Beis Yaakov Primary School

School report Beis Yaakov Primary School

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a good school

 Pupils of all abilities achieve well. They make good progress to reach standards which are above average and rising in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The quality of teaching is good. Teachers expect a lot of their pupils and generally enthuse them to learn.  Teachers use questions to good effect to check pupils’ understanding and to get them to think more deeply.  Pupils behave exceptionally well around the school. They are very proud of their school and enjoy all that it has to offer.  The girls have good attitudes to learning and apply themselves well to the tasks they are asked to complete.  Pupils feel safe in school because they are well looked after. The arrangements to keep them safe and secure are robust.  Parents are very supportive of the school and hold it in high regard.  Children make a good start in the early years. They quickly become confident learners and the stimulating activities provided in the Nursery and

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This is a good school

Reception classes enable them to achieve well.  The headteacher, supported very effectively by leaders and governors, is passionate about providing the best possible opportunities for pupils.  As a result, the good quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement has been maintained since the previous inspection and is improving.  The roles of middle leaders have been enhanced considerably over the past year. These effective and enthusiastic leaders are playing an increasingly important part in driving improvements.  Governance is of high quality. Governors are knowledgeable and very proud of their school. They ensure that leaders are doing the right things to bring about further improvement.  The school is outward looking. Girls are brought up in the Orthodox Jewish faith, but taught to have the utmost respect for people of different backgrounds and for British institutions and values.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, the most-able pupils, including in the early years, are not provided with work which is hard enough to enable them to show their full potential.  The large number of additional adults are not always used to best effect in lessons to support pupils’ progress.  Leaders do not use the considerable information they have about pupils’ progress routinely to identify trends for different classes and groups in the school.  The school’s plans for improvement are too wide ranging and do not focus on specific, measurable actions to improve teaching and achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in classes throughout the school. Senior leaders joined the team for a number of these visits.  The inspection team looked at a sample of pupils’ exercise books and listened to some pupils read.  A number of school documents were examined, including the school’s plans for improvement, information about pupils’ progress and policies and procedures in relation to the safeguarding of children.  Inspectors spoke to senior and middle leaders, the Chair and two other members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. They also spoke to many pupils in class, in the playground and more formally, in two groups.  The views of 42 parents, expressed in their responses to Ofsted’s on-line survey Parent View, were considered as well as the views of more than double that number captured in their written responses to a survey sent out by the school prior to the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors also took into account the 28 responses to a staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Graham Lee, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school catering for girls from Jewish Orthodox backgrounds. Few girls live in the immediate vicinity of the school and they attend from a wide area of North London  In the early years, children attend the two Nursery and three Reception classes on a full-time basis.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds, although about 15% are of other White European and Israeli heritage. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is similar to the national picture.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils entitled to additional government funding through the pupil premium is much lower than average. This funding is provided to support pupils, in this school, who are entitled to free school meals. There are very few of these pupils in the current Year 6. The school also qualifies for

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Information about this school

additional government sports funding.  Beis Yaakov is a voluntary aided school which teaches Jewish Studies and a secular curriculum for part of each day. The Jewish Studies element is subject to separate inspection arrangements under section 48 of the Education Act.  The school meets the current government floor standard which sets the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school runs a crèche for the children of staff. This provision is registered separately and was not part of this inspection.  At the time of the inspection, the school was undergoing major building works. There was no hall available, very limited outdoor areas in the early years and very little playground space.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by ensuring that:  teachers provide work for the most-able pupils that is always hard enough for them to show their potential, including in the early years  additional adults are also used to best effect in lessons to support pupils’ learning.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  leaders using the information they have about the progress of individual pupils to analyse trends over time between different years and groups of pupils  ensuring that plans for improvement focus on specific, measureable actions to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has high aspirations for the girls in the school and is passionate about continuing to improve what the school provides for them. In this endeavour, she is very well supported by leaders at all levels, governors and staff. As a result, the good quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement and behaviour has been maintained since the previous inspection and continues to improve.  The roles of phase and subject leaders have been developed considerably since the previous inspection. These leaders are helping to provide consistency across the school and playing an increasingly important role in improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ achievement.  Teachers are enthusiastic and keen to improve their practice. They understand that pay rewards are related closely to the progress of their pupils. The quality of teaching is checked regularly by senior and middle leaders and teachers are well supported through coaching and professional development. They

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The leadership and management are good

embrace the challenges and morale is high.  Leaders collect a great deal of information about the progress of individual pupils to check that none are falling behind. However, there are no readily available systems for leaders to ensure that pupils in different classes and from various groups, for example those with special needs and from different ethnic backgrounds, are making the same rates of progress as others.  The school has a good understanding of its strengths and the areas that it needs to improve. The school’s plans for improvement at different levels, however, do not capture the immediate, easily measurable steps needed to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The school uses its additional funding for disadvantaged pupils to good effect, for example to provide extra teaching and support in the classroom, a lunchtime nurture group and training in social skills. As a

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The leadership and management are good

result, the gaps in performance between these pupils and others are now minimal.  The use of the pupil premium funding is an example of how the school successfully promotes equality of opportunity for all the girls. The school fosters excellent relationships between adults and pupils, and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.  The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum through a slightly extended school day, which enables Jewish Studies to be accommodated as well. Pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are developed well and promoted effectively in other subjects and, increasingly, through Jewish studies. Potential tensions between the Orthodox ethos of the school and aspects of the curriculum, for example in relation to information and communication technology and science, have been sensitively resolved to ensure that the girls are taught the full National Curriculum.  The curriculum is considerably enriched, for example through specialist teaching in music and art.

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The leadership and management are good

Provision for physical education is currently restricted by the lack of a hall and outside space. The additional government sports funding for the time being, therefore, is being used exclusively with considerable success, to fund a swimming coach to ensure that the girls are able to swim. The school employs a specialist coach for physical education and there are plans to develop the curriculum and expand the use of the sports funding once the new large hall and outside spaces are completed.  The school promotes the girls’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The girls are brought up in the Jewish Orthodox religion but also to have the greatest respect for people from different backgrounds and faiths. A respect for the rule of law and the democratic process is cultivated which prepares the girls well for life in modern Britain as well as respecting the traditions of their faith.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school places a high priority on the safeguarding of pupils and its policies, procedures and organisation fully meet statutory requirements. The importance given to these issues is evident in the everyday life of the school.  The local authority has provided appropriate light touch support since the previous inspection. The school willingly embraces this support and works in partnership with other schools in Barnet.  Parents are extremely supportive of the school and hold it in the highest regard.

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The governance of the school:

 Governance is highly effective. Governors are extremely proud of their school and its place in the community. They have a wide range of expertise and are highly committed to the school and its values. They have the highest aspirations for the girls and constantly challenge leaders to ensure that the school is getting better. They have a detailed understanding of data about the school’s performance in relation to the national picture. They also know about the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of teaching and ensure that performance management is used to reward good teaching and tackle weaker practice. Governors robustly monitor all safeguarding procedures.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Girls show good attitudes to learning in different subjects and are keen to learn. They respond well to their teachers’ requests and instructions. Just occasionally when the teaching does not fully capture their imagination, they lose a little focus and enthusiasm.  The girls work diligently when working on their own, sustaining concentration well. They respond equally well when working with partners or cooperating in groups. They respect one another’s ideas and opinions. Even minor disruption to learning is extremely rare.  Girls of all ages get on well together and the school is an extremely happy and harmonious place to be. Pupils are unfailingly courteous to adults and welcoming to visitors.  Behaviour in assemblies, around the corridors and on the small playground, during the building works, was exemplary. There was no sign of unpleasant behaviour or falling out between girls.

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Behaviour

 Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and the girls respond extremely well. The school’s records show that incidents recorded over time are of a fairly minor nature. On the very rare occasions when more serious incidents have occurred, they have been dealt with very effectively.  Pupils have great pride in their school and appreciate all it has to offer. They take their responsibilities as prefects, for example, very seriously. This pride is also displayed in the presentation of work for the most part, although occasionally this is not the case.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The safety of the girls is a high priority and this is evident, for example, in the role of the security guards. Policies and procedures to keep pupils safe are robust and implemented consistently.  The girls know about different kinds of bullying, including on the internet and through social media but insist that it rarely happens. They have great confidence in the adults to take care of them if issues arise. They were particularly appreciative of the work of the Playground Mentor in developing playground games and ensuring that everybody is happy  The attendance of pupils is broadly average. There have been some fluctuations but parents understand their responsibilities to get their children to school regularly and on time, even when they are travelling some distance to school.  Staff and almost all parents are united in their view that behaviour in the school is good, that bullying is

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Safety

dealt with effectively and that their girls are safe and well cared for in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The good quality of teaching has been maintained since the previous inspection and is improving because the school has a strong focus on teaching and learning and teachers want to improve. As a result, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and have increasing opportunities to apply their skills in different subjects.  Teachers generally enthuse their pupils with the activities that they provide. They have high expectations that pupils will behave well and work hard during lessons. The girls respond well and this sets a purposeful framework for lessons, with little time wasted.  Reading is taught well and pupils develop good phonic skills (letters and the sounds they make) in the early years and Key Stage 1 which is reflected in the very positive outcomes of the phonics screening check in Year 1. They go on to enjoy reading a range of books for pleasure and information.  Pupils are taught to write for a range of purposes and audiences as they move through the school. Good

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The quality of teaching is good

attention is paid to grammar, punctuation and spelling. The school has recognised that spelling is a relative weakness and introduced effective strategies to improve this aspect. Pupils have opportunities to develop their writing in other subjects, for example when writing historical accounts and diaries or in detailing information about the rainforests. They also using these skills widely in their Jewish Studies.  The teaching of mathematics has not been as strong in recent years, especially for lower attaining pupils. The school has introduced a range of strategies to bring about improvements. In particular, a new programme to help girls’ ready recall of their times table, a particular weakness, has been very successful in developing the girls’ confidence in mathematics, especially those of lower ability.  The marking of pupils work has improved since the previous inspection. Teachers’ feedback to pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

follows the school’s guidance and this is fully understood by the girls who find it helpful in improving their work. Written marking provides clear guidance to pupils on how to improve, although this is more evident in writing than it is in mathematics.  Teachers are making better use of the information they have about pupils’ progress to plan work to meet the needs of pupils of different abilities. They also use questions well to check pupils’ understanding and deepen their knowledge. Occasionally, the work set for the most able is too easy and this group are sometimes required to sit through introductions to work they can already master.  There are a large number of additional adults in the school. These members of staff make an important contribution to pupils’ learning, especially those of lower ability or who have special educational needs. However, on occasion, their contribution to girls’ learning is more limited, for example when they do not

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The quality of teaching is good

make a contribution to the teacher’s long introductions or when they provide too much support rather than making the girls think for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well. From their starting points, which are a little below those typically found, pupils of all abilities make good progress to reach standards that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. They are well prepared for their secondary education.  Pupils’ attainment has been fairly static over the past five years at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2. In 2014, pupils leaving the school had not made as much progress as they had in the past, especially in mathematics. The school has addressed this issue and pupils are making better progress across the school and those in Year 6 are attaining at higher levels than has been the case in the past.  The proportion of the most-able pupils reaching the higher levels at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 has been similar to the national picture in recent years. However, a renewed focus on these pupils in Year 6 has raised their attainment significantly and a majority are working at the higher levels already this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Occasionally, however, these pupils do not make as much progress as they could through the school when tasks are not demanding enough.  In 2014, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 was broadly similar to others in the school and nationally in reading and writing. They were roughly two terms behind others in mathematics both in the school and nationally. There are very few disadvantaged pupils in the current Year 6 but throughout the school, disadvantaged pupils are generally making similar progress to others, including in mathematics.  Pupils with a variety of special educational needs generally make good progress in line with their peers because their needs are identified and they are provided with effective support for the most part.  Pupils from different ethnic backgrounds and who speak English as an additional language have not achieved as well as their White British counterparts in recent years. However, effective provision for these

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The early years provision is good

 Children achieve well in the early years. In recent years, they have joined the school with skills and understanding below those typical for their age. They make good progress and the proportion reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception is broadly average. In view of their starting points, children are well prepared for Year 1 but are below the level of girls nationally.  The children make good progress because interesting activities are provided to support all areas of their learning in the Nursery and Reception classes. Consequently, they become confident learners. Currently, the school’s ability to extend children’s learning in the outdoor space is considerably restricted by the building work. However, the available space is being used creatively and effectively to extend children’s learning.  Teachers and other adults use questions well to develop the girls’ communication skills. However, the

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The early years provision is good

considerable number of additional adults are not always used to best effect to maximise children’s progress. Activities are not always challenging enough for the most able and, as a result, the proportions exceeding the expected levels are below average at the end of Reception.  The 2014 outcomes at the end of Reception showed a weakness in the girls’ ability to use numbers. A range of strategies have been put in place and girls were seen counting confidently in a range of play situations.  Children behave well in the early years. They are generally absorbed in the activities and mostly sustain concentration well. Their social skills develop well. They respond well to adults and they work and play happily together.  Staff have the utmost regard for children’s safety, ensuring that they are safe at all times when in the classroom, outside or moving around the building.  The leadership of the early years has undergone a number of changes in recent times and the senior

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The early years provision is good

leadership team is currently overseeing this area of the school’s work effectively. However, the plan for developing the early years does not identify clear, measurable targets to bring about improvements.  Staff involve parents fully in their initial assessments of the children and quickly gain their confidence. As a result, a productive partnership is established which continues through 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 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 133365 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 453243

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 511 Appropriate authority The governing body Headteacher Helena Cohen Date of previous school inspection 15–16 June 2011 Telephone number 020 89059590 Fax number 020 82007130 Email address office@beisyaakov.barnet.sch.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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