Beis Yaakov High School

Inspection of Beis Yaakov High School 69 Broom Lane, Bury New Road, Salford, Greater Manchester M7 4FF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly, polite and respectful towards adults and each other. Most are happy at the school and value the relationships they enjoy with staff. Pupils feel safe and supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, achievement and spiritual growth. Almost all pupils respond positively to these expectations. They have positive attitudes to learning, which helps them to make strong progress in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is often impeccable. Low-level disruption is rare in lessons. This reflects the respect that pupils have for each other and their teachers. Pupils respond positively to the rewards they receive for good behaviour and effort.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is exceptionally rare. On the odd occasion when it does occur, staff deal with it capably.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have recently acted to improve pupils’ attendance. Despite this, pupils’ attendance is not as good as it should be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value the balance the curriculum provides between religious and secular studies. They know that their children achieve very well at the school. They appreciate the efforts of staff to ensure that their children do well in external examinations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ethos is kind, gentle and caring. One parent reflected this in their description of the school as a ‘place I can send my child with peace of mind’.

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better?

Pupils attain well in external examinations. They do this because they have positive attitudes towards their studies. They are helped well by their teachers. Teachers have strong subject knowledge which they use to good effect.

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better?

Despite this, there are a number of weaknesses in the school’s curriculum. Pupils do not benefit from a curriculum in Years 7 to 9 that is as ambitious as the national curriculum. Pupils do not learn music. Too little time is devoted to the study of physical education.

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better?

Pupils choose which optional subjects they will take GCSE examinations in during Year 8. They stop learning subjects that they do not opt to continue studying at the end of Year 8. This leaves pupils with a very limited knowledge in some subjects. For example, if pupils do not choose to continue studying history, they do not learn any history in the secular curriculum that is more recent than the Restoration of 1660. 17–18 September 2019

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Pupils have very little time to study some subjects. However, teachers of some subjects do not make full use of teaching time. This is because many have not given enough attention to what they want pupils to achieve over time or how the curriculum should be ordered.

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Staff provide many opportunities that encourage pupils to be responsible. Leaders ensure that pupils have opportunities to understand the difference between right and wrong. For example, pupils learn about the ills of slavery and how to help refugees.

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Pupils are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain. This is because they are not taught about some of the characteristics that are protected by British law. In particular, pupils do not learn about issues relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and marriage and civil partnership.

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Pupils are not provided with impartial careers advice. There is no structured programme of careers education throughout the school. As a result, pupils are not given the information to understand the options that are available to them when they leave the school.

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There are very few extra-curricular clubs and activities on offer. The news that a trampolining club was due to start caused excitement among pupils during the inspection.

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Pupils learn about different world religions. This helps them to understand the similarities and differences between faiths. It also helps pupils to become understanding and tolerant of others.

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Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) typically make as much academic progress as others at the school. This is because teachers have high expectations of all pupils. Pupils with SEND are supported effectively by specialist staff. However, teachers are less skilled at meeting the needs of some of these pupils during lessons.

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Leaders and governors act with integrity. They are honest, reflective and thoughtful. They are considerate of staff workload. There have recently been big changes to the governing body. These changes were made to modernise governance. The governing body recognises that the school’s management structure also needs to develop. This is to create greater clarity in leaders’ roles and responsibilities and to make staff more accountable for the quality of their work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff take their responsibility to keep pupils safe seriously. They receive regular training on matters relating to pupils’ safety. This enables them to spot any potential signs that pupils may be at risk from harm. 17–18 September 2019

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn about different risks in a way that is age- appropriate and sensitive towards tenets of their faith.

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Leaders work in partnership with parents to keep pupils safe. For example, leaders provide parents with guidance on the dangers that their children may be exposed to online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders and governors should ensure that pupils are prepared more fully for life in modern Britain. They must make sure that pupils learn about all the protected characteristics that are outlined in the Equality Act (2010). In particular, pupils need to develop knowledge and understanding in relation to: sexual orientation, gender reassignment and marriage and civil partnership.  Leaders and governors should further develop the curriculum by increasing the breadth and depth of pupils’ learning in Years 7 to 9. Leaders need to ensure that pupils benefit from a curriculum that is at least as broad and ambitious as the national curriculum.  Leaders need to ensure that teachers receive the support and guidance they need to plan the curriculum well in their subjects. They need help to define precise and appropriate end points for pupils to work towards. They also need help to sequence their curriculums in a way that progressively deepens pupils’ knowledge

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

and understanding and makes the best use of the time available.  Leaders should continue with their efforts to improve pupils’ attendance.  Pupils enjoy the opportunities that the school provides to enrich their learning. However, there are few clubs and activities for them to take part in beyond the formal curriculum. Leaders should therefore provide pupils with a wider range of extra-curricular opportunities.  Leaders must ensure that pupils throughout the school benefit from a systematic programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance. This will enable pupils to develop a clearer understanding of the range of options that are available to them when they leave the school. Leaders should ensure that pupils have access to impartial careers advice. They also need to make sure that colleges and training providers have access to every pupil from Year 8 to discuss the non-academic routes that are available to them. This requirement is made

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

clear in the Baker Clause of the Technical and Further Education Act (2017).  Governors should ensure that leaders at all levels are clear on their roles and responsibilities and that there are clear systems in place to hold staff to account for the quality of their work. 17–18 September 2019

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087930 Type of school Secondary

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School details

Chair of governing body Mr Avrom Topperman

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15–16 December 2015

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Information about this school

 The school serves the Orthodox Jewish Charedi community based in Salford, Bury and Manchester.  No pupils from the school currently attend alternative provision.  A section 48 inspection was carried out at the school in February 2019.

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Information about this inspection

The school was initially inspected under section 8 of the Education Act. The inspection was converted to a section 5 inspection due to concerns about aspects of the school’s performance.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, we spoke formally with pupils about their work and school life. Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and governors.  We reviewed documentation, which included leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and the school development plan. Information regarding attendance and behaviour was also looked at. 17–18 September 2019

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 We considered the views expressed by parents in the 78 responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, as well as comments received via the text facility on Parent View. Inspectors took into account the 298 responses to the questionnaire for pupils and the 30 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspection focused deeply on mathematics, art, textiles, history, citizenship and personal, social, health and economic education. In these subjects, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, met with teaching staff and looked at pupils’ work. Other subjects were also considered as part of the inspection.  I reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding, including the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.

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Inspection team

Will Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Hampson Ofsted Inspector 17–18 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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