Tashbar of Edgware

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Mowbray Road, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 8JL

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(2), 2(2)(d), 2(2)(d)(ii), 2(2)(f), 2(2)(i)  At the time of the previous inspection, activities and experiences for children in early years did not cover all the areas of learning as set out in the statutory requirements. Improvements in the early years curriculum mean that it now includes activities to support children’s personal, social, emotional and physical development, as well as their communication and language skills. For this reason, the requirements of 2(2)(f) are now met.  At the last inspection, plans for pupils’ personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education did not set out how leaders would promote respect for others, including those with protected characteristics. Pupils had too little opportunity to learn about similarities and differences between different traditions and cultures.  Leaders have decided to introduce a new curriculum plan for PSHE education from

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Main inspection findings

September 2021. They have also drafted a new PSHE education policy, which is due to be considered by governors. Leaders have also consulted with parents and carers on the introduction of a new policy on relationships education, along with curriculum plans for this. These plans include opportunities for pupils to learn about different types of family. They also include content about issues that may affect people with protected characteristics, such as homophobia and stereotyping.  However, because the planned changes to curriculum content have not yet been introduced, they have not had an impact on the quality of provision. Pupils’ recent work seen on inspection does not reflect leaders’ broader ambitions for their learning in PSHE education.  The standards in this part of the regulations continue to be unmet. Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Paragraph 5, 5(a), 5(b)(v), 5(b)(vi)

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Main inspection findings

 At the time of the previous inspection, the opportunities for pupils to learn about the diversity of modern British society were too limited. Pupils did not learn enough about cultures other than their own.  Leaders have introduced a series of ‘focus days’ covering a wide variety of themes, some of which relate to other religions and cultures. However, the reasons for the choice and sequence of the content of these activities remain too vague. There is no indication of what pupils in different year groups are expected to learn from each activity, nor how this may build on their previous learning. It is not clear what leaders intend pupils to learn, for example, on a day devoted to ‘world religions’.  Pupils remember learning about aspects of British life, such as Parliament and democratic elections, which were being covered at the time of the last inspection. However, they do not remember learning in depth about other faiths or cultures.

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Main inspection findings

Opportunities for pupils to learn about and develop an understanding of the diversity of modern British society remain restricted. This is not preparing them well enough for their future lives.  The standards checked in this part of the regulations remain unmet.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b)  Leaders have reviewed the school’s safeguarding policy to ensure that it takes account of the most recent statutory safeguarding guidance.  The standards in this part of the regulations are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 6. Provision of information Paragraph 32(1), 32(1)(c)  The school does not have a website. However, leaders make the school’s current safeguarding policy available as a printed version when parents request a copy.  The standards in this part of the regulations are 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), 34(1)(c)  At the time of the last inspection, the proprietor had not ensured that some standards in parts 1 and 2 of the regulations were met.  Since the last inspection, leaders have taken steps to review the curriculum and secured improvements in the early years provision. They have consulted teachers and parents in deciding on some aspects of curriculum content.  However, the actions leaders have taken have not ensured that all the independent school standards are now met. Therefore, the standards in this part of the regulations remain unmet.

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Main inspection findings

Statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage  At the time of the previous inspection, children did not have the opportunity to learn across all the areas of learning set out in the statutory requirements. There were limited opportunities for children to develop the knowledge of phonics needed to enable them to learn to read. Children did not learn enough about how to stay healthy or about other people and places. Teachers were not offering a structured approach to helping children’s physical development.  A new, structured programme for teaching children phonics was introduced in September 2020. Teaching staff were provided with training to help them use this programme before it was begun. New books that allow children to practise the letters and sounds they are learning were purchased and are now in daily use in early years. Teachers are providing daily phonics lessons to all children, and phonics is introduced to

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Main inspection findings

children as soon as they begin to attend school. Teachers know more about how well children are learning to read and use this knowledge to adapt lessons and activities. Children are enjoying these improvements to early years.  Leaders now expect teaching staff to follow a structured approach to plan for children’s physical development. There is a wide range of activities on offer to children, both indoors and outdoors, to support their physical development.  Leaders are making sure that there are now opportunities for children to learn about how to be healthy. Examples of children’s recent work show how they discover the difference between safe and unsafe objects and how to make healthy food choices, for example.  Teachers are now setting up activities to help children learn about different places. Children have recently been learning about Antarctica.  The statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are now all met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet 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, as set out in the annex of this report. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous 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

Annual fees (day pupils) £3,800 (voluntary contribution)

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 28–30 January 2020

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Information about this school

 Tashbar of Edgware is an independent day school. It has an Orthodox Jewish ethos.  The school is currently being led by an interim headteacher. A substantive headteacher has been appointed and is due to take up her post in September 2021.  The school is registered to admit up to 240 pupils aged between three and 11.  The school’s most recent inspection was a full standard inspection in January 2020. It was judged to be inadequate with several unmet standards.  The school was asked to submit an action plan to the regulating authority, which was judged in October 2020 to be unacceptable.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  This was the school’s first progress monitoring inspection and was conducted without notice.  Following the last full inspection in January 2020, the registration authority required the school to prepare an action plan. The plan was evaluated by Ofsted in October 2020 and found to not be acceptable.  The inspector met with senior leaders to discuss actions taken to meet the independent school standards. Curriculum plans and policies related to the unmet standards were also examined.  The school’s safeguarding policy was scrutinised.  The inspector visited lessons in early years and met with a group of older pupils. The

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Information about this inspection

inspector also heard some children read to a familiar adult and looked at some examples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 2(2)(f) where the school has pupils below compulsory school age, a programme of activities which is appropriate to their educational needs in relation to personal, social, emotional and physical development and communication and language skills;

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards:

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain unmet at this inspection

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if–  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are– – 2(2)(d) personal, social, health and economic education which– – 2(2)(d)(ii) encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act[9]; – 2(2)(i) effective preparation of pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society.

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

 5 The standard about the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school is met if the proprietor– – 5(a) actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; – 5(b) ensures that principles are actively promoted which– – 5(b)(v) further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures; – 5(b)(vi) encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in 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; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote 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 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

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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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