Beis Hatalmud School

Inspection of Beis Hatalmud School 62 Wellington Street West, Broughton, Salford, Lancashire M7 2FD

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school to see their friends. They respect one another and find it easy to get along with each other. The pupils who spoke with inspectors said that all pupils behave well. This is because staff set high expectations for pupils’ conduct.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that bullying is extremely rare. Staff act quickly to prevent any misbehaviour, including bullying or other unkindness, from escalating. Pupils feel valued and part of the school community. They feel safe because of the care that staff provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Despite these positive features, leaders’ expectations for pupils’ learning are not high enough. All too often, pupils’ achievement across all subjects is limited by a narrow secular curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In addition, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. For example, their knowledge of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act, 2010 is poor. That said, pupils demonstrate a clear grasp of their own faith. Parents and carers appreciate the strong focus on the spiritual and moral development that comes from pupils’ Kodesh (Jewish faith) studies. The parents with whom inspectors spoke, and those who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View, were full of praise for this aspect of school life.

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better?

The English, mathematics and science curriculums that are in place to support pupils’ learning are too narrow and lack ambition. They do not enable pupils to amass a secure body of knowledge in these subjects. Pupils’ learning is superficial and of a poor standard. Consequently, pupils do not know or remember more of the key aspects of their learning. In addition, pupils are entered for GCSE examinations in mathematics and physics in Year 9, regardless of their abilities. As they have not covered the whole curriculum at this point, they do not achieve as well as they could. Furthermore, they do not have an opportunity to continue studying mathematics and science in Year 10. This means that pupils are not well prepared for the next stages of their education, employment or training. Leaders have recognised this major flaw with their curriculum offer. They are beginning to review their approach, but they have a long way to go.

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better?

Other areas of learning do not have clear plans for what leaders want pupils to know. Leaders have not met the independent school standards (the standards) for the quality of education because pupils do not get the opportunity to learn a broad and rich curriculum. The time devoted to the Kodesh curriculum in key stage 4 means that the secular curriculum becomes even narrower for pupils in Year 10. The only other subject that they study is English. 9 to 11 November 2021 Assessment information is not useful for staff in identifying pupils who need more help and support. However, for individual pupils, leaders have systems in place to identify those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff help these pupils to settle in and build their self-confidence. In the main, though, there is a lack of effective support to help pupils’ progress through the curriculum because curriculum plans are not clear enough on how to build on pupils’ prior learning.

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better?

Pupils who struggle to read are not supported well enough to help them catch up quickly. There is no curriculum in place to help pupils secure their phonics knowledge. The reading curriculum lacks coherence and pupils do not question the meaning of some key vocabulary when reading. Pupils do develop some fluency and expression as they get older. Even so, they do not achieve as well as they could in reading.

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better?

The Kodesh curriculum ensures that pupils respect others’ views and opinions. Pupils have learned about how other faiths are different and similar to their own. However, pupils have not been taught about some of the protected characteristics of the 2010 Equality Act. Also, leaders have not fully considered some of the statutory elements of the new relationships and sex education (RSE) requirements. For example, pupils do not understand the law relating to sexual consent, exploitation and abuse. Instead, leaders have designed a separate programme that can be used for individuals on request. As a result, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. Consequently, the standards linked to pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development are not met.

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better?

Pupils work and play well alongside each other. They live up to the high expectations that are set for their behaviour. They are keen to learn, so there is little disruption to learning.

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better?

Leaders’ plans to develop careers advice and guidance has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is impartial advice for pupils in place, and visiting speakers support pupils’ careers education. Despite this, the guidance leaders provide does not give pupils a clear enough understanding of their future options. Pupils cannot say how this advice has made a difference to them.

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better?

The school site is well maintained. This ensures a safe and orderly environment for pupils. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and has an accessibility plan in place to remove barriers to education as well as to ensure that the building is accessible to all.

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better?

The proprietor body has set a clear vision for the school. Senior leaders understand what needs to improve. Staff are all on board with the direction set. They believe that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. The faith aims of the school are met well through the Kodesh curriculum, which is reflected in pupils’ responsible and respectful attitudes and the high level of satisfaction among parents. However, the standards for leadership and management are not met because the proprietor body does not hold leaders to account well enough for the 9 to 11 November 2021 quality of education. For example, weaknesses in the secular curriculum have not been challenged.

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better?

There is a clear complaints policy in place and leaders have ensured that they meet the standards for the provision of information. The school has a suitable safeguarding policy that reflects the most recent guidance from the Secretary of State. This is available for parents on request.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive appropriate training for safeguarding. They are alert to possible concerns. They understand how to handle referrals well and how to contact other agencies if they have a concern. Pupils feel that they can talk to adults about any worries that they may have.

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Safeguarding

The school is in breach of statutory guidance because the Department for Education (DfE) has not been informed of changes to the membership of the proprietor body. As a result, the proprietor body does not have the required safeguarding checks in place for these members. Leaders were keen to resolve this issue, and, during the inspection, they took initial steps towards getting these checks in place.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s secular curriculum has been narrowed, especially in Year 10, to allow pupils to spend more time studying the school’s faith curriculum. This is limiting pupils’ opportunities to study a wide and ambitious curriculum so that they can achieve well. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is superficial. They cannot recall their learning well enough. The proprietor body and leaders should ensure that they develop a broad and ambitious curriculum offer so that each subject builds on pupils’ prior learning, including in reading, to enable all pupils to gain a rich and broad knowledge across a range of subjects.  Leaders do not meet the requirements of the RSE statutory guidance. Pupils do not gain an understanding of the differences among people, including some of those differences as identified in the 2010 Equality Act. This means that pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. Leaders should

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

consider the way in which they deliver RSE and how they teach pupils about protected characteristics to better prepare them for life in modern Britain.  Assessment procedures do not provide staff with useful information to support pupils’ learning. This means that the support to help pupils to catch up with the planned curriculum is not as effective as it could be. Leaders should ensure that more purposeful assessment is put in place to help staff to plan pupils’ next steps in learning and to provide effective support for those who need it. 9 to 11 November 2021  The proprietor body does not check well enough on the quality of education in the school or on how leaders are meeting the standards. This means that some of the standards have not been met and that leaders are not getting the support that they need to improve the curriculum quickly enough. The proprietor body should ensure that there are systems in place to challenge and support leaders to

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

bring about improvements to the school’s provision.  Leaders have already recognised the error in not having the required safeguarding checks for members of the proprietor body. This means that they have not met their statutory duties. They should ensure that they follow up their initial steps to rectify this and get these checks in place as soon as possible so that safeguarding is effective.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 9 to 11 November 2021

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School details

Unique reference number 135168 DfE registration number 355/6054

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School details

Inspection number 10203828 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Proprietary body Beis Hatalmud Manchester Limited

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 to 8 June 2017 9 to 11 November 2021

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous standard inspection was in June 2017.  The proprietor body has not informed the DfE about a change in the membership of the proprietor body. Consequently, they do not meet the registration agreement with the DfE. Leaders are in the process of rectifying this.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There are currently no pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in the school.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection 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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Information about this inspection

The school has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also heard pupils read.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and looked at pupils’ work for some other subjects.  The inspectors met with groups of pupils from across the school to ask them about safeguarding. They reviewed documentation, including the school’s safeguarding policy, the register of the checks carried out on new employees and safeguarding records. They also discussed safeguarding with the headteacher and the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and the curriculum leader about the areas that they lead throughout the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at the school’s behaviour records, observed pupils at breaktimes and discussed behaviour and bullying with pupils.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the written responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey.  Leaders requested that inspectors did not ask certain questions about relationships and sex education. This has no bearing on the outcome of the inspection. Parents have been consulted about the content of this curriculum. 9 to 11 November 2021

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 9 to 11 November 2021

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if– – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work– – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan.  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are– – 2(2)(a) full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education; – 2(2)(d) personal, social, health and economic education which- – 2(2)(d)(ii) encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act[9]; – 2(2)(e) for pupils receiving secondary education, access to accurate, up-to- date careers guidance that– – 2(2)(e)(iii) helps to encourage them to fulfil their potential; – 2(2)(h) that all pupils have the opportunity to learn and make progress; and – 2(2)(i) effective preparation of pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society.  2(A)(1)The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor– – 2(A)(1)(b) ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with secondary education at the school is provided with relationships and sex education, except in so far as the pupil is excused as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2); – 2(A)(1)(d) in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c), has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools.

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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; 9 to 11 November 2021 – 3(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons; – 3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range; and – 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress.

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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(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 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that– – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b) such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State.

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

 20(6) The standard in this paragraph is met in relation to an individual ("MB"), not being the Chair of the school, who is a member of a body of persons corporate or unincorporate named as the proprietor of the school in the register or in an application to enter the school in the register, if– – 20(6)(a) MB– – 20(6)(b) subject to sub-paragraphs (7) to (8), the Chair of the school makes the following checks relating to MB– – 20(6)(b)(i) where relevant to the individual, an enhanced criminal record check; – 20(6)(c) subject to sub-paragraph (8), where the Secretary of State makes a request for an enhanced criminal record check relating to MB countersigned by the Secretary of State to be made, such a check is made. 9 to 11 November 2021  21(6) The information referred to in this sub-paragraph is, in relation each member ("MB") of a body of persons named as the proprietor appointed on or after 1st May 2007, whether the checks referred to in paragraph 20(6)(b) were

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

made, the date they were made and the date on which the resulting certificate was obtained.  21(7) The information referred to in this sub-paragraph is, in relation to each member of a body of persons named as the proprietor in post on 1st August 2007 who was appointed at any time before 1st May 2007– – 21(7)(a) whether each check referred to in sub-paragraph (6) was made; and – 21(7)(b) whether an enhanced criminal record certificate was obtained, together with the date on which any check was completed or certificate obtained.

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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. 9 to 11 November 2021 lates 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 child- care and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advi- sory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, fur- ther education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and train-

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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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