Edgware Jewish Girls - Beis Chinuch

Edgware Jewish Girls – Beis Chinuch 296 Hale Lane, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 8NP

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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 Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, senior leaders and governors are ambitious for pupils and have a compelling vision for the education they want to provide. The school’s capacity to improve is strong.  The quality of teaching is good. Staff know individual pupils well. They use assessment information accurately to ensure that, throughout the school, pupils make good progress in English and mathematics.  There is strong support for teachers. Staff are highly committed and are proud to work at the school. Staff morale is high.  Warm and nurturing relationships between pupils and staff underpin the good quality of teaching. Pupils are keen to learn and approach activities confidently.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils attend regularly and enjoy the calm and purposeful nature of the school. Pupils say that they feel safe, cared for and listened to.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. The

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school’s religious ethos plays a key role in pupils’ good personal development.  Children in Nursery and early years make good progress and receive effective support from adults. Children enjoy school and are well prepared for Year 1.  The outdoor area in early years is not available at all times of the day. As a result, it is not effective in extending children’s learning.  Sometimes, teachers’ expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve, particularly in mathematics, are not consistently high.  Leaders and staff do not have accurate assessment information on the progress of pupils across the full range of subjects.

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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?

 Ensure that teachers consistently challenge the thinking of the most able pupils, so that they make more substantial progress, particularly in mathematics.  Embed the school’s assessment system so that it contains a broad enough range of information to enable leaders, staff and governors to check accurately the progress of pupils across all subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher, governors and senior leaders are ambitious for the school and provide a good education for the pupils. They are steadfast in their efforts to ensure that all pupils achieve well and enjoy school.  Leaders of the faith and secular curricula lead by example and set high expectations of staff. Respectful and positive relationships are evident throughout the school.  School leaders have established an effective framework to assess pupils’ attainment and monitor their progress in English and mathematics. As a result, they can identify pupils who require additional support or whose needs might be changing over time. Leaders plan to develop this framework by ensuring that assessment information is available across the full range of subjects.  Leaders have developed robust systems to monitor the quality of teaching. Leaders and teachers routinely discuss what works well in class and what could be even better.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Effective training contributes to teachers’ knowledge and understanding. Leaders have enabled staff to learn from other professionals within the school and externally. Staff reflect enthusiastically about their training and the positive impact it has had on their teaching.  The leader of the secular curriculum is ambitious to secure further improvements in teaching and learning. She has clearly identified the areas that need to be better and effectively challenges staff. As a result, teaching and pupils’ progress are improving, particularly in English.  The curriculum, split between the faith and secular subjects, is broad, enabling pupils to develop age-related knowledge and skills in a range of subjects. Pupils told inspectors how much they enjoyed their learning in subjects such as art, information technology and physical education.  A varied extra-curricular programme further enriches the curriculum. Recent events

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

include a visit to the Houses of Parliament and a talk from Transport for London. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their learning during ‘Healthy Living Week’ and were able to explain the importance of maintaining a healthy diet.  The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is helping pupils gain a thorough understanding of life in modern Britain through a clear set of school values.  Parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, would all recommend the school to another parent.

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Governance

 The governance of the school is effective and ensures that all the independent school standards are met.  The governors have been instrumental in developing the school’s vision and ensuring, over time, that it is well embedded across the school community. Parents are highly supportive, as has been indicated by the overwhelmingly positive responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire.  The chair of governors meets with the headteacher regularly and knows the pupils and staff. Governors support leaders fully with their plans. For example, they have invested in reading books to strengthen the teaching of English.  Through regular visits to the school, the chair of governors knows the strengths and priorities for improvement. Governors have the physical space available to pupils constantly under review.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The culture of safeguarding is thoroughly embedded throughout the school. Record keeping is well organised and all staff are appropriately checked. Leaders make referrals to external agencies in a timely manner.  Leaders make sure that all staff understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff training is up to date and relates to the most recent legislation. Staff are confident in raising concerns. They know that leaders listen carefully and discuss any concerns thoroughly. Staff understand that their duty to safeguard pupils does not end after they have reported a concern.  Pupils are very confident that the school is a safe place and both parents and staff at the school who responded to Ofsted’s surveys or spoke with an inspector agree with this view.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching is effective because staff know their pupils well and plan a range of activities that capture pupils’ enthusiasm. Pupils are motivated and keen to do well.  Leaders have ensured that effective and thoroughly implemented schemes of work ensure that pupils make good progress in both the faith and secular curricula.  In English and mathematics, leaders ensure that teachers assess pupils’ progress regularly to identify any gaps in their knowledge and skills. Teachers use this information to plan and adapt tasks that match pupils’ needs. Leaders are developing this system to ensure thorough assessment of pupils’ progress across all subjects.  Questioning by teachers is effective. Pupils respond with enthusiasm and are inquisitive to know more. As a result, most pupils make good progress.  Teachers have secure knowledge of their subject across both the faith and secular curricula. They use their knowledge well to develop effective teaching methods to ensure

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

that pupils develop their understanding and make significant progress with their learning.  Teachers care deeply about pupils’ personal development and well-being. A calm learning environment ensures that pupils feel secure and are able to apply themselves to their learning. Relationships between teachers and pupils are warm and based on mutual respect.  For those pupils who require additional support in their learning, provision is effective. Tasks and resources match pupils’ needs, enabling them to make good progress. Effective deployment of teaching assistants enables the least able readers to make effective use of their reading skills and to persevere in sounding out unfamiliar words.  Pupils have a breadth of opportunity to develop their writing skills across many subjects, including English, geography, history, and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and the faith curriculum. Leaders’ focus on literacy and reading has successfully

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

encouraged pupils to read widely and for pleasure.  Numeracy is developed effectively in a number of subjects. For example, Year 1 pupils were using their number skills to tally votes in a PSHE education lesson on democracy.  Overall, pupils make good progress. However, teachers do not always provide the most able pupils with challenging enough work. As a result, they do not always achieve quite as well as they should.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Kind and caring relationships between adults and pupils are evident in all aspects of school life. Pupils feel safe and happy because staff are highly attuned to their needs and interests. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe, including when online.  Pupils are keen to learn and take pride in their achievements. Regular celebrations enable pupils to view themselves as successful learners who make a valued contribution to their community.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and teachers are quick to act if there is inappropriate behaviour. Pupils and parents state that teachers are approachable and concerns are resolved quickly. Visits to classrooms and the playground show that pupils play and learn together well.  The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their leadership skills. For

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Personal development and welfare

example, Year 6 pupils act as mentors for children moving from Reception to Year 1.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are courteous, polite and friendly. They are well mannered and show respect for staff, visitors and each other. Most pupils demonstrate a sense of self-discipline and manage their own behaviour well. However, some younger pupils’ behaviour falls short of the high expectations that the school has set.  At transition times, pupils are swift in moving to class. Punctuality is therefore very good and pupils are keen to start learning.  Pupils’ attendance is good. The school is quick to follow up on any absence. As a result of this, and the fact that pupils enjoy and value their schooling, absence rates are low.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Over time, the work in pupils’ books and the school’s own observations show that most pupils currently at the school are making good progress in a range of subjects. This is particularly the case in English and mathematics.  The majority of pupils, including the most- and least able, make good progress from their starting points. This is because leaders have worked successfully to improve teaching and introduce new procedures to help them identify those who are not doing as well as they should.  Typically, pupils attain age-related standards by the end of key stage 2 and some pupils, notably in English, make progress above these standards. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Pupils who receive support for their special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make strong gains in their literacy skills. This enables them to make good progress across the curriculum. The staff meet pupils’ differing educational and care needs well.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils enjoy reading and told inspectors that they read regularly for pleasure. They use their phonics and comprehension skills to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words with confidence.  Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are well developed. They listen carefully to each other and to adults and express their ideas confidently.  Across the curriculum, the most able pupils are not always challenged enough. Their books and lesson observations show that, at times, they are doing tasks that reinforce learning rather than extending them to think deeply. This is particularly the case in mathematics.

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Early years provision Good

 Children start early years with a range of skills that are broadly typical for their age. Because of effective teaching and high-quality care, children make good progress in all areas of learning and are well prepared to start Year 1.  Leadership of early years is strong. Leaders use a range of information to evaluate the quality of children’s learning. They draw on advice from the local authority and have an accurate view of what is working well and areas for development. For example, leaders recognise that the outdoor provision is underdeveloped and needs further resources to support and extend children’s learning. Leaders are tackling this with appropriate urgency.  Staff are well trained and the quality of teaching is consistently good. Adults are effective in modelling good language and provide children with appropriate opportunities to develop their verbal and written communication skills.

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Early years provision Good

 Provision in early years offers children a wide range of experiences that capture their interest and help them make good progress towards the early learning goals. Staff monitor the progress of children closely and so can provide guidance when children select activities and resources to support their learning. Children’s engagement in activities is observed closely and carefully recorded. This enables staff to plan for the next stage of children’s learning.  Parents are happy with their children’s progress in early years. Communication between home and school is effective.  Leaders ensure that activities are well planned and based upon a clear understanding of children’s needs and abilities. Teachers provide a wide range of activities that children enjoy. They ensure a good balance between adult-led activities and times when children make their own decisions and explore independently and in groups.

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Early years provision Good

 Children enjoy working together, are well motivated and behave well. Safeguarding arrangements are robust and leaders ensure that children are kept safe and comfortable. Children approach staff readily. Strong, positive relationships exist between children and adults. Children develop important skills for the future, such as sharing and cooperating with each other.  Safeguarding practices meet all the relevant independent school standards and the statutory requirements of early years have been 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

Proprietor Beis Chinuch Primary School Ltd

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8–10 July 2014

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Information about this school

 Edgware Jewish Girls School is an independent, faith-based day school owned by the registered company Beis Chinuch Primary School Ltd.  The school opened in 2007 and serves the Orthodox Jewish community of Edgware.  It is situated on two sites, both at synagogues in Edgware. Parts of both these buildings are shared with visitors to the synagogues.  Pupils are taught in single-aged classes from Nursery to Year 6.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average. There are no pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  The head of Jewish studies, the head of the secular curriculum and the leader of early years have taken up posts since the previous inspection.  The school does not have a website. Parents are made aware that policies are available from the school office on request.

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Information about this inspection

 This full standard inspection took place with one day’s notice.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning in every year group. These were jointly observed with school leaders.  Inspectors looked at arrangements at breaktime and lunchtime.  Samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised.  Inspectors listened to readers from Year 2 and Year 6.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils during visits to classrooms and around the school sites, including on the playgrounds. An inspector also met formally with a group of pupils to discuss their experiences of the school.  A range of documentation and policies was scrutinised, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans, records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance, assessment information and school newsletters.  Inspectors reviewed records, policies and procedures relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, the chair of governors and a group of staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of 103 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as two letters handed to inspectors and the views of parents met during the inspection.  The inspection considered the 35 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Carolyn Dickinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Bailey 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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