Tashbar of Edgware

Inspection of Tashbar of Edgware 45-47 Mowbray Road, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 8JL

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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 Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a culture where pupils are eager to come to school each day. Pupils enjoy lessons and feel safe. They talk enthusiastically about their experiences in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from learning in the broad range of subjects on offer. The secular headteacher has successfully led steps to improve the curriculum. She has rightly prioritised the reading and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) curriculums. These improvements reflect leaders’ high expectations. However, across the curriculum as a whole there are inconsistencies in how well leaders identify what pupils should learn and in supporting pupils to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can explain how the range of school trips and enrichment activities on offer are helping them learn more about the world outside their immediate community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and supported by one another and by the adults who look after them in school. They think leaders deal well with bullying, but do not see it as a problem in the school. Pupils behave respectfully and cooperatively in and out of lessons. Parents and carers think leaders are approachable and listen to their views.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that all of the independent school standards are met.

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better?

Leaders have recently improved the curriculum. They have prioritised subjects such as PSHE and reading, where improvement was most urgently needed. The revised content and organisation of the curriculum in these subjects is ambitious. Leaders make clear what it is that pupils are expected to learn. This helps teachers when they decide on the content of lessons.

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better?

The curriculum is designed so that pupils revisit topics and build on what they learned before. For example, the revised science curriculum is helping pupils build on their investigation skills. However, because improvements in curriculum content have only recently been introduced, pupils have less secure prior knowledge and skills to build on. This means that the curriculum needs further adaptation to account for the gaps in these pupils’ knowledge.

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better?

In some other subjects, leaders have not decided what pupils are expected to learn precisely enough or in sufficient detail. Where this is the case, teachers find it more difficult to check how well pupils are learning.

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better?

Leaders are using advice from external experts to help them build further on the improvements they have made in the early years. They are looking forward to the opportunities which the new premises should bring. The proprietor has ensured that the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. However, 1 to 3 November 2022 the activities staff set up to allow children to learn throughout the day are limited and sometimes poorly resourced.

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better?

Pupils benefit from a well-structured programme of phonics. Children in the early years begin learning to read as soon as they start school. Teachers usually make sure pupils learn to read from books which closely match their current reading ability. Older pupils enjoy learning new vocabulary and are inspired to read more by teachers reading with them as a class. The programme of staff training is not yet complete, however. This means there are inconsistencies in staff confidence and accuracy in putting the phonics programme into practice.

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better?

In mathematics, teachers use the well-planned curriculum to pick up gaps in pupils’ learning. They use equipment skilfully to help pupils learn and apply new ideas. The questions teachers ask pupils encourage them to think hard about and explain mathematical ideas.

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better?

Leaders identify children in the early years with special educational needs and/or disabilities promptly and skilfully. They provide support and advice to help teachers adapt lessons so that these pupils can benefit from the same curriculum as others. Specialist professionals also support staff to plan for these pupils’ needs.

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better?

Leaders make sure pupils’ personal development is promoted through both the religious and secular curriculums. Pupils build up an understanding of how relationships work, which prepares them for the next stages of their lives. They remember what they have learned about government and democratic processes such as elections. Pupils also understand the importance of respect for others. They are taught about the features of other religions and cultures.

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better?

Pupils are motivated to behave well in lessons by a clear system of rewards which they understand and enjoy. They enjoy the chances they get to tell senior leaders about what they are learning. Children in the early years are beginning to understand the routines of the school day. Pupils focus well most of the time in lessons, and disruption to learning is uncommon.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that the school complies with Schedule 10 of the Equalities Act 2010.

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better?

Staff are positive about the way leaders support them with workload and promote their well-being. They think leaders are careful not to spring changes on them and feel their opinions are valued.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders place a high priority on safeguarding. Staff understand how to report a safeguarding concern. Leaders and governors make sure staff receive regular training to keep them up to date on statutory safeguarding guidance and how to 1 to 3 November 2022 manage potential risks. They organise the information they collect about safeguarding concerns carefully. This helps them to follow things up and ensure pupils get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have taken safeguarding and the suitability of adults into account when managing the extensive building works on site at the time of the inspection.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and are confident about explaining how they are feeling to staff.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 There are weaknesses in the way the curriculum for some subjects is planned and sequenced. In subjects where this has improved, changes are recent and gaps in pupils’ learning remain a result of previous weaker curriculum thinking. Leaders should ensure all subjects are planned and organised so teachers know exactly what pupils should learn and in which order, so they can use this to identify any pupils who need to catch up.  Teachers have not completed training on the school’s revised programme for the teaching of phonics. They are still developing familiarity and confidence in implementing the school’s approach to teaching early reading. Leaders must ensure that all staff are trained to teach phonics using the agreed curriculum.  Staff in the early years do not make effective use of resources and space when setting up activities for children to access throughout the school day. This means opportunities for children to learn and remember more are restricted. Leaders

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

should make sure children in the early years benefit from better thought out and resourced activities, and use these to assess how much children have learned and remembered.

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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. 1 to 3 November 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 130826 DfE registration number 302/6081

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School details

Inspection number 10242745 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) Voluntary contributions

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 to 30 January 2020 1 to 3 November 2022

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous standard inspection took place in January 2020 when the school’s overall effectiveness was judged as inadequate. In June 2021, a progress monitoring inspection took place.  The school is registered to admit up to 240 pupils aged between three and 11.  The school has an Orthodox Jewish ethos. In the morning, pupils have lessons in religious studies. In the afternoon, pupils study secular subjects. All lessons are taught in English.  The school does not use any off-site alternative provision.  The secular headteacher took up her post in September 2021.  There is currently a major programme of rebuilding on the same site as the operating 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 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

 Inspectors discussed the continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for the secular and religious curriculums. They met with the chair of the governing body and the proprietor. They held a telephone conversation with an early years adviser from the local authority who is working with school leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, PSHE and science. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, looked at pupils’ work, met with staff and pupils, and visited lessons. They also sampled other subjects such as physical education and technology.  Inspectors examined a range of documents related to school improvement, safeguarding, pupils’ behaviour, and records of the work of governors.  Inspectors considered the results of Ofsted’s staff survey and parents’ written

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Information about this inspection

Parent View responses.  Inspectors toured the premises and viewed the records of checks leaders maintain on site safety and security. 1 to 3 November 2022

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Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Strong His Majesty's Inspector 1 to 3 November 2022 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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