Manchester Junior Girls' School

Inspection of Manchester Junior Girls’ School 64 Upper Park Road, Salford, Lancashire M7 4JA

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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, and children in the early years, enjoy coming to school at Manchester Junior Girls’ School. They share strong, caring relationships with staff who know them extremely well. They enjoy the time that they spend with their peers. This helps pupils to feel happy and secure in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to the high expectations that staff set for their academic achievement. They experience an aspirational curriculum that meets their needs, interests and aptitudes, including those of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils across the school achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy regular rewards and praise for their positive behaviour. Pupils work hard and concentrate in their lessons. They treat each other with kindness and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the opportunities that the school provides for them to develop themselves beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they take part in school performances in front of their parents and carers. This helps pupils to grow in confidence. Pupils regularly raise money for local charities.

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better?

The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum. In the early years, and in most subjects in key stages 1 and 2, the school has ensured that teachers clearly understand what pupils should learn and by when.

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better?

In the early years, and across most subjects, the school provides teachers with effective training and support to develop their subject-specific knowledge. Teachers check on pupils’ learning regularly. Teachers identify and address any gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge swiftly. This enables pupils to build new knowledge securely on what they already know and can do. The school has ensured that its assessment systems are not overly burdensome. This gives teachers more time to focus on supporting pupils’ learning, particularly in the early years. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve highly in most subjects, including English, mathematics and science.

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better?

In a small number of subjects in key stages 1 and 2, the school has not determined the specific knowledge that it wants pupils to learn and remember. Some pupils do not learn the subject-specific content in these areas as deeply or securely as they should. This means that these pupils struggle to grasp new concepts, as they do not have the prior knowledge needed to make sense of this new learning. This hampers how well some pupils achieve in these subjects.

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better?

The school is adept at identifying and supporting the additional needs of those pupils with SEND. It works effectively with external agencies so that pupils receive the support and help that they need, such as speech and language therapy and 24 to 26 October 2023 occupational therapy. Teachers receive helpful information that they use effectively to enable pupils with SEND to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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better?

The school values and prioritises reading for all pupils. This begins in the early years with the regular rhymes and songs that are part of children’s daily routines. Older pupils enjoy the frequent opportunities to read independently or to listen to stories read by adults. Pupils look forward to their visits to the well-stocked school library each week to choose a book to take home.

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better?

From the start of the Reception Year, children are introduced to sounds and their corresponding letters in daily lessons. The words in pupils’ reading books match the sounds that they have learned. Teachers have the training and support needed to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Teachers offer appropriate support to pupils who struggle with learning to read to catch up with their peers. Pupils learn to read with fluency and confidence.

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better?

Pupils behave extremely well. Staff apply the behaviour policy consistently so that the school’s high expectations for pupils are continually reinforced. Pupils appreciate that staff want the best for them. This creates a calm, caring and purposeful environment in which pupils can learn and play without disruption.

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better?

The school provides a programme of activities and experiences to support pupils’ wider development. For example, pupils visit local parks and places of interest on school trips. These enhance pupils’ understanding of the curriculum and the world beyond school. Older pupils are given positions of responsibility, such as class prefects. These prefects are diligent in carrying out their responsibilities to support and help children in the early years. However, some aspects of this programme are limited in their coverage and depth. For example, pupils do not have a strong understanding of faiths and cultures different to their own.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that the school meets the independent school standards (the standards), including his statutory duty to safeguard pupils and promote their well-being. The proprietor has ensured that the school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

The school’s positive engagement with parents and the wider community enables parents to support their child’s education well. For example, families receive regular newsletters from the school. These newsletters have information about what pupils are learning in school and how families can help with this learning at home.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel appreciated and well supported to carry out their roles effectively. This is particularly the case when the school introduces new policies that could impact on staff’s workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 24 to 26 October 2023

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a small number of subjects, the school is developing the curriculum. The school has not determined exactly what pupils should learn and in what order. This hinders pupils from building a secure body of knowledge in these subjects. The school should complete its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers are clear about what pupils should learn and by when.  Some elements of the programme that the school has designed to support pupils’ personal development are not implemented as effectively as they could be. This means that some of pupils’ opportunities and experiences are limited or lack coherence. The school should ensure that all aspects of the programme are well planned and implemented so that pupils receive a wide, rich set of experiences to support their wider development.

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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. 24 to 26 October 2023

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School details

Email address mrsehrentreu@bchschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 to 14 March 2019 24 to 26 October 2023

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous standard inspection was 12 to 14 March 2019.  The school operates from premises at 64 Upper Park Road, Salford, Lancashire, M7 4JA.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  This is an Orthodox Jewish faith school.  At the time of the inspection the school was registered to admit pupils between the ages of three to 13 years. The school has changed the age range of pupils from the ages of three to 13 years to pupils from ages three to 11 years. The school has notified the Department for Education of this change.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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 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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other members of the senior leadership team and a range of school staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some teachers about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to school leaders about the curriculum and looked at curriculum plans in a range of other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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Information about this inspection

considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 24 to 26 October 2023  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. An inspector spoke to some parents at the school gate to gather their views.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. An inspector spoke with a range of staff to discuss the support that they receive from leaders.  Inspectors spoke with some pupils about school life. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  An inspector carried out a tour of the premises.  Inspectors viewed a range of evidence to evaluate the proprietor’s compliance with the standards.

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Inspection team

Amanda Downing, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 24 to 26 October 2023 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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