Jeannine Manuel School

École Jeannine Manuel 43–45 Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DN

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher’s leadership and vision have ensured that the school is thriving and providing a good education for pupils.  The senior leaders work very well together as a team. They lead by example and focus on doing their best for the pupils. However, a lack of capacity in leadership is limiting further development.  The trustees are actively involved in the life of the school. They provide strong leadership which ensures that the vision of international understanding through bilingualism is a reality.  Teaching is good. Teachers’ subject knowledge and questioning skills are strong, so pupils make good progress.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare are good. Pupils develop into confident, friendly young people who are kind and thoughtful to each other.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They have positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils understand how the school helps them to stay safe. Safeguarding is effective.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ speaking and listening skills develop rapidly in French and English.  Pupils get on well together, in learning and social activities. This has a positive impact on their progress.  Pupils make good progress in a wide range of subjects. However, sometimes pupils make less progress than they could because the level of challenge is not always consistently high.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Pupils particularly enjoy creative and cultural activities, which have a positive impact on their personal development.  The provision for the early years is good. Skilled leaders have ensured that the best of French and English provision has been successfully combined.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

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

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and outcomes for pupils by: – ensuring that pupils, particularly the most able, move on quickly to more challenging work in lessons – planning lessons so that as pupils move from one activity to another the minimum of learning time is lost.  Build leadership capacity by developing staff leadership skills and middle leadership roles.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher is a skilled leader with a clear vision and determination to provide the best education for pupils. As a result, this is a good and rapidly improving school.  The senior leaders work very well together as a team; they share the vision and educational philosophy of the École Jeannine Manuel in Paris and have successfully transferred and extended this for the London school. Their attention to detail and knowledge of the two different national education systems have ensured that all the independent school standards are met. However, school leaders are aware of the need to develop more leadership capacity to improve the school further.  The leadership of teaching is good. Training has been planned carefully around the educational priorities of the school, developing group work and meeting the needs of pupils of different abilities and levels of language learning. The impact of this training is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

clear in the classroom and in pupils’ work. However, the appraisal system for staff is in the early stages of development and leaders recognise that its full implementation will sharpen the teaching focus further.  Senior leaders undertake regular learning walks and give written feedback on lesson observations. They know their teachers well. Staff are encouraged to observe each other and several have visited the Paris school. The school has supported newly qualified teachers through the local authority programme. Staff agree that the school supports them to develop their teaching skills.  The curriculum meets the requirements of the independent school standards. Linguistic and creative aspects are particularly strong. Pupils study in French and English from Nursery upwards, with alternate mornings and afternoons in French and English. Teachers who are native speakers of French and English share the classes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 School leaders have planned opportunities within the curriculum for pupils to learn about fundamental British values. Pupils learn about choices in a democracy and they visit national and local public institutions. The school’s mission statement also supports the values of mutual respect and tolerance.  Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and thrilled that the proprietors opened the London school. One parent explained how it was as if the school had fallen from Heaven because it met the needs of her children so well.

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Governance

 The trustees are diligent in ensuring that the founding principles of École Jeannine Manuel underpin the development of the London school. Trustees’ understanding of how children learn, combined with their commitment to international cooperation, has ensured the school’s success in its first four terms.  The trustees understand the importance of recruiting appropriate staff to ensure the continued success of the school. They are very successful in identifying talent and nurturing this through training and mentoring within the school. They understand the need to build more leadership capacity for the school quickly.  Trustees provide support and challenge for the senior team to ensure that teaching and learning are of a consistently good quality. They have a clear focus on health and safety, safeguarding and making sure the school is financially secure.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school’s safeguarding policy is published on the school website. It meets requirements set out in government guidance. The policy is effective because procedures are clear and understood by staff. The policy promotes a strong culture of safeguarding.  All staff are well trained in safeguarding pupils. This has been a priority for school leaders since the opening of the school. Staff understand the importance of keeping pupils safe and what to do if they have concerns. Senior leaders access advice from the local authority appropriately when required.  The site and the number of outside locations used for sports, break and lunchtime provide some challenges. However, routines are very well established and pupils understand them. Risk assessments are detailed and specific.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. They set high expectations so that pupils make good progress. In a music lesson, the teacher led the pupils through a full warm up, including breathing exercises. As a result, the quality of pupils’ performance was greatly enhanced.  Learning activities are mostly well planned. In Chinese, pupils made strong progress because the range of learning activities was carefully sequenced to reinforce their understanding and to build their confidence.  The school is committed to pupils learning from each other in language learning. Pupils who are stronger in one language support pupils who are weaker. Teachers plan these activities and groups very carefully. This approach is successful and all pupils make rapid progress, particularly in speaking and writing in both English and French.  Pupils skilfully apply their speaking and listening skills in group learning activities. In a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

geography class, pupils were identifying countries using an atlas and some key facts. They listened to each other, made their own point of view clearly, made suggestions and discussed opposing views in a mature manner.  Teachers’ questioning is effective. Teachers use sharply focused questions to check pupils’ understanding as well as other broader-based questions to make pupils think more deeply.  In some lessons, the level of challenge dips because activities are too easy, particularly for the most able pupils. As a result, these pupils lose focus and learn less than they should.  In some primary classes, learning does not flow smoothly from one activity to the next. The transitions take too long and some pupils are left with nothing to do. Again, some pupils lose focus.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to do well and enjoy the range of activities during lessons and after-school clubs.  Leaders have ensured that their inclusive vision of education to promote international understanding and cooperation has a strong impact on pupils’ personal development. Pupils get on well together and support each other in kind and thoughtful ways. One boy, when describing what was positive about the school, said ‘Everyone has a friend.’  Pupils say there is no bullying but are clear who they would go to for help if they were concerned.  The school keeps its pupils safe. Pupils are very aware of how the school helps to keep them safe. They can describe fire safety procedures in detail and understand the reason why they wear school hats off-site so that they are clearly identifiable. Pupils know how

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Personal development and welfare

to walk safely on busy pavements, to and from the outdoor provision. They feel safe and parents agree that they are safe.  There are a range of opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding, which make use of nearby museums and a variety of places of interest in central London and further afield.  School leaders are aware that pupils would benefit from more opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They are in the process of developing plans to take this forward.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well around the site. Although the conversion of the buildings is of a high quality, it remains a challenging site for pupils to navigate. Nevertheless, they move around in a very orderly way.  Pupils behave well in lessons. Sometimes, if activities lack challenge pupils can lose concentration and start chatting. However, there is no poor behaviour and learning is generally not disrupted.  Pupils’ attendance is good and they are generally punctual to school and to classes.  Pupils are welcoming and polite to visitors. They are proud of their school.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils’ progress in English and French, from a wide range of different starting points, is good. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are well developed because teachers plan activities where pupils can help each other learn.  Pupils make good progress in writing because teachers use resources effectively to meet the needs of individual pupils.  Pupils’ reading skills are developing well in both languages. Pupils can decode what they are reading very skilfully but do not always understand the meaning of the words they have read. Nonetheless, pupils help each other to understand and teachers’ questioning helps pupils to follow the meaning of the text.  The work in pupils’ books indicates that pupils make good progress overall in a wide range of subjects, including those who have only attended for a short time. School assessment information shows that pupils’ progress is particularly strong in mathematics,

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Outcomes for pupils Good

art, Chinese and geography.  Pupils’ creativity is developed strongly through art, singing, creative writing and performance. In an activity with a theatre group, pupils were enthralled by the power of Shakespeare’s language. The session leader skilfully used the excerpt to give pupils opportunities to reflect on their own experience and feelings.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The school is ambitious for its pupils and is preparing them for higher education in France or England. Pupils’ positive experience of collaborative working is preparing them for future employment.

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Early years provision Good

 School leaders have made a strong start to setting up the early years, the Nursery class only opening in September 2016. The provision meets the requirements of the independent school standards and pupils are well prepared for Year 1.  School leaders have imaginatively combined the English requirements with the French equivalent (maternelle). The curriculum is well planned and so pupils benefit from a broad range of activities and language learning in both English and French.  The head of the primary phase knows the strengths and weaknesses of the provision very well. Leaders’ self-evaluation is accurate and they use this to plan for future developments.  Safeguarding is effective. Pupils are well cared for. Pupils are supervised appropriately and the school provides additional supervision when crossing the road to go to the play area. Systems are clear and all staff know their role.  The learning spaces are bright, well maintained and well resourced. Displays add

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Early years provision Good

positively to the learning environment.  Pupils’ starting points are assessed on entry through baseline testing and observations. Pupils’ progress is recorded and evaluated against the early learning goals in children’s learning journals.  Pupils are proud of their learning journals and teachers and teaching assistants are diligent in ensuring that these are up to date and reflect pupils’ progress and achievement. There are opportunities for pupils to share learning journals with their parents.  Teaching is good. Lessons are well structured, with a range of appropriate teaching strategies which enable pupils to develop their skills. During the inspection, inspectors observed particularly strong activities focused on developing story planning and measuring quantities for a cooking activity.  At present, children do not have opportunities to make the most of the outdoor spaces on site. Leaders are aware of this and plans are in place to bring about improvements.

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School details

Unique reference number 142408 DfE registration number 202/6004

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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

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 École Jeannine Manuel is an independent school in Camden local authority. It is a bilingual school and pupils are taught in French and English.  The school’s mission is to ‘promote international understanding through bilingual education of a multicultural community of students’.  The proprietor body is a registered charity, École Jeannine Manuel UK.  The school is a sister school to École Jeannine Manuel in Paris. It opened in London in September 2015. The Nursery opened in September 2016.  The school is registered to admit pupils between the ages of three and 16. There are currently 288 pupils on roll from age three to 14. Almost half the pupils joined the school in September 2016.  Pupils enter the school with a wide range of different starting points in English and French, from fluency as a mother tongue to those with no experience in either French or English.  The school occupies three houses in Bedford Square. The buildings have been converted

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Information about this school

and adapted for educational use.  The school has small areas of outside space on-site but also makes use of local facilities for break and lunchtime and for physical education.  The school was registered by the DfE in August 2015. This is the school’s first standard inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 27 lessons and other activities to observe pupils’ learning. All of these visits were made jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors toured the premises with the headteacher and visits were also made to two external sites in use by the school.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in a range of subjects.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and other staff.  Meetings were held with the chair and vice-chair of the trustees  Two groups of pupils talked to the inspectors about their views of the school and inspectors also spoke informally to pupils around the school.  Inspectors spoke to two small groups of parents and considered the 188 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View.  Inspectors took account of the views of staff.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation including the school’s self-evaluation, curriculum information, schemes of work and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Janet Hallett, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Moore Ofsted 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

Parent View 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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