Gateshead Jewish Nursery School

Gateshead Jewish Nursery School Alexandra Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 1RB

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and managers do not ensure that all the independent school standards are met.  Leaders have not addressed all the areas for improvement arising from the previous inspection.  Leaders and managers do not use the information they have to evaluate children’s progress effectively.  Children’s personal, educational and social development is detrimentally affected by the children being segregated by sex for their learning. Often, adults in the school reinforce gender stereotypes when speaking to children. Pupils are not adequately prepared for life in modern British society  Leaders and managers have not ensured that the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 are met, as children are unlawfully segregated by sex.  Information on the quality of teaching and learning is not used effectively by leaders to ensure school improvement.  The quality of teaching is variable across the school, as some adults have higher

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

expectations than others and are better at developing children’s communication skills.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Children enjoy coming to the school and they behave well.  Adults in the school take great care in making sure the children feel safe and are happy at the school.  Children leaving the school have more recently begun to reach the levels of development that are typically expected for their age.  Parents and carers spoken to by inspectors commented enthusiastically about the school and particularly acknowledged how well adults know their children.  The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is quick to address the needs of any child who may need extra support to ensure that they make good progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Compliance with regulatory requirements 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 effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that: – the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 are met so that children are not unlawfully segregated by sex – information they have, for example on the quality of teaching and learning and children’s progress, is used to inform school improvement priorities better, by identifying trends, strengths and weaknesses.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – teachers use teaching assistants more effectively to help children learn – children are encouraged to be more responsible for meeting their own needs and looking after their environment – more opportunities are made available for children to work together and to develop their writing skills – adults have higher expectations of what children can achieve and are more effective at developing their speaking and listening skills.  Improve the effectiveness of pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring that: – pupils are adequately prepared for life in modern British society – pupils’ personal, social and educational development is not inhibited by their unlawful segregation by sex – adults in the school do not reinforce gender stereotypes.  The school must meet the independent school standards, as set out in the annex of this report.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders and managers operate a policy of unlawful segregation by sex during formal lesson periods. This is to the detriment of girls and boys growing up in modern Britain. The policy and practice amount to unlawful discrimination contrary to section 13 of the Equality Act 2010.  The school’s rationale for the segregation policy is both educational and social. Leaders, however, are unable to provide evidence to support the purported educational or social benefits to girls or to boys of segregation by sex in the nursery school.  Senior leaders collate information about children’s achievements. However, they do not use this information to judge whether children are making good progress from their starting points.  Senior leaders do not compare the progress of key groups such as girls and boys, children who speak English as an additional language and different age groups. Similarly, they do not evaluate children’s progress in the different areas of learning. Consequently, potential

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

weaknesses are not identified or addressed. This limits children’s academic development and the school’s improvement.  Leaders do not ensure that children’s personal development is promoted by tackling stereotypical language used by adults in the school.  Some senior leaders, for example the headteacher and the senior nursery teacher, accurately evaluate strengths and weaknesses in the quality of teaching and learning. However, this information is not used well to bring about improvement.  The SENCo responds quickly and positively to any concerns about children who may require specialist support. She addresses these issues successfully and works well with parents and other professionals to meet the needs of these children.  Children have many opportunities to learn about the world today, for example by taking part in World Hello Day and when they ‘discover France’. These planned activities contribute positively to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Adults in the school carefully plan age-appropriate activities so that these young children learn about British values, such as when they vote for which activity they want to do or what food they eat at snack time.  Staff take part in regular training to support their continuous professional development. They feel well supported by senior leaders. All the 37 staff who completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire responded positively to all questions.  Parents are very pleased with how happy their children are at the school. In the 105 responses to the Ofsted parental questionnaire, comments such as, ‘amazing, caring teachers’ were common.

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Governance

 Governors have not ensured that the independent school standards are consistently met as procedures for evaluating school improvement are not secure.  Governors have not ensured compliance with the Equality Act 2010, as pupils are unlawfully segregated by sex.  Neither governors nor school leaders are able to show convincing evidence that, in order to achieve and develop socially in nursery school, boys and girls needs differ to such an extent that it is necessary to segregate them.  The segregation policy and practice, although kept under periodic review, is not justified as positive action under section 158 of the Equality Act 2010.  Governors know that the school needs a more effective system to make better use of children’s assessment information, as identified as an area for improvement at the last inspection in 2014. They acknowledge that the new electronic system, in use since July 2018, is not meeting the school’s needs currently.

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Governance

 Governors are passionate about ensuring that the school is a happy and safe place for children. They use the skills that they have, for example in health and safety, to support the school well.  Governors are very regularly informed about aspects of school life. However, as information on the quality of teaching, learning and children’s progress is not clearly evaluated, governors do not have an accurate understanding of these aspects. As a result, they are unable to bring about school improvement rapidly and have not addressed the issues raised at the previous inspection.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, as the culture of safeguarding fostered by leaders is good.  Staff take on a range of training to keep children safe. Over 30 staff have paediatric first aid qualifications and all staff receive weekly updates about child protection issues. This helps reinforce the ethos of ensuring that children are and feel safe.  The school does not have a website. However, leaders have ensured that parents have access to the school’s up-to-date safeguarding policy, which considers all recent government guidelines. Posters around the school and in every classroom ensure that everybody knows who to refer any concerns to.  The designated safeguarding lead ensures that records are fit for purpose.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 As identified at the previous inspection, teaching assistants are not deployed effectively to support learning. Too often, they are used to supervise and do not develop children’s speaking and listening skills well. At times, teaching assistants do not help the children to make progress because they do not know what the children should be learning.  The quality of teaching is variable around the school. Some adults have higher expectations of what children can achieve than others and this is sometimes based on the sex of the children. For example, during the inspection, Reception-age girls were making basic shapes out of pasta while the children in the boys’ class were discussing a complex story.  Teachers too often base their expectations on the sex of a group of children. When children are more studious, adults comment ‘well, they’re girls’. When boys and girls do not play outside together, adults explain ‘boys dominate the bikes’.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 In the girls’ class, there are valuable interactions from adults as they play alongside the children. There are better opportunities for girls to learn together and for them to use writing materials than are seen in the boys’ class.  Children are not encouraged to leave equipment so that it is available and ready for the next child who may want to use it and learn from the activity.  Some adults encourage children to meet their own needs, such as putting on their own coats. However, too often children stand with their arms out waiting for adults to put their coats on them as this skill has not been developed.  Teachers have built good relationships with children. They meet children’s emotional needs well as they take great care to get to know them. As a result, the children are happy and comfortable in the company of trusted adults.  When teachers plan activities and the learning environment well, the results are very

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

positive. For example, when learning phonics, children in the Nursery class enjoyed taking turns while identifying sounds in a board game and others delighted in taking things from a ‘feely’ bag and describing them.  Teachers who support pupils who are identified as needing extra support do so extremely well. They follow programmes according to guidance from therapeutic professionals effectively so that children’s individual learning targets are well met.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate, because unlawful segregation by gender has a detrimental impact on pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. Children are also routinely exposed to gender stereotyping.  Children’s opportunities to learn alongside the opposite sex are denied as girls and boys are taught in separate classes.  Teachers’ low expectations of what children can achieve, for example when organising their own equipment and taking care of their own needs, limit children’s personal development.  The children are happy and confident in the school.  Children are educated well about how to keep themselves safe. They discuss different scenarios with adults and make informed decisions. Routines are well established, such as when the children walk to another of the school’s buildings.  Teachers use a range of different activities, for example using green, yellow and red

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Personal development and welfare

zones, so that children can learn to acknowledge and deal with their own emotional behaviours.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is good. They enjoy coming to the school as demonstrated by high rates of attendance.  Children play well together and are kind and thoughtful to each other. Children are happy to share toys and take turns with their peers.  When they are outside at play, children need very little adult guidance to ensure that they behave.  Occasionally, the behaviour of the boys is not as good as that of the girls. This is due to the different expectations of adults in the school.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 In 2016 and 2017, approximately half of the children reached levels of development that were typically expected for children of their age by the time they left the school. This was below the figure for children of the same age nationally.  In 2018, levels of development improved, with 71% of the children reaching standards that were in line with the national figure. This means that children who left the school in 2018 were better prepared for the transition to Year 1 in their new school.  School leaders are unable to demonstrate accurately how well children have made progress from their starting points. The new electronic system is not used effectively to help school leaders gain an accurate picture of children’s progress. Information in the school’s system currently indicates that between 75% and 99% of children are not making good progress.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are making good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

progress. The very individual and precise support they receive promotes this good progress. Documentation shows that the majority of their targets, although representing small steps, 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

Email address office@gatesheadkinder.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 – 20 March 2014

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Information about this school

 The Gateshead Jewish Nursery School is a Jewish independent school. It can accept up to 240 children between the ages of two and five years. There are currently 222 children on roll.  None of the children currently on roll has an educational, health and care plan.  Children are split into different classes according to their age and their sex.  The school has three separate sites. One is adjacent to the main building and another is in close proximity. One of the sites is used specifically to support children with SEND.  The school’s last standard inspection was in March 2014, when it was judged to be good.  Since the last inspection, the school has amalgamated with its previously separately registered nursery provision so that it is now one school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection took place over two-and a-half days with two inspectors.  The inspectors observed learning at different times of the school day with members of the senior leadership team.  Children were observed during times when they were segregated by sex and times when they were not, such as at playtimes.  Inspectors spoke to many children during the day and listened to some of them read informally.  The inspector held meetings and telephone conversations with two representatives of the local authority, governors and the headteacher of another Jewish independent school.  Children’s behaviour was observed throughout the day.  The lead inspector toured the school to establish whether the premises met the requirements of the independent school standards.  Three parents responded to Ofsted’s online survey and submitted free-text comments. 105 parents returned a paper version of the questionnaire directly to the school. 37 staff

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Information about this inspection

responded to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. All of these opinions were considered by the inspection team.  A range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding, were studied to consider whether children’s welfare is taken into account and the independent school standards are met.

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Inspection team

Jo Sharpe, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at 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; – 3(j) does not discriminate against pupils contrary to Part 6 of the 2010 Act.

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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— – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. 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

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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

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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

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