Lubavitch Senior Boys School

Lubavitch Senior Boys‟ School 133 Clapton Common, London E5 9AE

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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 Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Proprietors do not ensure that all of the independent school standards are met.  The school does not have enough capacity to improve. Currently, an acting headteacher has sole responsibility for leading improvements.  Safeguarding is not effective. Proprietors do not ensure that all necessary checks are made when appointing new staff.  Pupils‟ welfare is inadequate. Not enough is done to keep them safe.  Not enough time is allocated to secular studies to enable pupils to progress well.  Teachers‟ weak planning and limited knowledge in a range of subjects leads to pupils making slow progress.  Assessment information is not used effectively to ensure that the most able pupils are fully challenged, particularly in mathematics.  Expectations of pupils are too low. Work is untidy, and basic errors are left uncorrected.  When teaching fails to engage pupils fully, a small minority of them misbehave.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Staff ensure that the school is a friendly place to be.  Pupils say that they feel safe and enjoy school.  Teaching and learning in religious studies is good.  Parents are supportive of the school.

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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?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by: – making immediate improvements to the school‟s safeguarding procedures – appointing a designated lead for safeguarding within the school – providing the acting headteacher with additional capacity to make improvements and to manage the day-to-day running of the school – ensuring that proprietors take a much more active role in overseeing the school‟s performance – putting in place robust procedures to enable proprietors to check at regular intervals that all of the independent school standards are fully met.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by: – producing detailed curriculum plans for all subjects in the secular curriculum that take into account the different ages and abilities of pupils – providing staff with regular training to update their subject knowledge, and to help them to make good use of these new curriculum plans

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– planning learning in subjects in the secular curriculum that captures and retains the interest of all pupils – raising the expectations of what pupils are capable of attaining, and insisting on well- presented good-quality work from them – providing much more challenge for the most able pupils, especially in mathematics.  Raise achievement by: – allocating sufficient time to secular subjects to enable pupils to make good progress – making better use of assessment information to plan learning matched to the ages and abilities of pupils, to set challenging targets for them, and to inform staff about less-able pupils who need additional support – showing pupils how to avoid common errors in basic spelling, punctuation and grammar in their written work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders have not made sure that the school meets the requirements of the independent school standards. There are significant gaps in the quality of education provided for pupils, in procedures to ensure their health and safety and in the checks made on the suitability of staff to work with children. School leaders do not fulfil all of their duties effectively.  It is unclear how leaders make the safeguarding policy available to parents on request.  Following the departure of the previous headteacher earlier this year, a teacher within school was promoted to lead it on an interim basis. He continues to teach during the afternoons, which restricts the time he has to lead and manage the school.  The school‟s small size means that there are no other leaders in school to support the acting headteacher in making improvements. There is no clerical support. Most of the school‟s administration and record-keeping is left to the acting headteacher to manage.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Self-evaluation lacks rigour. Gaps in the school‟s procedures and record-keeping have gone unnoticed. Not enough evidence has been gathered over time to provide an accurate overview of the school‟s effectiveness. Monitoring of teaching and learning has not identified the common weaknesses, or informed leaders‟ actions to improve it by providing staff with further training.  The curriculum is unbalanced. Most of the school day is dedicated to religious studies. This is taught well and pupils are interested and engaged in their learning. However, the time allocated to English, mathematics and science, and a small range of other subjects, is minimal. Furthermore, leaders have not ensured that the teaching of these subjects is adequate. Pupils do not have enough time to learn in depth, or acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding needed for the next stage of their education.  The acting headteacher is inexperienced in leadership, but is ambitious for all pupils. He is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

committed to improving the school. He ensures that school remains an orderly environment and that pupils are well cared for. Parents who responded during the inspection commented favourably on the impact he has made in a short period of time.  The acting headteacher and proprietors ensure that the school is outward looking and seeks to promote pupils‟ wider understanding, alongside their learning of the Jewish faith. Pupils‟ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is taught effectively through both the religious and secular curriculums. This helps maintain a culture of tolerance and respect within and outside of school.

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Governance

 Since its opening, proprietors have not overseen the school‟s development well enough. They are unaware of the many weaknesses in the quality of education provided, the arrangements to safeguard pupils and the quality of leadership and management.  They have not put in place systematic procedures to check regularly that all of the independent school standards are met.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  There is no designated lead for safeguarding within the school. This responsibility is delegated to the secretary of a nearby school. She is trained in child protection, but is not fully responsible for the school‟s procedures to safeguard pupils. The lack of a designated leader within the school means that safeguarding is not suitably prioritised.  Not all of the necessary checks are made before appointing adults to work with children. The single central record and other records show that staff have been appointed without checks being made of their qualifications, references, or their right to work in the United Kingdom.  Records show that all staff have attended training in the „Prevent‟ duty to help them spot pupils at risk of radicalisation or extremism. Safeguarding training for some staff has lapsed and is out of date.  The school site is safe and secure. Access is managed well by security staff. A caretaker

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Safeguarding

ensures that all health and safety procedures are in place and that risk assessments are maintained fully.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Six part-time staff share responsibility for teaching religious studies, and for teaching subjects in the secular curriculum. The quality varies widely. The good teaching evident in religious studies lessons is not matched in other subjects. This is due to a combination of the lack of good-quality curriculum plans and teachers‟ weak subject knowledge.  Pupils in Years 7 and 8 are usually taught in separate classes. Scrutiny of their books shows that they are taught the same content, regardless of their different ages and abilities. Teaching is poorly planned. For example, pupils are not provided with work that accurately meets their needs  Pupils are not able to learn in enough depth. This was particularly the case in history and science. Time for participation in physical education, music and art is minimal.  Teaching of religious studies is good. Teachers demonstrate detailed subject knowledge.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

Relations between staff and pupils in most lessons are strong. Pupils respond to this very well. They show real interest in their learning, and their behaviour is good. They readily engage in discussion, form their own views and opinions and reflect on their learning. Pupils are inquisitive and are confident to ask teachers questions or seek further explanation of meaning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school‟s work to promote pupils‟ personal development is inadequate.  Leaders do not ensure that all necessary safeguarding checks are made to promote pupils‟ welfare effectively and keep them from harm.  Pupils are looked after well. Their enjoyment of school is shown in their regular attendance.  Weekly lessons help to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. Pupils‟ books show that they are taught about people from different cultural backgrounds and other religious beliefs. Pupils demonstrate respect for other people with different characteristics protected by law. They have an understanding of democracy, the law and citizenship. A recent visit from a community police officer helped pupils to develop their understanding of right and wrong, and how to be responsible citizens.  Leaders have effectively mapped the religious studies curriculum to show where it promotes pupils‟ personal, social, health and economic education. For example, they

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Personal development and welfare

teach pupils about humankind, caring and respect for others with different views and beliefs, and about reinforcing their Jewish identities.  Although all pupils are expected to progress onto a nearby Jewish school or a Yeshiva, they are given independent advice and guidance about their futures. Visitors, including the emergency services, financial services and parents from professional backgrounds, are welcomed into school to inform pupils of possible careers.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Behaviour is determined by the quality of teaching. For example, in religious studies, pupils behave well and show respect for staff because the subject is taught well. In other subjects taught in the afternoons, a small minority of pupils misbehave and show poor attitudes towards learning. They become uncooperative and disturb the learning of others. This is because poorly planned teaching fails to capture and retain their interest.  The majority of pupils behave well. No pupils have been excluded from school. Pupils told inspectors that they feel free from all forms of bullying. Records show that very few incidents occur.  Pupils know the sanctions applied to manage poor behaviour, and they really value the „Friday raffle‟ and trips out of school as rewards for good behaviour. Behaviour outside of lessons is very good. Pupils play games competitively and cooperatively and without

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Behaviour

disputes. They conduct themselves well around school. They are polite, pleasant and were keen to talk to inspectors.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Not enough time is allocated to the secular curriculum. Time for learning in core subjects is minimal, and this restricts the progress made by pupils.  Regular testing provides staff with an overview of how well pupils are progressing in each subject, but these procedures lack rigour. Assessment information shows that almost all pupils meet or exceed the targets set for them and make good progress. However, this information is not supported by inspectors‟ observations of pupils‟ learning in lessons, or in the quality of work in their books. In a significant proportion of subjects, inspectors found that pupils‟ work is minimal and not of a good standard.  In mathematics, pupils do not make enough progress. Pupils in both year groups are grouped together and taught according to their ability. This enables a small proportion of less-able pupils to learn well in small classes and gain from regular one-to-one support

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

from teachers. However, expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough. They often complete work that does not challenge them or enable them to learn in depth. They are not expected to show their working-out or to demonstrate that they have applied the correct methods for calculation. When asked, pupils told inspectors that they find work in mathematics too easy, saying: „We already know much of it.‟  Pupils‟ books show that that in a wide range of subjects they are not expected to take pride in their work. Titles and dates are often omitted. Work is untidy and often left unfinished. Errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation are not challenged or corrected by staff.  Inspectors listened to three pupils read. All of them were confident, fluent readers. They talked positively about the books that they read at home.

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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

 Lubavitch Senior Boys‟ school is registered to admit up to 40 boys between the ages of 11 and 13 years.  All pupils are from orthodox Jewish backgrounds.  No pupils are deemed to be disadvantaged.  No pupils are looked after by the local authority.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  Since March 2018, the school has been led by an acting headteacher.  Three proprietors oversee the school‟s strategic leadership.  This was the school‟s first inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was commissioned by the Department for Education as part of the normal inspection cycle to ascertain the school‟s overall effectiveness and assess whether it meets the all of the independent school standards.  The lead inspector walked the school with the acting headteacher and scrutinised documentation to check whether the school met the Independent School Standards.  Inspectors visited both classes at length to observe pupils at work in religious studies, English, mathematics and science. They observed pupils‟ behaviour at play during breaktimes and lunchtimes. They also talked informally with pupils.  The inspectors held meetings with two of the proprietors. The lead inspector met briefly with the secretary of the local junior school, who operates as the school‟s designated lead for safeguarding.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation provided, including policy statements, schemes of work, self-evaluation and improvement planning, safeguarding

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Information about this inspection

and child protection policy and procedures, including the single central record, and leaders‟ monitoring records.  The inspector considered 11 responses to Ofsted‟s online questionnaire, Parent View. Ofsted‟s questionnaire for staff was not used.

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Inspection team

John Mitcheson, lead inspector Her Majesty‟s Inspector

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub- paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1)(b) the written policy and schemes of work   2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(2)(a) full-time supervised education for all pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 the proprietor ensures that the teaching in the school   3(a) 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;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3(b) 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;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3(c) involves well-planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3(d) 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;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge of the subject matter being taught;  3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range;  3(g) 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

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 4 the proprietor ensures that a framework for pupil performance to be evaluated, by reference to the school‟s own aims as provided to parents or national norms, or to both, is in place. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 7 The standard is met if the proprietor ensures that;  7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 7b such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the secretary of state.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 18(2) The standard is met if   18(2)(a) no such person is barred from regulated activity relating to children in accordance with section 3(2) of the 2006 Act where that person is or will be engaging in activity which is regulated activity within the meaning of Part 1 of the Schedule 4 to that Act;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 18(2)(b) no such person 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;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 18(2)(c) the proprietor carries out appropriate checks to confirm in respect of each such person–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 18(2)(c)(ii) the person‟s medical fitness;  18(2)(c)(iii) the person‟s right to work in the United Kingdom; and  18(2)(c)(iv) where appropriate, the person‟s qualifications;  18(2)(e) in the case of any person for whom, by reason of that person living or having lived outside of the United Kingdom, obtaining such a certificate is not sufficient to establish the person‟s suitability to work in a school, such further checks are made as the proprietor considers appropriate, having regard to any guidance issues by the Secretary of State.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 21(3)(a)(iv) checks were made to ensure, where appropriate that S had the relevant qualifications

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 21(3)(a) (vii) a check of S‟s right to work in the United Kingdom was made; and  21(3)(a)(viii) checks were made pursuant to paragraph 18(2)(e)  21(3)(b) in relation to each member of staff (“S”), whether a check was made to establish whether S is subject to a prohibition order or an interim prohibition order, including the date on which such a check was completed.

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Part 5 Premises of and accommodation at schools

 23(1)(c) suitable changing accommodation and showers are provided for pupils aged 11 years or over at the start of the school year who receive physical education.

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school–

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently;

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1)(c) actively promotes the well-being of pupils. 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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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8 Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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

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