Date Palm Primary

Inspection of Date Palm Primary School 80–82 Greenfield Road, London E1 1EJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive a good education at Date Palm Primary School. Children get off to a strong start in early years, especially in their reading. Pupils enjoy learning a broad curriculum that is designed to be both ambitious and to meet their needs. Staff have high expectations of pupils. They encourage pupils to work hard, challenge themselves and to never give up. Pupils are prepared well for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, confident and respectful. They are supportive of one another. They said that they feel safe. They are well cared for by their trusted adults. Pupils behave well in class and around their school. Staff deal with any incidents of bullying effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a welcoming, friendly place. The vast majority of parents and carers who contributed to Ofsted Parent View would recommend the school to others. As one parent put it: ‘The school has a lovely atmosphere; you can feel it as soon as you go in.’ Pupils enjoy taking an active part in the wider life of the school. For example, they were proud of their contributions to the performance of ‘Oliver Twist’.

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better?

The school provides a full and broad secular curriculum, as well as Islamic studies. The secular curriculum is suitably resourced and planned. Pupils’ needs and interests are well planned for, including in early years. In each subject, units of work successfully build up pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time. Teachers assess pupils’ learning carefully. They plan lessons that build on pupils’ previous learning. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum. However, leaders have not considered fully how children’s learning in early years is built on in each subject from Year 1 onwards. Leaders have plans in place to address this and to strengthen the curriculum further.

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better?

From the start of early years, children learn to read well. Teachers implement the school’s phonics programme from the start of Nursery consistently. Staff support any pupils who need help to catch up. The early years classrooms are safe and well-resourced places for children to learn and play. The provision for two-year-olds is also well planned with children’s developmental needs in mind.

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better?

Throughout the school, staff are knowledgeable, caring and attentive. They listen and respond carefully to pupils. Staff promote pupils’ language and communication skills well, including in early years. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. Leaders identify pupils with SEND swiftly and provide them with high levels of effective support.

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better?

Staff promote pupils’ personal development well. All pupils follow the school’s programme for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Pupils learn about physical and mental health, keeping themselves safe when online, and British values. Pupils are taught about diversity, including the different characteristics 22 to 24 March 2022 people have. Leaders have ensured that they are following the statutory guidance for relationships and sex education. Pupils said that they enjoy the range of after- school clubs, mindfulness sessions and events such as World Book Day and Odd Socks Day. In early years, children were especially excited to tell inspectors about their current learning about life cycles.

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better?

Leaders provide staff with a typically high-quality training programme. This helps to ensure that the curriculum is implemented well. Staff were positive about their workload and the support they receive.

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better?

The proprietors are committed to continuous improvement. They have put in place an independent governing body that holds senior leaders to account effectively. The proprietors have recently invested in the refurbished Greenfield Road premises. They are actively searching for better premises as part of the school’s ambitious development plan.

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better?

Leaders and governors ensure that all the independent school standards are met. They have also ensured compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. All the requirements of the early years foundation stage statutory framework are met.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders facilitate a culture of safety and trust. They take effective action to keep pupils as safe as possible. Staff complete regular training to ensure that they understand and minimise the risks pupils face. They follow the school’s clear procedures to deal with concerns when these arise. Pupils are taught regularly about how to keep themselves safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete and record all the required recruitment checks on adults who work in and support the school. The school’s safeguarding policy reflects the latest national guidance and is published online.

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(Information for the school and proprietors)

 Leaders have not thought through carefully how they expect what children learn in early years to be built on in Year 1 and beyond. This means that the transition to Year 1 is sometimes disjointed. Leaders should ensure that in each subject, the curriculum builds securely on what children learn in early years. 22 to 24 March 2022

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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 . 22 to 24 March 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 139221 DfE registration number 211/6005

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School details

Inspection number 10210723 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 to 8 March 2018 22 to 24 March 2022

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Information about this school

 Date Palm Primary School is an independent primary day school in Tower Hamlets, London that has an Islamic ethos.  The school has three premises, all within walking distance of each other. The main premises at 80–82 Greenfield Road, London E1 1EJ cater for pupils aged three to 11. There are additional Nursery and Reception classes at 15 Philpot Street, London E1 2DE. The youngest children (aged two and three years) attend the site at 82–88 Mile End Road, London E1 4UN.  The school’s proprietor body and leadership team are supported and challenged by a separate governing body.  The most recent inspection was a material change inspection in October 2021, following the school’s relocation to its new main premises. The school’s previous standard inspection was in March 2018.

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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 meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, creative arts, physical education and PSHE education. For each deep dive, inspectors 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. As part of the reading deep dive, inspectors heard pupils read. Other subjects were also considering during this inspection.  Inspectors met with the school’s leader for SEND and considered the school’s support for early career teachers.  Inspectors considered evidence regarding pupils’ safety, personal development and behaviour. They met with a range of pupils and visited all the school’s sites.  Inspectors met with the headteacher regularly throughout the inspection. The lead inspector spoke to the chair of governors and a member of the proprietor body by phone. 22 to 24 March 2022  Inspectors met with the school’s safeguarding leader and reviewed a range of

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding documentation, including vetting checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also met with a range of staff.  Inspectors reviewed a range of evidence to check compliance with both the independent school standards and the requirements of the statutory framework for the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection team

James Waite, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Newby Ofsted Inspector 22 to 24 March 2022 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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