learning.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, teachers and other adults in the classroom do not always use searching questions to find out what children know and understand or to help them to think more deeply about what they are learning.  Teachers do not always make sure that pupils have a comfortable way to hold their pencil or have high enough expectations for the quality of pupils’ handwriting.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are typically polite and well behaved around the school and on the playground. They listen well to their teachers and work hard during lessons. They enjoy answering questions and understand the ways teachers make it fair so that everyone gets a chance to answer. Pupils work well together in pairs and in groups. They respect and listen to other adults they work with in school.  The large number of parents who responded to Parent View agree that the school makes sure pupils behave well. They have no concerns about bullying and agree that their children feel safe and happy at school.  Pupils have no concerns about bullying and say if there is any unkindness it is dealt with immediately and well. There are good safeguards in place to protect younger children from the dangers of internet use. Older pupils know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet for research.  Attendance was high last year. It is currently slightly below average due to pupils having chicken

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pox or the recent sickness bug. The school is active in improving attendance and all pupils arrive at school on time and love coming to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteachers give outstanding and inspirational leadership to the school. Since it opened they have worked tirelessly to make sure pupils get the best teaching and learning opportunities. They monitor the quality of teaching very carefully and use this information to help teachers improve. They are quick to make difficult decisions where teachers do not meet the standards required.  The new leader for Jewish studies embraces the high expectations of the headteachers. She has put in place the agreed plan for the teaching of Jewish studies from Nursery to Year 6. At the moment she teaches most of the lessons and the teaching seen during the inspection inspires pupils to learn about their cultural heritage. She also leads the daily prayers in every class. Children in the Nursery are keen to recite the prayers in Hebrew and sing the lively worship songs. This contributes strongly to the pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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The leadership and management are good

development.  The leader for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is highly qualified and knows exactly how to find out what pupils’ needs are and how to help them to learn well. She makes sure that if pupils need extra help from experts outside the school that this is provided for them.  Equal opportunities are promoted strongly. Every pupil, whatever their background or need, is able to take part in all the activities the school has to offer. Leaders ensure there is no discrimination of any kind.  Parents are very pleased with the school. They say their children have settled in very quickly and cannot wait to get to school. They speak very highly of the headteachers and say they particularly value the Jewish studies work. Several of them have taken a crash course in Hebrew and most have attended special celebrations for festivals in their children’s classes.  Pupils are taught a broad and interesting range of subjects including lessons about other faiths

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The leadership and management are good

and cultures. The school has made sure that there are lots of opportunities for pupils to practise and improve their skills in English and mathematics through these subjects. The school organises an after-school club run by a Jewish organisation. There are many visits to the local community, for example to the local shops where pupils choose and buy kosher food for their Shabbat celebration. The Rabbi is a regular visitor to the school. During the inspection, all the pupils visited the local library.  Safeguarding meets current government requirements and is effective. The school carries out the necessary checks on staff to ensure they are suitable to work with children. All staff have been trained at the right levels.  The local authority and Department of Education have supported the school very well. They have helped the headteachers and governors in setting up the school and in monitoring the

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The leadership and management are good

quality of teaching and learning.  The governance of the school:  The governors make a strong contribution to the leadership and management of the school. They understand exactly what is expected of them and are passionate about providing the best quality teaching and learning for all pupils. They are keen to become more involved in school improvement but since the school opened have been diverted by serious community issues. Throughout this difficult time they have made sure that these issues do not affect pupils’ learning and well-being. Governors know about the quality of teaching in the school and the way in which performance management is effective in bringing about improvement, including linking teachers’ salaries to the progress pupils make. They make sure the headteachers have challenging targets to bring about further improvements to teaching and learning. They have made a few visits to lessons

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The leadership and management are good

but have not yet had training about what makes good quality teaching and learning. This is planned for next term. The school is in temporary accommodation and governors have made sure that the building and grounds are exceptionally safe for the pupils. Governors know their own strengths and weaknesses and make sure they choose the best training courses to help them understand and monitor the school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 136938 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 400327

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Free School category Community Age range of pupils 3–6 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 76 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Adam Dawson Headteacher Yvonne Baron and Sharon Mullish Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8906 2983 Email address admin@etzchaim-primaryschool.org.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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