Getters Talmud Torah

Emergency inspection school report Getters Talmud Torah 86 Amhurst Park, Hackney, London N16 5AR

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Reason for the inspection

 This unannounced emergency inspection was conducted at the request of the Department of Education (DfE), the registration authority for independent schools. It was carried out to check the school’s compliance with independent standards and to check on current staffing arrangements at the school.  The inspection was to judge if the school was complying with the following independent school standards: Part 3, Welfare, health and safety of pupils, paragraph 7(a), 7(b), 14, 16(a) and 16(b); Part 4, Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors, paragraph 18(all), 21(all) and Part 8, Quality of leadership in and management of schools, all paragraphs.

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Main findings

 The school does not fully meet the independent school standards requirements for Part 3, Welfare, health and safety of pupils, and Part 4, Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors. Therefore, the school is also failing to meet the standards relating to Part 8, Quality of leadership in and management of schools.  The school records information on the single central register. However, the school does not carry out checks for teacher prohibition orders when appointments to teaching posts are made. Consequently, not all the requirements for the single central register are met.  Leaders do not keep any information about staff applications, employability history, disqualification by association or medical checks. During the inspection, no documentation was made available to verify the checks conducted. The school does not keep information regarding teachers’ references from previous employers or any information on their previous jobs.

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Main findings

 The school’s policies and practice take account of the statutory guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education (July 2015)’. The headteacher is knowledgeable about this guidance and has used this in discussions with local authority designated officers. He is aware of the updated statutory guidance that is to be implemented from September 2016.  The headteacher is the designated safeguarding lead and has taken the ‘advanced training in safeguarding children and child protection practice and procedures for staff working with children in day and group care settings’.  The designated safeguarding lead and the deputy lead have taken appropriate higher-level training for safeguarding and child protection. This has been disseminated to all staff through regular training sessions at the start of the academic year and whenever a new member of staff is appointed. This training also includes information on all safeguarding issues identified in the

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Main findings

policy, such as misuse of drugs, child sexual exploitation, and gangs. The headteacher delivers all the training.  Pupils are well supervised by adults when they go up and down the stairs and when they are in the playground. On the day of the inspection, the playground was well supervised. For instance, younger children were well supervised while using different sized bouncy castles which took account of their ages and abilities.  The school has an appropriate risk assessment policy for trips. During the inspection, this was seen to be followed effectively when pupils were taken out to a theme park. The levels of risks, Emergency inspection: Getters Talmud Torah, 26 May 2016 2 of 5

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Main findings

barriers to safety and how to reduce risks were identified. Teachers were given appropriate guidance as to the equipment to be taken on their outing such as water, food, mobile phones and medical kits.  The headteacher states that he undertakes risk assessments of the premises daily. Staff are also asked to highlight anything that appears to be unsafe. However, no written information on these risk assessments was available for scrutiny.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 Ensure that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school, and such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State (paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b)).  Ensure that the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a risk assessment policy; and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified (paragraph 16, 16(a), 16(b)).

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors

 Ensure that no member of staff carries out work, or intends to carry out work, at the school in contravention of a prohibition order, an interim prohibition order, or any direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act, or any disqualification, prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in either such direction, including the date on which each such check was completed (paragraph 18(1), 18(2), 18(2)(b)).  Ensure that the proprietor keeps a register which shows that a check was made to establish whether a member of staff is subject to any direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act or any disqualification, prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in such a direction (paragraph 21(1), 21(3) and 21(3)(a)(iii)).  Ensure that in relation to each member of staff, whether a check was made to establish

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors

whether the member of staff is subject to a prohibition order or an interim prohibition order, including the date on which such check was completed (paragraph 21(3), 21(3)(b)).

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 Ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role, and fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraph 34, 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b). Emergency inspection: Getters Talmud Torah, 26 May 2016 3 of 5

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Inspection team

Kanwaljit Singh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Information about this school

 Getters Talmud Torah is an independent, strictly orthodox Jewish day school for boys.  The three core values upon which the school was established, and continues to operate, are its unconditional adherence to the Torah, the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) and the Mesorah (Received Tradition of Education).  The Kodesh (Jewish) studies are taught in Yiddish. Chol (secular) studies are taught in English.  The school is open six days a week, Sunday to Friday afternoon, for 43 weeks per year. The Chol curriculum is taught to pupils in Years 3 to 8 for between 45 minutes and one hour per day. All other teaching time is given to Kodesh curriculum.  There are 45 children in the early years foundation stage, who are in two classes and are taught mainly in Yiddish. All children attend full-time and none is in receipt of public funding.  One pupil has a statement of special educational needs.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 On the day of the inspection, 85 pupils went out to visit a theme park and the younger children had a fun day in school.  The school was last inspected in December 2014 when the overall effectiveness of the school was judged as inadequate. Since then, the school has received two progress monitoring inspections, on September 2015 and March 2016. Both inspections judged that the independent school standards were not met.

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School details

Unique reference number 132041 Inspection number 10020337 DfE registration number 204/6405 This inspection was conducted at the request of the registration authority for independent schools.

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School details

Type of school Orthodox Jewish primary School status Independent school Age range of pupils 3–13 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 241 Proprietor Mr Benjamin Stern Chair Mr Benjamin Stern Headteacher Mr Benjamin Katz Date of previous school inspection 4–7 March 2016 Annual fees (day pupils) No fees charged Telephone number 020 8802 2512 Emergency inspection: Getters Talmud Torah, 26 May 2016 5 of 5

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School details

guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: 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

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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

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School details

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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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