Kerem Shloime

Kerem Shloime Gloucester House, Back Duncan Street, Salford M7 2EY

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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 Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor has made sure that all the independent school standards are met.  Leaders have improved the quality of education considerably since the previous standard inspection.  The curriculum meets pupils’ needs well and contributes effectively to the good progress that they make.  Governors make effective checks on school leaders and strongly hold them to account.  School is a safe place and pupils enjoy learning there. Leaders have taken effective action to ensure that the quality of teaching is now good.  Pupils show that they are respectful and understand the need to treat all people, including those with protected characteristics, equally. The Kodesh (religious) element of the curriculum contributes well to pupils’ understanding in this regard.  Pupils conduct themselves well and typically show good behaviour in class.  Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make good progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have ensured that almost all year groups make good progress across most subjects.  Children make good progress during their time in the early years.  Sometimes, the most able pupils are not given work that challenges them enough.  The proportion of children who exceed the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics in the early years is not as large as it could be.  The new leadership of physical education and art has not had enough time to make a significant impact on enhancing pupils’ development in these subjects.  There are currently few opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in other 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 provide the most able pupils with work that challenges them so that they deepen their understanding and make the strongest possible progress.  Strengthen leadership and management by embedding the new leadership arrangements for physical education and art to enhance pupils’ development in these subjects.  Ensure that more children in the early years make good progress, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.  Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical skills, where possible, across other subjects in the curriculum.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The proprietor has ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  Leaders have taken effective action to improve the quality of education in the school since the last standard inspection. They are ambitious for this to develop further. They have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have devised a suitable improvement plan to ensure further progress. They have also secured continuity during a recently enforced change to the leadership structure. Leaders’ actions include improving teaching by, for instance, bringing in external support and expertise to demonstrate strong practice. They have also strengthened their systems for checking on teachers’ performance. Consequently, most pupils now make good progress across a variety of subjects.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and makes a positive contribution to the good progress that most pupils make. Leaders provide learning opportunities in an appropriate

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

range of subjects. The Kodesh (religious) and Chol (secular) elements of the curriculum complement each other well. For example, pupils learn about other religions in the Kodesh part of the curriculum, while they develop strong skills in mathematics and English in Chol activities.  Leaders support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. For example, pupils have many opportunities to discuss moral questions such as theft. They also enjoy educational visits such as to the Peak District for outdoor activities. Leaders ensure that they prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand fundamental British values and learn to respect all people, including those who have protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. They also provide them with activities to help them understand aspects of democracy such as local councils.  School leaders have greatly improved the quality of teaching since the last standard

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

inspection. They sought external support from a range of sources, such as a local teaching school and various educational advisers. Leaders now have a clear view of the quality of teaching. They no longer rely on support from outside the school, but they are reflective enough to seek advice when they need it. They carry out regular checks on the performance of teachers and give them suggestions for how to improve, such as asking them to ensure that work in mathematics is well matched to pupils’ needs and abilities.  The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) organises the provision for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities well. He ensures that there is strong support for this group of pupils. His work contributes positively to the good progress that these pupils make.  Leaders also use an off-site provision on a few mornings each week to support a small number of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders ensure that they maintain

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

regular contact with this provision and have a good overview of the progress that pupils make.  The professional development of staff has improved significantly. Staff receive regular, well-targeted training, including opportunities to see strong practitioners teaching lessons, both in their own school and elsewhere. Staff who responded to the staff survey, or who spoke to inspectors, were very positive about their roles in school and the work of leaders.  Parents and carers who gave written responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, or who spoke to the inspection team, were highly positive about the school. Parents typically described the school as ‘tremendous’, made reference to a ‘wholesome and positive schooling experience’ and praised the way in which pupils are ‘cared for as individuals’.  Leaders have a clear overview of standards across a range of subjects, especially English and mathematics. They follow pupils’ progress closely and identify gaps in their learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

They then provide activities to address any misconceptions. As a result, most pupils make good progress in these subjects.  Leadership of art and physical education is less well developed. New leaders are in place for both these subjects. They have begun to ensure that pupils acquire the requisite skills more securely. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of his role.

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Governance

 Governors have a secure understanding of standards in the school. School leaders provide them with useful information to this end. Since their appointment, after the previous standard inspection, they have worked tirelessly to hold leaders to account effectively and to secure continuing improvement for the school. They are ambitious to see pupils achieve as highly as possible.  Governors check on the work of school leaders closely and challenge them strongly. They ask searching questions about the progress of pupils, for instance, and they constantly probe school leaders about the actions that they are taking to bring about continuous improvement.  Governors are well trained in safeguarding. They understand, for example, the procedures concerning allegations against staff. They hold regular meetings with school leaders to keep themselves up to date with any emerging issues.  The proprietor liaises closely with the governors and regularly receives reports from them.

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Governance

Consequently, he has a firm grasp of the quality of education in the school and how effectively the school meets the independent school standards.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school has an appropriate safeguarding policy, which it provides to parents on request. The policy makes reference to the government’s current requirements, including the most recently published guidance documents.  Leaders ensure that there is strong culture of safeguarding in the school that ensures that staff have the welfare of their pupils at the heart of their work. There is a clear sense of nurture in the school, which means that pupils feel safe and know how to stay safe. Staff teach them, for example, to be aware of strangers. Pupils know who they can talk to if they have any worries. Staff are well trained in safeguarding matters, including radicalisation, and they understand how to report concerns.  The school’s record of checks on the suitability of staff is thorough and complies with the government’s requirements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Because of the training provided by leaders, the quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last standard inspection. Teachers typically use questioning effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding or to enable them to attempt a task for themselves. For example, in key stage 2, adults ask pupils to suggest interesting vocabulary that will enhance their writing.  Pupils behave well in class and show mostly positive attitudes to learning. Teachers make their expectations clear about classroom routines, with the result that little learning time is lost in, for instance, changes of activity. Consequently, most pupils make good progress across the majority of subjects, including English and mathematics.  Teachers create a warm atmosphere in class that is characterised by good relationships. Teachers know their pupils well. Most pupils respond well to teachers and work effectively with each other, showing strong social development. These positive relationships

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

contribute well to the good progress that most pupils make.  Teachers support the least able pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities effectively. They provide work that matches their needs well and make effective use of extra adults in the room to support them. These actions ensure that these pupils make good progress in their learning.  Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to use the skills that they have learned in English in other subjects. For example, in science they use their writing skills to explain dissolving and solutions. However, there are fewer examples of pupils using their mathematical skills in other subjects.  Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to plan lessons that mostly sustain pupils’ interest in their learning well. For example, in key stage 1, pupils use their mathematical skills effectively by identifying whether one number is larger or smaller than another and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

using the correct mathematical symbol to record it in their books.  Teachers mainly assess their pupils well and use the information that they receive to plan subsequent work. There are now improved procedures in place that enable teachers to make more accurate assessments of pupils’ progress. Sometimes, however, staff do not consistently follow the school’s feedback and marking policy.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils’ care and well-being is central to the school’s work.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Leaders actively promote this development through a carefully planned programme of activities. These include educational visits and lessons in personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils have a secure understanding of other faiths, such as Christianity and Islam. Pupils also have a well-informed appreciation of equality. They readily demonstrate the principle of respect that lies at the heart of the school’s ethos. Pupils recognise that they must treat all people fairly, including those who have protected characteristics.  Pupils are confident and have mostly positive attitudes to their learning. They can talk about their learning well. For example, pupils in key stage 2 spoke knowledgably about an

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Personal development and welfare

investigation that they had carried out in science. In conversation with inspectors, pupils said that they enjoy school. Sometimes, however, pupils’ quality of presentation shows that there are lapses in the pride that they take in their work.  Pupils feel safe and know how to stay safe. They find out about, for instance, ‘stranger danger’ and fire safety. Parents and pupils alike think that staff look after pupils well.  Pupils understand what bullying is and say that it does not happen in school. However, they recognise that, sometimes, pupils fall out with one another. When this happens, they trust adults to intervene effectively and to help to settle any problems.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well in class and around school. Staff have effective behaviour management strategies, and pupils respond to instructions promptly. Pupils know classroom routines well and follow them efficiently.  Playtimes are well organised, and pupils say that they feel safe on the playground. Effective supervision ensures that the school is mainly an orderly place. Occasional boisterousness in the corridor is typically short-lived as pupils respond to adults well.  Pupils’ attendance is above the most recent national average for maintained schools and there have been no exclusions from the school at any point. There are no examples of persistent absence.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Over half the pupils in school speak English as an additional language. Leaders meet their needs well, and across almost all year groups, current pupils make good progress across a range of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils also make much better progress in science than they did at the last standard inspection. Outcomes, therefore, have improved substantially and are now good.  Evidence from pupils’ work and from the school’s own assessment information show that pupils acquire relevant knowledge, understanding and skills well across most subjects. For example, in science, pupils in key stage 2 have a good understanding that sound is caused by vibration through a medium. In key stage 1, pupils demonstrate that they can use features of writing such as more adventurous vocabulary. Most pupils are ready for the next stage of their education because teachers ensure that they have the key skills

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Outcomes for pupils Good

that they need. However, the challenge that teachers provide for the most able pupils is sometimes limited.  Most pupils read with fluency and comprehension that matches their age and ability. The least able pupils in key stage 1 are beginning to use their knowledge of phonics to read unfamiliar words and have appropriate support in place to help them make good progress. Pupils make good progress as they make their way through the school and are adept readers by the time that they reach Year 6, showing strong inference skills, for example. Pupils say that they enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction texts, although the school provides less choice of non-fiction books.  Pupils receive regular homework, in line with the school’s policy. They complete work that complements what they have learned in class in English and mathematics.  Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points,

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Outcomes for pupils Good

especially in English and mathematics. This is because the SENCo organises support well for this group of pupils. Class teachers also ensure that teaching assistants enable pupils to understand what they are learning effectively.

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Early years provision Good

 Leaders have ensured that the independent school standards that relate to the early years provision are met. There are no breaches of the welfare requirements. The quality of provision has improved dramatically since the last standard inspection. This is because leaders sought advice from a range of external advisers and acted effectively on it.  The early years leader is dynamic and knowledgeable. She checks on the performance of staff regularly and ensures that they are well trained. She makes accurate assessments and uses them well to provide for children’s needs. She is always alert to opportunities to improve the quality of provision. For example, she has recently revised the system by which staff assess children’s ability on entry to the early years. This new system gives a more detailed picture that enables staff to provide for pupils’ needs more fully.  Children enter the early years with knowledge and skills that are below those that are

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Early years provision Good

typical for their age and stage of development. Most speak English as an additional language. By the time that they leave the Reception class, children have made good progress, and most are ready for Year 1. Seven out of 10 children achieved a good level of development in 2018, which is in line with the most recent national average. However, the proportion of children who exceeded the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics in 2018 was below the most recent national average.  The quality of teaching is good. Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to plan interesting activities that keep children engaged. Staff generally question children effectively to deepen learning and ensure that they understand. For example, when a child in the Nursery found a toy egg in the sandpit, the adult asked if he could find two, thus deepening his growing knowledge of number.  The environment supports children’s learning effectively. There are plenty of opportunities

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Early years provision Good

for children to develop a wide range of skills, including writing and mathematics. Examples of writing in the Nursery, for instance, show that children make good progress in mark making. Children also have resources, such as scooters and large tyres, to develop their physical skills well in the outdoor area.  Safeguarding in the early years is effective. Staff follow the school’s safeguarding policy. Children behave well and show that they feel safe in the early years provision. They show confidence and trust familiar adults.  Leaders successfully involve parents in the education of their child, which contributes well to the good progress children make in the early years. Staff seek information about their child’s interests before they begin in the Nursery. Throughout their children’s time in the early years, parents receive weekly newsletters to keep them up to date on children’s learning. Parents have ‘link books’ in which they can communicate with staff. There are

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Early years provision Good

also regular formal meetings to enable parents to find out how well their child is progressing.

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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) Voluntary contributions

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–16 February 2017

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Information about this school

 Kerem Shloime is an independent primary day school for orthodox Jewish boys. There are currently 180 boys on roll, with three part-time.  The majority of pupils come from families where English is spoken as an additional language.  With the knowledge of the Department for Education, the school has recently relocated to a newer building that is more suitable and spacious than the previous one. The proprietor also requested that the school’s capacity be increased to 300 pupils and the age range to 3 to 11 years. Leaders have ensured that the school meets the independent school standards that relate to these requests.  There are currently no pupils on roll who have an education, health and care plan.  Children in the early years provision attend on a full-time basis.  A few pupils attend an off-site provision (Aim Habonim independent special school) on a part-time basis to receive support for their SEN and/or disabilities.

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently comply with its registration agreement as recorded on GIAS (‘Get information about schools’, an online service provided by the government) in respect of: the school premises, the age range of pupils and the maximum number of pupils.

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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 65 responses to a printed version of Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, supplied to parents by the school.  Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the school’s safeguarding records, policies, procedures, and records of attendance, achievement and teaching.  Inspectors held meetings with the acting headteacher and other senior leaders throughout the inspection. They also met with the proprietor and governors.

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Inspection team

Mark Quinn, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Maggie Parker 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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