Kerem Shloime

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Inspection report : Kerem Shloime, 7 December 2016 Kerem Shloime 33 Northumberland Street, Salford M7 4DQ

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2(2) and 2(2)(f).  At the first progress monitoring inspection, the planning of provision in the early years had improved, but there was a lack of purpose to the activities provided. As a result, teachers were not effectively promoting children’s early development of number and literacy skills.  The most recent action plan submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) was judged to be acceptable. In it, leaders planned to enlist the support of the local authority in making the necessary improvements in the early years. The school now has a local authority adviser, who has given guidance and has moderated the school’s most recent early years profile assessments.  In spite of further improvements to the organisation of the setting, and some evidence that children’s number skills are improving, children in the early years are not making rapid enough progress, especially in writing. The most recent early years assessment

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Main inspection findings

information shows that no children achieved a good level of development, because none of them attained above the ‘emerging’ standard in writing. This is because the learning environment does not support the development of writing, with no opportunities for children to apply what they have learned independently. Very little evidence of developing writing was evident in children’s work.  Not all assessments of the progress made by children in the early years are accurate. The local authority’s moderation of the school’s assessments showed that about two thirds of assessments did not require amendment after professional discussion. In writing, however, all the sample assessments were amended from ‘expected’ to ‘emerging’, which indicates that the early years leader does not yet have a clear understanding of the expectations for writing by the end of Reception.  This standard remains unmet. Paragraph 3, 3(a), 3(c) and 3(g).

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Main inspection findings

 At the first progress monitoring inspection, leaders’ actions to improve the quality of teaching and the progress that pupils make in English and mathematics were judged not to have been fully effective. Teachers did not provide demanding enough work and the feedback to pupils did not enable them to make good progress by indicating what they needed to do to improve.  In the most recent action plan submitted to the DfE, leaders stated that they would focus on training staff to provide lessons with more demanding content and to assess pupils regularly, so that they make better progress in English and mathematics. Teachers would also use the school’s assessment policy to mark work and provide individual oral feedback. These proposed actions were judged to be acceptable.  It is clear that leaders are carrying out their planned actions, but the effectiveness of those actions is variable. Leaders continue to make headway in their provision of a

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Main inspection findings

suitable curriculum. They have formal assessment resources and an electronic system to track pupils’ progress. In mathematics, pupils are now acquiring knowledge, skills and understanding that is appropriate to their age and stage of development. Leaders continue to promote reading through their reading scheme and there is good evidence in pupils’ books of work that is developing reading comprehension skills well.  However, in writing, pupils do not make enough progress. There are very few opportunities for pupils to develop their skills through writing in an independent and sustained fashion, even though the school has introduced a scheme to assist in this. It is also clear that teachers are not giving the required feedback to pupils, in line with the agreed school policy, as pupils are not demonstrating writing skills that match their stages of development.  This standard remains unmet. Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors

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Main inspection findings

Paragraph 18(1), 18(2), 18(2)(b), 18(2)(e). Paragraph 21(1), 21(3)(b) and 21(3)(a)(viii).  In the first progress monitoring inspection, leaders had not carried out all of the required pre-employment checks before teachers started working at the school, including the additional checks they are required to undertake for those teachers who have lived outside of the United Kingdom. As a result, the single central record of checks and vetting of staff was not compliant.  In the action plan submitted to the DfE, leaders proposed acceptable actions to remedy these issues quickly.  During this inspection, leaders clearly showed that they had made all of the necessary changes. Consequently, the single central record of checks and vetting of staff is now compliant. Leaders have also ensured that all staff are familiar with Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2016, and the school’s safeguarding policy has been updated

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Main inspection findings

accordingly.  This standard is now met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a) and 34(1)(b).  In the first progress monitoring inspection, teaching was not of a high enough quality to ensure that pupils made good progress in English and mathematics across the school. Furthermore, school leaders also needed to improve their knowledge of how to secure improvements in teaching and assessment. The school’s processes for checking and vetting members of staff were found to be weak.  In this inspection, it is clear that leaders have been prompt in taking effective action to rectify the shortcomings in their checking and vetting of staff that were identified in the previous progress monitoring inspection.  Leaders have implemented actions around the quality of education that the school provides, as set out in their most recent action plan submitted to the DfE. The

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Main inspection findings

effectiveness of those actions, however, is still too variable. There have been improvements in pupils’ progress in mathematics, but progress in writing is still too slow across the school, as teachers do not yet have the skills and confidence to teach writing effectively.  This standard is not met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain unmet at this inspection  The proprietor must ensure that, where the school has pupils below compulsory school age, there is a programme of activities which is appropriate to their educational needs in relation to personal, social, emotional and physical development and communication and language skills (paragraph 2(2) and 2(2)(f)).  The proprietor must ensure that teaching at the school enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught (paragraph 3 and 3(a)).  The proprietor must ensure that teaching at the school involves well-planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time (paragraph 3(c)).  The proprietor must ensure that teaching at the school demonstrates that a framework is

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress (paragraph 3(g)).  The proprietor must ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a) and 34(1)(b)).

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that no person appointed as a member of staff at the school carries out work, or intends to carry out work, in contravention of a prohibition order, or an interim prohibition order. The proprietor must carry out appropriate further checks to confirm in the case of any person, for whom by reason of that person living or having lived outside the United Kingdom, their suitability to work in a school (paragraph 18(1), 18(2), 18(2)(b) and 18(2)(e)).  The proprietor must keep a register which shows, in relation to each member of staff, whether a check was made to establish whether they were subject to a probation order or an interim prohibition order, including the date on which such check was completed (paragraph 21(1) and 21(3)(b)).  The proprietor must record the information referred to in paragraph 18(2)(e) on checks on staff from overseas (paragraph 21(3)(a)(viii)).

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School details

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.

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) No fees after early years

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 3–5 February 2015

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Information about this school

 Kerem Shloime is an independent primary day school for orthodox Jewish boys. The school is registered to take up to 95 pupils aged from three to 11 years. There are currently 119 boys on roll.  The majority of pupils come from families where English is spoken as the first language.  The school is located in a large Victorian building. Some areas of the building are used by the community as a synagogue.  The school was registered by the registration authority for independent schools in December 2013.  There is currently one pupil on roll who has a statement of special educational needs.  Children in the early years provision attend on a full-time basis.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  The school was last inspected between 3 and 5 February 2015, when it was judged to be inadequate in terms of its overall effectiveness. Following this inspection, the school submitted an action plan to the registration authority for independent schools on 9 June 2015.  The school’s action plan was evaluated on 29 June 2015 and was judged to require improvement. The plan did not have sufficient timescales planned for the effective implementation of the actions it detailed, for example, in ensuring that physical education would be taught as part of the curriculum. In addition, the plan did not outline

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Information about this inspection

in sufficient detail how leaders were going to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in English, mathematics and in the early years.  At its first progress monitoring inspection on 12 November 2015, the school was judged not to meet a number of independent school standards. Following this inspection, the school submitted a second action plan to the registration authority for independent schools on 17 February 2016. This plan was evaluated on 14 March 2016 and was judged to be acceptable.  This was the second progress monitoring inspection of the school to check on its progress in meeting the independent school standards that were judged to be unmet in November 2015.  The lead inspector carried out observations of learning in four year groups. All of these were joint observations with the head of general studies. The headteacher and the head of general studies also met regularly with the lead inspector throughout the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 A range of documentation was scrutinised, including assessment information, the school’s single central record of checks and vetting of staff and documents connected with the safeguarding of children, including the school’s safeguarding policy.  The lead inspector had discussions with the chair of governors, school leaders and other staff members. He also analysed pupils’ work in mathematics and English, especially writing. He also looked at the work of children in the early years.  This inspection was undertaken without notice to the school.

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Inspection team

Mark Quinn, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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