Menorah Grammar School

Menorah Grammar School Abbots Road, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 0QS

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided All paragraphs  The school has appropriate curriculum and assessment policies which consider the needs of pupils, including those in the specialist provision for pupils with education, health and care plans. Pupils’ progress is carefully monitored over time.  Suitable schemes of work and plans cover all the required areas of learning. Teachers’ planning takes account of pupils’ different ages and abilities.  British values are formally taught through the personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) programme and through assemblies, trips and events. The school’s approach to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that pupils are actively taught to respect the protected characteristics, as identified in the Equality Act 2010.  The school’s careers education programme ensures that pupils access accurate, impartial careers guidance and relevant information about a broad range of career

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Main inspection findings

options.  The school is well resourced and staff are appropriately deployed.  Staff turnover is relatively low, and the quality of teaching is closely monitored by senior leaders.  Essentially, leaders have ensured that provision has been maintained to the same standard as was seen at the school’s previous inspection in November 2017.  This emergency inspection identified no concerns in Part 1. All the requirements checked continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Paragraph 5, 5(a), 5(b), 5(b)(v) and 5(b)(vi)  Leaders continue to prioritise the teaching and promotion of British values, and actively pay regard to all of the protected characteristics.  The curriculum actively promotes all the British values through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, weekly assemblies, trips and events. It is carefully designed and facilitated to provide pupils with a balanced presentation of views.  As a result, pupils are respectful, tolerant, self-confident and reflective. They are highly articulate, inquisitive and very supportive of each other.  This emergency inspection identified no concerns in Part 2. All the requirements checked continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7, 7(a), 7(b), 9, 9(a), 9(b), 9(c), 11, 14, 16, 16(a), 16(b), 25 and 32(1), 32(1)(c)  Leaders take pupils’ safety extremely seriously, and operate in accordance with the latest statutory guidance, including ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (September 2018). Leaders are vigilant and demonstrate strong understanding of the contextual risks faced by their pupils. The suitable child protection policy is published on the school’s website.  Pupils behave well, both in class and around their school. Behaviour is well managed, in accordance with a suitable behaviour policy. The infrequent incidents of serious misbehaviour and any resulting sanctions imposed are suitably recorded.  The school is well organised, adequately resourced and staffed well. Pupils are suitably supervised.  The premises, which are old and in need of long-term investment, are safe, secure

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Main inspection findings

and appropriately risk assessed, in accordance with the school’s appropriate risk assessment and health and safety policies. However, staff at times have shown a lack of attention to detail and swiftness in ensuring that the premises are thoroughly cleaned, that broken and damaged equipment is disposed of, that litter is cleared and that urgent works are attended to. Leaders know this and can demonstrate that they are already working effectively to improve the management of the premises and facilities.  This emergency inspection identified minor concerns in Part 3. However, all the requirements checked continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)  The interim headteacher, supported by strong leaders and governors, has a secure grasp of the independent school standards. Together, the team have ensured that all the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection are met, as they were at the previous inspection. However, leaders acknowledge that there is more work to do in relation to premises management.  The inspection found the school to have breached their registration agreement with the Department for Education. There are 287 pupils on roll, when the registered maximum capacity is 285. The school can comfortably accommodate 290 pupils and so this inspection recommends that the Department for Education considers a capacity increase to 290 pupils. Additionally, the school has two students on roll who are over 18 years old. These students have complex special educational needs and/or

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Main inspection findings

disabilities (SEND) and are placed by local authorities within the school’s unit for pupils with education, health and care plans. The inspection recommends an increase in age range from 11–18 to 11–21 to accommodate the very few students whose needs may be best met by remaining on the school’s roll.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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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

Type of school Orthodox Jewish secondary day school

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 67

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £6,600 to £48,000

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School details

Website www.menorahgrammar.barnet.sch.uk

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School details

Email address office@menorahgrammar.barnet.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 28–30 November 2017

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Information about this school

 Menorah Grammar School is an independent secondary day school for boys in the London Borough of Barnet. It has an Orthodox Jewish ethos.  The substantive headteacher left the school in December 2018. An interim headteacher took up his position in January 2019. The recruitment process to appoint a new substantive headteacher is under way.  The school’s most recent inspection was a full standard inspection in November 2017, when it was judged to be a good school and to comply with all the independent school standards.  The school’s registered capacity is 285 pupils. The current number on roll exceeds this by two pupils. There are also two pupils on the school’s roll who are aged over 18.  The school includes specialist provision for pupils with SEND. Most pupils in this provision have education, health and care plans and are placed by a small number of local authorities.  The school makes use of two alternative providers. These are Barnet and Southgate

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Information about this school

College (Southgate and Colindale campuses) and Gateways (JW3 - Jewish Community Centre London).

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Information about this inspection

 This emergency 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.  The inspection was commissioned by the Department for Education in response to information which raised concerns about some aspects of the school’s work.  The inspection was conducted without notice.  The inspector was asked to report against some of the regulations contained within Parts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 of the independent school standards.  The inspector undertook a range of inspection activities, including touring the premises and visiting all classrooms. He also observed pupils at breaktime and met with a group of sixth-form students during their lunchtime.  The inspector reviewed key documents and policies, including those related to the

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Information about this inspection

curriculum, teaching, safeguarding, health and safety and risk assessment.  The inspector met and spoke with a range of people, including the interim headteacher, senior leaders (including the designated safeguarding leader) and a governor.  There were not enough recent responses to Ofsted’s online survey (Parent View) to consider as part of this inspection.

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Inspection team

James Waite, lead inspector 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 visitwww.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

achieve 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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.ofsted.gov.uk

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