Kerem Shloime

Kerem Shloime 33 Northumberland Street, Salford M7 4DQ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders have not ensured that the school meets the independent school standards.  Leaders do not effectively check on the quality of teaching and learning in writing. They do not clearly tell teachers how to improve pupils’ achievement in this subject. As a result, pupils make inadequate progress.  Leaders do not have an effective system in place to assess pupils’ progress, especially in writing. The progress pupils make is inadequate.  Pupils, especially in key stage 2, do not acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need in science.  Leaders do not make sure that teachers consistently give feedback that tells pupils how to improve their work.  Teachers do not provide enough challenge for the most able pupils, especially in English and mathematics.  Children in the early years make inadequate progress in their writing.  Children in the early years do not experience frequent opportunities to practise their writing

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Parents are happy with the care that the school provides for their children.  Pupils behave well and feel safe in school. Staff look after them well.  Pupils make good progress in the Kodesh (religious) curriculum.  Most pupils now make good progress in mathematics.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Take appropriate action to meet the independent school standards and the aspects of the Department for Education’s statutory learning and development requirements for children in the early years that are currently not met by: – providing more effective feedback to teachers, so that they have a positive impact on pupils’ achievement, especially in writing – providing a learning environment in the early years that is rich in language and contains more opportunities for children to develop their mathematical skills independently.  Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make more rapid progress by: – improving the quality of the planning of writing so that pupils know what they need to achieve to be successful – developing a focused assessment procedure for writing that is clear about the skills required – providing better support and training to teachers so that they have an effective process for teaching writing skills

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– ensuring that teachers adhere to the school’s marking and feedback policy so that pupils know how to improve their work, especially in writing – ensuring that teachers plan lessons that enable the most able pupils to make the progress of which they are capable.  Ensure pupils make improved progress in science by: – providing work that helps them to acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding that are appropriate for their age group – giving pupils opportunities to learn for themselves through, for example, devising scientific investigations.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that the 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 (paragraphs 3, 3(a)).  The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school fosters in pupils self- motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves (paragraphs 3, 3(b)).  The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school involves well-planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time (paragraphs 3, 3(c)).  The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons (paragraphs 3, 3(d)).

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught (paragraphs 3, 3(e)).  The proprietor must ensure that the teaching at the school demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress (paragraphs 3, 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 (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a)).  The proprietor must ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraphs 34 (1), 34(1)(b)).

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

The proprietor must ensure that the statutory learning and development requirements for the early years foundation stage are met.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders have not ensured that the independent school standards are met. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment are inadequate. Pupils make weak progress in writing and, in science, they do not have opportunities to learn for themselves at a standard appropriate to their age. Consequently, outcomes for pupils are inadequate. Furthermore, leaders have not made sure that provision in the early years is adequate.  The monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning in writing is inadequate. It has been ineffective in ensuring that teaching promotes adequate progress. Leaders observe the work of staff to check on their performance but they are not precise enough in identifying actions for them that will have a positive impact on pupils’ progress.  Leaders have revised the school’s policy for marking and feedback. Staff, however, do not adhere to it consistently. Consequently, pupils do not know how to improve their work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

This is especially evident in the lack of progress made by pupils in their writing.  The assessment process for writing is inadequate. Staff have a weak picture of the skills that pupils need in order to demonstrate good progress.  Senior leaders know the school’s weaknesses well and are keen to secure improvements for their pupils. They have taken some effective action since the last standard inspection. They have, for example, developed an appropriately broad curriculum for Chol (secular) subjects and provided resources to support it. This, along with improved teaching, has contributed to good progress by pupils in mathematics and reading. There are some extra-curricular activities, such as a singing club, and pupils raise money for charities. However, the programme is not extensive.  The Kodesh (religious) curriculum is well planned and the headteacher closely monitors the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. Consequently, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

and cultural development is strong and teachers prepare them well for life in modern Britain, promoting tolerance of others’ beliefs and mutual respect.  The special educational needs coordinator is conscientious and effective. As a result of his work, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress, benefiting from well-designed support activities.  Parents expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the care and education the school provides for their children. Twenty-four parents communicated their views by writing letters to the inspectors or speaking face-to-face with them. They were unanimously positive about the work of the school. They appreciate the speed with which leaders address any issues that they may have and they value the effective channels of communication. They feel that children’s individual needs are met well and their relationships with staff and with each other are strong.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The school made a request to the Department for Education (DfE) to increase its capacity from 90 pupils to 170. The accommodation is suitable for this new total and the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the change is implemented.

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Governance

 The proprietor recognises that the school is inadequate due to its current weaknesses and leaders’ failure to meet the independent school standards. He has, however, an accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. He meets regularly with school leaders to check on progress and he is ambitious for the school to continue to improve.  There is currently no formal procedure in place to review the headteacher’s performance, but the proprietor has plans to introduce a system of appraisal. He has begun to bring in practitioners from other schools to share good practice, but the effectiveness of this is not fully established.  The proprietor has received appropriate training in safeguarding and is aware of the school’s procedures.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school has a safeguarding policy that is available to parents on request. The policy is up to date and takes into account current government requirements.  Members of staff have all received appropriate training in safeguarding and there are appropriate reporting systems in place. Instances of safeguarding issues are rare and there have been no reports or referrals since the last inspection.  There is a strong culture of safeguarding in school because staff care for their pupils well and pupils trust the adults to tackle any concerns they may have.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate because it leads to inadequate progress in writing across the school. Pupils do not fully understand what they need to do to produce an appropriate piece of work. Staff do not systematically show pupils the features of the type of writing they are teaching or give them enough chance to familiarise themselves with them.  Teachers do not provide helpful feedback to pupils in order to let them know how to improve the quality of their writing. The school’s policy allows for oral feedback to be given, but its effectiveness is not reflected in the progress pupils make.  Teachers do not give pupils opportunities in science to learn for themselves through, for instance, conducting scientific investigations. Learning is not matched to pupils’ ages or abilities and teachers do not give pupils feedback on their progress.  While there were some examples where teachers reshaped tasks to help pupils who

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

experienced difficulties with their learning, teachers do not consistently assess pupils’ progress during lessons. Consequently, they frequently do not intervene in a timely way to tackle any misconceptions.  On some occasions, pupils lose concentration and become distracted because the planned lessons do not engage them sufficiently well.  Although teaching in mathematics is more effective than in writing, and progress is good, teachers do not provide enough challenge for the most able pupils. Teachers ask these pupils to tackle the harder questions in their text books, but they answer them with ease and do not get the opportunity to grapple with more difficult concepts.  Most pupils show good attitudes to their learning and behave well in class. Across most year groups, teachers have good behaviour management skills during lessons and relationships are positive.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics. Teachers plan work that is appropriate to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

pupils’ age groups and pupils acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding.  Teachers plan and deliver good activities that support pupils’ development in art and in design and technology. They also develop the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of pupils’ learning well through the Kodesh (religious) curriculum, engaging them in, for example, singing and musical activities. Pupils understand moral issues well, such as in Year 5, where they confidently discuss issues around helping others, both in an everyday context and in the light of Jewish teachings.  Staff plan and deliver effective support sessions for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils make good progress and, in some cases, develop their skills so well that they no longer need the intervention lessons.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils feel safe in school and know who to talk to if they have any concerns or problems.  Adults take care of pupils well and pupils enjoy warm relationships with each other and with staff.  Through the Kodesh (religious) curriculum, teachers make sure pupils understand the importance of respect for others and tolerance of other faiths and beliefs.  Pupils who spoke to inspectors were confident and articulate. They said they enjoyed all aspects of school, but that sometimes the work was too easy for them.  Some pupils enjoy coming to breakfast club each day. Adults supervise the club well and give pupils a good start to the day.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Conduct around school is good. Little learning time is lost in the transitions between lessons. For example, after breaktime, key stage 2 pupils know the routines for returning into the building and are back in their classes within minutes.  Behaviour in classes is mostly good, with only occasional disruptions.  There are very few incidents of bullying and aggression, and pupils do not use any derogatory language.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Outcomes are inadequate because of weak progress in writing and science.  Pupils’ progress in writing is slow across the school. For example, at the beginning of Year 5, pupils use language, such as ‘becoming abandoned’ in reference to a house. However, pupils’ writing skills show little development over the course of the year. The structure of sentences remains insecure, with pupils typically writing examples like, ‘everyone was surprised, someone called the police’, and word choices do not become more ambitious.  In science, especially in key stage 2, pupils do not acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding that match the school’s own scheme of work, with pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 studying the same topic. There is no evidence that pupils know whether they have been successful in the work they have completed, as there is no apparent assessment of their level of understanding or advice on how to improve their work.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Most pupils read well and older pupils show a good amount of confidence and fluency for their ability. Less able and younger pupils can work out unfamiliar words using phonics. Pupils report that they bring English reading books home regularly but there is no evidence of pupils having ready access to a range of such books in class.  Teachers provide regular work to develop pupils’ English reading comprehension skills to good effect.  Most pupils make good progress in mathematics and acquire the appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding. For example, they progress from understanding place value for four-digit numbers to multiplying four-digit by two-digit numbers using formal methods, as well as finding fractions of numbers, such as three fifths of 30.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective and successful interventions that enable them to make good progress from their starting

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

points.  Pupils make good progress in the Kodesh (religious) curriculum. They are confident in discussing moral matters connected with the Jewish faith with their teachers, and they join in skilfully and with brio in activities that involve singing.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Early years provision is inadequate because leaders have not ensured that the statutory learning and development requirements are met. As a result, children make slow progress in their writing and in their mathematical development.  There are too few opportunities for children to develop their writing skills independently in the setting. For example, Reception children all complete an exercise in writing the letter ‘s’, but the next activity requires them to colour in a snake, not put their skills into practice on their own for a purpose.  The most recent assessment information shows that no children reached a good level of development in 2016, with no children meeting the early learning goal in writing. This means that no children were ready to start Year 1.  While there are examples of a growing number of useful words displayed in the setting, there is little evidence of a rich language environment that supports children’s

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Early years provision Inadequate

development in literacy, especially in writing.  There are few opportunities in the learning environment for children, especially in Reception, to develop for themselves their understanding of counting, number and simple calculation.  Staff do not give enough opportunities for children to work independently or to experience challenge at their level of understanding, especially in writing. As a result teaching does not enable children to make good progress in this subject.  The early years leader is aware of the needs of the setting and has taken action since the last inspection to bring about improvements. She has begun to make a connection with another school that can demonstrate good practice in the early years but this is still in its infancy. There also is a more organised curriculum that covers the areas of learning. For example, there was photographic evidence of children in the Nursery playing on scooters

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Early years provision Inadequate

and threading wool into plastic frames. This shows that the carefully planned activities bring about good progress in their physical development. However, planning for progress is not effective enough across the full range of areas of learning.  Children’s behaviour is good and they enjoy being in the early years. Parents are happy that their children are safe and feel that staff look after them well. Relationships between parents and staff are very positive.  School leaders and staff make sure that all safeguarding and welfare requirements are met.

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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 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 10 years. There are currently 167 boys on roll, with 12 part-time.  The majority of pupils come from families where English is spoken as the first language.  The school is located in a large Victorian building. Part of the building is used by the community as a synagogue.  This is the school’s first full independent school inspection since its pre-registration visit in February 2015.  There are currently two pupils on roll who have a statement of special educational needs. The school has not received funding for these pupils.  Children in the early years provision attend on a full-time basis, except for 12 three-year- old children in the pre-nursery who attend part-time.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection took place over two-and-a-half days with two inspectors in total.  The inspection team visited a number of lessons or parts of lessons in a range of subjects. The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in books.  Inspectors observed pupils moving around the school as well as at breaktimes. They spoke to pupils during breaktimes and in meetings.  The views of parents were also taken into account. There were no responses to ‘Parent View’, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. However, 24 parents expressed their views by writing letters to the inspection team or in face-to-face meetings.  Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the schools’ safeguarding records, policies, procedures, and records of attendance, achievement and teaching.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders throughout the inspection. They also met with the proprietor.  At the same time as the standard inspection, the lead inspector carried out a material

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Information about this inspection

change inspection. This was because of a request to the DfE by the school for an increase in capacity from 95 to 170 pupils.

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Inspection team

Mark Quinn, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bernard Robinson 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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