Aim Habonim

Aim Habonim 51 Rigby Street, Salford, M7 4NX

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 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 are treasured as individuals. As a result, they are very happy, well motivated and develop high levels of confidence as learners.  Pupils are excited by an array of individualised learning opportunities which attract and sustain their interest.  Good teaching in all subjects ensures that pupils are challenged and achieve well over their time in school.  There are many opportunities in different subjects for pupils to develop their skills in communication, language, reading, writing and information and communications technology (ICT). Consequently, they develop their skills thoroughly in these areas.  Excellent provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that behaviour and attitudes to learning are impeccable. The school prepares pupils very well for life in multicultural Britain.  Good leadership, management and governance have ensured that teaching and achievement have

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This is a good school

remained good since the last inspection while behaviour and personal development have improved from good to outstanding. The school’s work to keep pupils safe remains outstanding.  Teaching, progress, behaviour and the quality of activities available in the early years Reception class are as good as in other parts of the school.  The school meets all the independent school standards.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The school’s self-evaluation does not set out the school’s strengths and weaknesses clearly enough. Consequently, opportunities are missed for everyone to focus their efforts on further improvement.  Progress in numeracy is not as good as in literacy and ICT.  Teachers do not always plan learning targets in small enough steps for some pupils.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff and met with the Chair of the Governing Body. Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in a number of different subjects.  A number of school policies and documents were examined to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards. These included the school’s prospectus, information about pupils’ progress and the school’s self evaluation and improvement plans. Records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were also scrutinised. Inspectors were unable to review the school’s policies and documents on the school’s website due to a temporary fault.  Inspectors took account of the views expressed in 13 questionnaires returned by staff and 38 from parents. Home/school diaries provided a further insight into parents’ views. There were not enough responses to the Parent View online survey for these to be analysed.

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Information about this inspection

 A material change inspection visit was integrated into this standard inspection. The school is registered for 60 pupils aged 0 to 11 years. It has requested to increase this capacity to 80 pupils.

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Inspection team

Saleem Hussain, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Aim Habonim is an independent day special school that provides childcare and education for boys and girls aged from birth to 11 years who are severely disabled or have profound and multiple learning difficulties. Pupils are from the Jewish community in Salford and Bury. The school is located on the ground floor of a community building which also has other organisations operating from the upper floor. The building is managed by a committee of representatives from the local community.  The school opened in September 2007. It is registered for up to 60 pupils; this figure includes all children aged from birth to 11 years. There are currently 52 pupils on roll, 12 of whom have a statement of special educational needs or education, health and care plans. Twenty seven pupils attend part time. The school has a very small number of pupils on roll aged 12 years which inspectors are given to understand has been approved by the Department for Education.

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Information about this school

 The school is organised into six classes: a crèche, a playgroup, a pre-Nursery class, a Nursery class, a Reception class, and a class for pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 who have profound and multiple learning difficulties. A number of pupils below statutory school age attend part time.  The school offers an education which it describes as ‘sensitive to pupils’ and children’s religious and cultural requirements’.  The school provides therapies and interventions specifically tailored to the needs of individual pupils.  The childcare provision and the early years provision with the same name as the school are both registered separately from the school and are inspected separately. Both were last inspected in June 2013. This inspection considered the educational provision for children in the Reception class.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place in February 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by developing the school’s self-evaluation so that it sets out the school’s strengths and weaknesses clearly and enables everyone to focus their efforts on further improvement.  Improve teaching by: ensuring that teachers provide more opportunities for pupils to develop their basic skills in numeracy ensuring that teachers always plan learning targets in small enough steps for all pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong leadership has developed a positive culture in which teaching is good and behaviour is outstanding.  The headteacher and middle managers work closely and effectively together. They have developed unity and a sense of common purpose across the school.  There is strong leadership of teaching. The headteacher and middle managers frequently carry out learning walks to ensure that all pupils learn well and develop their skills, including in communication, language, literacy and numeracy.  Leaders have developed effective and attractive learning activities which ensure that pupils enjoy their learning. Pupils benefit positively from the many practically based activities and the opportunities to learn using all their senses. Leaders have invested wisely in learning aids and resources, such as the well- equipped multi-sensory room. Good, stimulating outdoor areas enable pupils to learn and play safely.

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The leadership and management are good

Hydrotherapy is enjoyed at a local venue.  Links with external agencies, including health services and therapists, benefit pupils very positively. For example, speech and language therapy is regular and frequent, and supports learning well.  The partnership with parents is excellent. They are very pleased with the school, saying for example: ‘We are very happy with the care and education our children receive’ and ‘The school is amazing’.  The school’s policies and documents, including the safeguarding policy, are usually available to parents, prospective parents and others on the school’s website. This was not accessible due to a temporary fault. However, parents have access to printed copies of all current policies, as required by the independent school regulations.  A number of improvements have taken place since the last standard inspection, most notably in how well pupils behave.  Self-evaluation is accurate but leaders acknowledge that strengths and weaknesses are not clarified

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The leadership and management are good

sharply enough. Consequently, self-evaluation in its current form makes it difficult for leaders and staff to focus their efforts on further improvement.  A strong emphasis is placed on staff training to ensure that staff are able to meet pupils’ academic and care needs.  Leaders have developed fabulous opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, behaviour, attitudes and personal development are excellent.  Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school ensures that subjects, visits and visitors provide pupils with many opportunities to consider the multicultural nature of Britain. For example, there are opportunities for pupils to visit different places of worship and to learn about different beliefs and customs. Pupils show respect for the diverse range of people they come across.  The school promotes equality of opportunity and fosters excellent relationships at all levels very

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The leadership and management are good

effectively. There are well developed policies in place to tackle discrimination should it arise.  Arrangements for safeguarding are effective and statutory requirements are met.  With regard to the school’s material change application, inspectors recommend that the proposed increase in capacity to 80 pupils be allowed. This assessment took account of all the relevant factors including accommodation, premises and staffing. The school is aware that the Department for Education will now consider this application further.  The governance of the school: The management committee hold the school to account well and play an effective role in supporting and developing the school through interventions. The committee has much experience of educational, financial, community and other matters which is used to ensure that pupils receive a good education in suitable accommodation. Members of the management committee often visit the school to check that pupils are happy. They

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The leadership and management are good

monitor how well the accommodation and resources support learning very carefully. The management committee is kept well informed about developments and issues through information and data provided by the headteacher. They know about the impact of teaching, pupils’ achievement and the quality of day-to-day care pupils receive. Also, they are knowledgeable about the rewards and incentives for teachers, how well they are performing and the training they receive.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Attitudes towards learning are stunning, with pupils routinely displaying excitement and zest for learning. These factors make an excellent contribution to pupils’ progress.  The school is a calm and very orderly community. Pupils enjoy each other’s company and school life very much. They work and learn together very effectively, and fully cooperate with adults because of the excellent, trusting relationships at all levels. The attitudes and behaviour of all groups of pupils are equally good.  Pupils love learning and the level of concentration they develop is remarkable. For example, pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties were unshakable in their attention to work through a dinosaur story using ICT.  All these strengths are a reflection of the school’s excellent promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Punctuality is very good. Attendance is above the national average and most absence relates to pupils’

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  The school has all the required welfare, health, safety and safeguarding policies and procedures in place and they are very effectively implemented.  Levels of supervision are very good and everyone is vigilant to ensure the well-being of pupils.  The school’s anti-bullying and internet safety policies are effective.  The school’s written risk assessment policy and risk assessments are in place. For example, practical subjects, the premises and equipment are routinely assessed with risk management arrangements specified.  Pupils indicate that they feel safe in school and bullying is not an issue. Pupils develop a clear understanding of bullying and adopt safe practices as they learn and play. They are confident that staff will always help them if they become anxious about anything.  Staff are well trained in safeguarding. For example, the school’s designated safeguarding lead and

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Safety

another member of staff are extensively trained and all other staff are trained to the basic level required. Arrangements for the safe recruitment of staff are in place and all required checks are completed and recorded appropriately.  A very high number of staff are trained and accredited regarding paediatric first aid. The school is also connected to a network of fast response first aid in the local community.  A suitable number of staff are trained as fire marshals. Fire drills are carried out regularly, and all fire fighting and electrical equipment is checked and maintained in good working order.  The school meets all regulatory requirements which are relevant to behaviour and safety very effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good throughout the school. As a result, all groups of pupils, including boys, girls, different ability groups and those with different learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress and achieve well.  Teachers understand pupils’ learning difficulties well. They plan activities which appeal to pupils’ interests and meet their needs closely. However, teachers do not always plan learning targets in small enough steps for some pupils. As a result, a few opportunities are lost for pupils who make progress in very small steps to achieve as well as they can.  Pupils respond well to the stimulating practical activities. All pupils benefit from the school’s multi-sensory approach to teaching.  Learning resources are well used to support learning. This includes outdoor areas which are pleasant and stimulating. During the inspection, many pupils spent time learning about many animals as the school

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The quality of teaching is good

keeps a number of animals including birds, chickens and rabbits. Different forms of communication are well used to help pupils to understand their work and for their ideas and preferences to be understood.  Teaching assistants work effectively with teachers, for example in supporting the additional needs of pupils with multiple learning difficulties and disabilities.  Behaviour is managed very effectively. Encouragement and praise are plentiful, serving to motivate pupils to learn well and achieve well.  The school places a very good emphasis in different lessons on developing basic skills in communication, reading and literacy. As a result, pupils develop and consolidate their skills rapidly in these areas. The teaching of basic skills in numeracy is solid but the progress pupils make in this area is not as good as in others.  All teachers have high expectations. They set challenging targets for all groups of pupils including the less

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The quality of teaching is good

able. Questioning and prompting is good and this helps pupils to deepen their understanding in subjects.  The ways in which staff check on pupils’ progress is accurate and the information gained is used effectively to monitor how well pupils are improving in their learning.  The school fully meets the standards relating to teaching, assessment, subjects and personal development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good because teaching meets the interests and needs of all groups of pupils well. Different groups, including those with different learning needs and disabilities, achieve equally well.  All of the evidence, including case studies, indicates that pupils achieve well over their time in school and are well prepared for the future.  The severity of pupils’ learning difficulties and disabilities mean that their attainment on entry to the school is very low. All pupils make good progress in comparison to similar other pupils nationally.  Based on their starting points, pupils develop their understanding in all key areas of learning and apply a wide range of skills to good effect. They extend their communication skills, access basic literacy work and gain a very basic understanding of numbers well.  Achievement in ICT is very good because there are many opportunities in different subjects for them to

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The achievement of pupils is good

learn and apply basic skills.  The most-able pupils achieve well because they are given suitably challenging work. They are set learning targets which are commensurate with their capability. Extended questioning in lessons ensures that these pupils make good progress.  Reading is strongly encouraged in lessons and there are many opportunities provided for pupils to apply their skills in different contexts. Pupils visit the local library frequently to access a wider range of materials, supplementing the already good quality provision held in school. Consequently, most pupils read widely and often. This helps them to attain standards in line with what would be expected for similar pupils nationally.  Every opportunity is taken by staff to develop pupils’ awareness and understanding of their Jewish culture and faith, and pupils achieve well in this regard.  The school meets all the standards relating to learning activities and assessment.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is good because it enables children to make good progress in each of the prescribed areas of learning in a very safe environment. Safety is given a top priority and supervision from staff is very good.  Achievement is good for all groups of children, including the most able. Regular and frequent assessments are undertaken and children make good progress from their starting points and each of the areas of learning. This is best in relation to communication, language and literacy skills.  Children derive much benefit from sharing a number of lessons and activities with older pupils in the school. By the time children move into Year 1, they are ready and well prepared to continue their good progress.  Teaching is good. Many interesting and stimulating experiences are on offer for everyone and children benefit positively from the good learning resources. The indoor and outdoor environments are well

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The early years provision is good

developed. For example, there are many firmly established outdoor learning routines where children can develop their understanding of the world. Basic skills in communication, language, speaking and listening are taught well, providing a solid platform for later learning.  Children in the early years develop excellent attitudes and behave extremely well. They settle quickly and learn to play with other children unselfishly.  The early years is led and managed well and this ensures that children enjoy their experiences in the Reception class. The school’s leaders acknowledge that the early years has a little way to go before achievement improves to the next level and provision can be judged as outstanding.  All the relevant standards and statutory requirements for the early years are met.

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Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Non-association independent school inspection handbook which is published on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/non- association-independent-school-inspection-handbook .

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School details

Unique reference number 135633 Inspection number 464320 DfE registration number 355/6056 This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. Type of school Jewish School status Independent special school Age range of pupils 0–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 52 Number of part time pupils 27 Proprietor Aim Habonim Management Committee Chair Mr D Leaman Headteacher Mrs H Harris Date of previous school inspection 26 February 2013 Annual fees (day pupils) £18,000-£23,000 Telephone number 0161 705 0020 Fax number Not applicable Email address info@aimhabonim.com or admin@aimhabonim.com guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website:

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School details

www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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School details

inspects to 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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School details

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user .

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School details

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

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