Ohr Emes

Inspection of Ohr Emes 148 Upper Clapton Road, London E5 9JZ

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Inspection dates: 14 to 16 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good 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?

Pupils are very happy here. They behave well and enjoy their lessons. They are taught the importance of kindness through learning to share and to help each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum covers a broad range of subjects and is logically sequenced. The school has introduced a new phonics programme. Pupils now learn to read and write in English from the Reception Year. They have daily teaching in English, which supports their language development. However, the delivery of the phonics programme does not support pupils as routinely well in developing reading confidence and fluency.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through the curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) pupils are encouraged to understand their emotions and those of others. The curriculum includes teaching about family relationships and the importance of respecting others. Pupils are taught about cultures and traditions other than their own.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers now receive regular training. This includes training on how to deliver the new curriculum and the English reading programme. The school has not ensured that teachers, including those in the early years, have all the knowledge they need to teach the planned curriculum fully effectively. This reduces how successfully pupils learn and retain information in the long term.

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better?

The school’s curriculum includes a range of national curriculum subjects as well as religious studies. Leaders have worked hard to create coherent sequences of lessons. They have identified the key knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn. Some subject thinking is further on in development than others. Generally, the work given to pupils helps them to understand and recall new learning and key subject vocabulary. At times, pupils are given little time to embed securely in their long-term memory what they have learned.

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better?

Teachers use helpful examples when they introduce pupils to new ideas. They break down new subject-specific words into segments to help pupils to understand and remember them. At times, teachers’ explanations are not routinely clear and pupils sometimes struggle to remember new learning and vocabulary with accuracy.

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better?

Adults working in the early years help children to develop their vocabulary. They engage them in conversation and help them to express opinions. Children start to learn daily English phonics in the Reception Year and continue this into Years 1 and 2. Teachers have been trained to deliver the phonics programme. However, the school has not made sure that teachers routinely model with accuracy pure sounds and the blending of sounds together to make words. As a result, some pupils struggle to read unfamiliar words. Pupils read books that match the sounds they have learned. The range of books that pupils have access to is limited. Generally, when pupils fall behind in the phonics programme, the school does not make sure 14 to 16 November 2023 that they are identified quickly and helped to catch up swiftly. This limits the ease with which those who struggle to read become confident, fluent readers.

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better?

In Years 1 and 2, teachers check what pupils have learned at the end of a sequence of lessons on a topic or theme. However, sometimes pupils have knowledge gaps or misconceptions that are not identified and addressed quickly because the school does not check pupils’ understanding and recall routinely in class. In the early years, children’s learning is checked regularly. Staff use the information to measure what children know and can do. They plan further learning led by adults that supports children’s development. The aims of learning that is not led by adults are often not as routinely clear, which hinders children’s development of independence and perseverance.

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better?

Resources in the early years classrooms are limited, which restricts children’s development. At times, the range of options for children to choose during the day is narrow. There are no resources in the outdoor areas that are suitable for children in the Nursery and Reception.

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better?

Children’s physical development is encouraged in the indoor areas. However, the school does not ensure that children experience daily planned outdoor access to a play area or outdoor activities. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 use the school’s outdoor play area for physical education lessons and to learn to ride bicycles.

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better?

The school follows clear processes to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school works with a range of professionals to assess the needs of pupils with SEND. Strategies to support pupils with SEND have been clearly outlined and are reviewed regularly. However, the school does not ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are routinely well supported in the classroom.

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better?

Pupils are polite and pay attention to their teachers. Each week a behaviour theme, such as respecting parents and behaving sensibly on public transport, is taught. Pupils are encouraged to also demonstrate these behaviours at home. Older pupils have written stories and poems about the importance of positive behaviour. The school supports pupils to attend school regularly. Leaders work closely with families to emphasise the importance of attending school every day.

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better?

Leaders and the proprietor body have an accurate understanding of the school’s priorities. They are implementing their school action plan effectively. They have sought external support to improve their understanding of how to secure school improvement and have visited successful schools. Strengthened curriculum, phonics and early reading demonstrate the capacity of leaders and the proprietor body for improvement.

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better?

Leaders and the proprietor body are sensitive to the wishes of parents when making changes to the school curriculum. They work well with parents to gain their support for improvements made to the quality of education. 14 to 16 November 2023 Leaders and the proprietor body have ensured that the independent school standards have been met, including the requirements of the early years foundation stage. Copies of the school’s safeguarding policy are available on request.

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better?

The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times, the work given to pupils is not well selected to enable them to achieve the aims of the planned curriculum. As a result, sometimes pupils’ knowledge does not build up securely. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive further training and that pupils are helped to secure learning in their long-term memory.  Teachers do not routinely check what pupils know and can do during lessons. This means that pupils sometimes have knowledge gaps and misconceptions that are not identified and addressed. Leaders should ensure that checks on pupils’ understanding identify and address any misconceptions or misunderstandings.  The teaching of phonics lacks rigour. Teachers do not routinely model phonics sounds accurately. Pupils are not routinely taught to blend words. Consequently, some pupils struggle to read unfamiliar words. Pupils at the early stages of learning phonics who fall behind are not identified quickly and helped to catch up

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

swiftly. Leaders should ensure that they provide staff with further training so that the school’s phonics programme is delivered with fidelity and any pupils who fall behind are helped to catch up. The school should increase the range of decodable books that pupils have access to.  In the early years, children are not strongly encouraged to develop their independence and perseverance away from adults. The school should ensure that staff in the early years support children’s learning fully.  The range of activities and resources that the school provides for children in the early years do not support specific learning objectives routinely well, including in the outdoor areas. This limits children’s access to the intended curriculum. The school should ensure that the intended curriculum is carefully planned and that children have access to a suitably resourced outdoor play area or daily planned outdoor activities.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The needs of pupils with SEND are not routinely well supported in class. The school should ensure that all teachers are guided to meet the needs of pupils with SEND securely. 14 to 16 November 2023

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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. 14 to 16 November 2023

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School details

Unique reference number 147312 DfE registration number 204/6022

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School details

Inspection number 10267694 Type of school Primary day school for boys of Orthodox Jewish faith School category Independent day school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2023 14 to 16 November 2023

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Information about this school

 Ohr Emes is an independent primary day school for Orthodox Jewish boys aged three to seven. Many pupils in the school speak English as an additional language.  There is a proprietor body, consisting of the three trustees of the registered charity, Ohr Emes Ltd. The proprietor body is chaired by the current headteacher.  The previous standard inspection took place in July 2021, when the school’s overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate. The school’s most recent inspection was a progress monitoring inspection in March 2023, when some independent school standards remained not met. The school was required to produce a statutory action plan to set out the action it intended to take to rectify the failures. In August 2023, the school’s action plan for improvement was evaluated by Ofsted and was accepted by the Department for Education.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, who is the chair of the proprietor body, and other leaders. Inspectors also met with a member of the governing body and the school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans and visited a sample of lessons. Inspectors also spoke to teachers and spoke to pupils about their learning.  Inspectors also spoke to curriculum leaders and looked at curriculum plans for mathematics, design and technology, and PSHE.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 14 to 16 November 2023  Inspectors reviewed the school’s policy documents and information made available to parents. They also reviewed the school’s admissions register and records of behaviour consequences. Inspectors also considered policies and documents related to health and safety and site maintenance.  Inspectors met with a group of parents to consider their views.

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Inspection team

Annabel Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Aliki Constantopoulou His Majesty’s Inspector 14 to 16 November 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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