Rosh Pinah Primary School

Glengall Road, Edgware, Middlesex, HA8 8TE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that has serious weaknesses.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ achievement is inadequate across Years 1 to 6, particularly in writing. Pupils are not working at the levels they should be given their attainment when they leave Reception.  The quality of teaching and its impact on the pupils’ learning have declined considerably across Years 1 to 6 since the previous inspection.  Teaching does not consistently meet the needs of different groups of pupils, particularly the most able, because expectations are not high enough.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make inadequate progress.  Subject leaders, many of whom are new in post, do not yet have sufficient skills to play a significant role in improving teaching and learning.  Pupils make especially slow progress in writing partly because they have too few opportunities for extended writing in English and in other subjects.  Teachers’ marking does not consistently help pupils to identify where they have gone wrong and how to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improve.  Some subjects, such as science, are not taught in sufficient depth in each key stage.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Strong leadership by the new headteacher and senior leaders is leading to tangible improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.  The governing body has become very effective under new leadership. Governors have taken difficult decisions since the last inspection but always for the good of the pupils. Governors are regaining the faith of parents and carers who see that they are taking action to reverse the school’s decline.  Children are taught well and make good progress in the early years. They are prepared well for learning in Year 1.  Early reading skills are taught well so pupils develop a secure understanding of phonics (the sounds that letters make).  The pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes support their improving learning well. All staff are vigilant in following safeguarding procedures. As a result, pupils say they feel safe in school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons, eight of which were visited together with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books from this academic year.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, school staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 89 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also held informal discussions with parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring information, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors also took account of the 40 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Martin Beale, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Information about this school

 This Orthodox Jewish school is larger than most primary schools.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  At one in 20, a well below average proportion of pupils receive the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional government funding which in this school supports those known to be eligible for free school meals. There were very few eligible pupils in Year 6 in 2014.  At about one pupil in five, the proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The Nursery caters for 60 children on a part time basis. Children attend the two Reception classes full time.  The school has experienced considerable instability at the most senior leadership levels since the previous inspection. The headteacher at the time retired shortly thereafter. The successor headteacher left at short notice in July 2013. The new headteacher and deputy headteachers have been in place as a team since

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Information about this school

September 2014.  The school is currently being supported by the headteacher and consultants from Lilac Sky Schools and Academies chain.  The school is reaching the end of a building programme. New nursery accommodation has recently been completed and further classrooms are in the process of being added.  The section 48 inspection of religious education did not take place at the same time as this inspection. The school has been notified that this will take place sometime in the near future.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In Years 1 to 6, raise the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning in reading, writing and mathematics by ensuring that:  teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly the most able  teachers provide work that enables all pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to make good progress  pupils receive consistently better feedback from teachers on how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase pupils’ progress in writing by:  ensuring that teachers show pupils regularly how to express their ideas in imaginative, written text  providing more opportunities for pupils to plan and complete extended pieces of writing in English  providing opportunities for pupils to develop and extend their writing skills in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide training and guidance so that all subject leaders are able to contribute to improving teaching and learning and raising pupils’ achievement as a matter of urgency.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all subjects are taught in sufficient depth at each key stage.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has been through a very difficult period over the last 18 months. Many parents and carers lost confidence in its leadership and governance. Instability in leadership led to a decline in the quality of teaching and the pupils’ achievement. Staff morale fell and important developments were halted.  The new headteacher and senior leaders are rebuilding staff confidence. They have raised morale so that staff share their ambitions for the school and support the actions they are taking. The school is moving in the right direction. Teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved in the short time the new leadership team has been in post. This, together with strong governance, give the school the capacity to meet the challenges it faces with confidence.  The headteacher has put in place new and rigorous procedures for managing the performance of teachers. Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching, set challenging targets and provide individual

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The leadership and management requires improvement

training and support. This process is now linked tightly to future salary progression.  The school’s engagement with the local authority has helped to stem its decline, since the school started to cause concern in June 2013. Support provided in literacy, for example, is leading to improved teaching. Governors have also commissioned a group of consultants with a proven track record to provide support for the school’s leadership. This is leading to improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Many subject leaders are new in post from the start of last term. Training is in place to develop their skills, but currently they are not able to support the headteacher’s drive and actions as well as they might.  The curriculum is inadequate because subjects such as science are not allocated sufficient time to enable teaching in sufficient depth and breadth. Furthermore, there had been insufficient planning in the past to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

prepare for changes to the National Curriculum.  The school focuses well on the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn to respect others by learning about their faiths and cultures. This includes, for example, various activities in Black History Month. Pupils learn about the features of democracy through the school council, mock elections and visiting the Houses of Parliament. They are aware of current affairs and say prayers for those involved in tragic events.  Additional sports funding has only started to be used effectively this year. The school has engaged a new set of sports coaches. They have already seen increased participation in sports activities and are promoting greater teamwork among pupils.  The school has not promoted equality of opportunity or tackled discrimination well enough in the past. Groups of pupils such as the most able, the disadvantaged and those with special educational needs have

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The leadership and management requires improvement

not been supported to make good progress. This is changing as the progress of individual pupils is more carefully tracked and action is taken if they are falling behind their targets.  The school has reviewed its use of the pupil premium funding so that it supports the progress of the small number of eligible pupils in each year group more closely.  The school has tightened safeguarding procedures. They meet requirements. They are reviewed regularly and staff are trained to ensure that they fulfil requirements for protecting pupils and keeping them safe.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very strategic in their thinking and instrumental in planning for the changes currently underway. They now have the information and expertise with which to question leaders about school performance and use this to set challenging targets for its improvement. Governors are very clear that assessment information shows pupils are not making enough progress. They recognise this is because

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The leadership and management requires improvement

of weaknesses in teaching but that these are being tackled. They understand how the headteacher uses performance management to improve teaching. They are firm that no teacher will be rewarded with salary progression unless their performance is leading to good progress for pupils. Governors have negotiated challenging goals and timescales for the work of external consultants. Governors monitor the impact of their spending carefully and plan how funding is to support the school’s improvement. Governors took very robust action to change the processes, culture and systems surrounding safeguarding. They monitor the implementation of these changes rigorously.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils move sensibly around the school and generally play happily together at break times, although some Year 2 pupils find Year 6 pupils can be boisterous in the playground. This was seen by inspectors, along with some Year 6 pupils falling out with each other. Parents and carers are happy with behaviour and how the school deals with any problems. Parents and carers say their children are happy to come to school, which is reflected in their above average attendance.  Pupils are polite and considerate. They respond quickly to their teachers’ expectations for their behaviour in class and at other times such as in the dining hall. Pupils report that behaviour has improved over the last 18 months and that teachers are more consistent in the way they use the system of rewards and sanctions. However, pupils report and inspectors observed some poor behaviour in Jewish studies and

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Behaviour

Hebrew lessons.  Pupils are proud of their school and show their teachers respect, although not all take enough care over the presentation of their work. They listen carefully to their teachers and answer their questions thoughtfully. Most pupils are keen to learn, work hard and mostly concentrate well. This generates a purposeful working atmosphere in most classes. Pupils cooperate well with each other throughout the school, starting in the Nursery. They share ideas constructively in discussions and learn to work as part of a team when working on activities together.  Pupils’ positive attitudes contribute to their improving progress. However, a few lose concentration when teaching does not grab their attention.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents and carers are very happy with the way the school cares for their children and how it does the utmost to keep them safe.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. Talks and guidance, for example from the emergency services and e- safety training, enable them to understand how they can take responsibility for keeping themselves safe from harm.  Pupils say there was some bullying in the past but that this is now dealt with quickly before it can get out of hand. This is confirmed by school records and the views of most parents and carers.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate because teachers do not always have high enough expectations of all pupils. As a result, teachers do not set work that is suitably difficult for pupils’ different abilities in reading, mathematics, and especially writing. Very often teachers set all pupils the same activities whatever their prior learning and understanding.  At times the most able listen to teachers’ explanations of work they have already mastered and undertake tasks that they find too easy. This slows their learning. In mathematics, for example, the most able pupils are not given sufficiently challenging work.  Teachers do not plan carefully enough to meet the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. These pupils do not learn well when teaching does not build on their current knowledge. They also struggle with some of the work set because they have gaps in their basic skills.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teachers do not consistently show pupils how they can turn their ideas into completed work, particularly in writing. Opportunities to plan and complete extended pieces of writing in English are insufficient and pupils rarely develop their writing in depth in other subjects.  Not all teachers have fully embraced the changes to marking procedures introduced this year. They do not provide sufficient guidance for pupils on how they can improve their work. When errors go uncorrected, misconceptions remain and pupils are not helped to improve their work effectively.  Teaching is improving rapidly in response to the training and guidance provided by the headteacher and senior leaders. Generally, teachers command the respect of pupils in their classes, so they rarely have to waste time correcting misbehaviour. Teaching is becoming more focused on using interesting resources and methods to stimulate the pupils’ imaginations.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Activities provided in the early years are interesting and generally meet the needs of the children well. However, occasionally the most able are not challenged sufficiently by being prompted to undertake harder work than others.

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is inadequate

 Pupils’ achievement is inadequate because their attainment has fallen across the school. Year 6 national test results in 2014 remained significantly above average in reading and mathematics, but fell to average in writing. Current Year 6 pupils are working below this standard because of falling Year 2 attainment and slow progress throughout Key Stage 2 since the last inspection.  Pupils speak in well-constructed sentences using a wide vocabulary, but this is not reflected in the quality of their written work. Their writing develops only slowly. The handwriting of many pupils is immature and not neatly formed.  The most able pupils are not challenged to reach higher levels, particularly in writing. Several Year 6 pupils reached the highest Level 6 in mathematics in 2014 but none did so in reading or writing. In a small number of cases, pupils at Level 3 in Year 2 did not exceed the expected Level 4.

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is inadequate

 Programmes of support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs were ineffective during the last academic year and so their progress slowed considerably. This is being remedied and their progress is improving.  The small number of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium also make no better progress than others. There are too few in each year group to make a valid comparison of any gaps in their attainment with others.  As teaching is starting to improve so is the pupils’ progress. Although this is not yet leading to sustained good progress over time, last term saw a turning point. Pupils in all year groups are making more rapid progress than they were previously.  Results of the screening check for Year 1 pupils in phonics (the sounds that letters make) were high in 2014. Pupils use their skills well to help them read unfamiliar words. However, the books they are given

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is inadequate

are at times too easy for them and do not move their skills of comprehension, deduction and reasoning forward rapidly enough.

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is good

 Children make consistently good progress in the early years. Starting on entry with at least typical levels of skill for their age, and in several cases higher than this, their attainment was well above average on leaving Reception in 2014, with a significant minority of children already working within the Year 1 curriculum. They are well prepared for Year 1.  Children’s achievement in the early years has not suffered to the same extent as in the rest of the school. This was partly because the nursery was situated on a separate site until this year. This gave a more secure setting away from the turmoil taking place on the main school site so the children’s learning was not disrupted.  Teaching in the early years is good and has been so over time. The children’s learning benefits from the new accommodation and interesting resources. These capture the children’s attention, although occasionally they do not provide sufficient challenge for the most able. Outside areas are used well to

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is good

support the children’s learning. Support staff engage well with the children and move their learning forward through their timely interventions.  Staff in the setting have formed strong links with parents and carers. This helps the children settle in quickly and feel secure. Their welfare is a prime concern for staff who ensure that the children are kept safe at all times. This enables them to thrive in a happy and supportive atmosphere.  Children behave well and show the adults in the setting great respect. They listen with rapt attention, particularly when listening to stories sometimes from the teachers’ personal experiences. Children learn quickly how to work together when completing tasks. They happily share resources and talk together about what they are learning.  Early years leadership is strong and sharply focused on maximising the children’s achievement. Each child’s learning is continually assessed and activities planned to move their learning forward, particularly in

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is good

areas where they have gaps in their understanding.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 101340 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 448209

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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 Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 480 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Rotenberg Headteacher Angela Gartland Date of previous school inspection 30 November 2009 Telephone number 020 8958 8599 Fax number 020 8905 4853 Email address admin@rpps.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 and 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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