Beis Ruchel D'Satmar London

Inspection of Beis Ruchel D’Satmar London 117 Stamford Hill, London N16 5RS

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Inspection dates: 14 to 16 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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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 are happy, safe and well looked after here. Staff build up positive relationships with pupils, encouraging them in lessons to work hard and give their best. Pupils said that adults are there for them if they need to talk about any concerns. Pupils behave well and settle down to their work quickly. However, sometimes expectations for children’s behaviour in the early years are not high enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school, and they attend school very regularly. The school teaches a range of secular subjects. Leaders have made improvements to the curriculum since the last inspection, bringing in new resources and weekly lessons in physical education (PE). However, in some subjects, such as science, some key concepts continue to be removed from the curriculum. While the early years curriculum has also been improved, children are not learning as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have reviewed their relationships education for both primary- and secondary-age pupils. Primary-age pupils learn about families, friendships and respecting others. However, secondary-age pupils are taught very limited parts of the statutory relationships education content that is set by the Department for Education (DfE). Overall, by the time they leave the school, pupils are unprepared for life in modern Britain.

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better?

The proprietor and governors have supported improvements since the previous inspection, for example through changes to curriculum leadership and the restructuring of curriculum management. The school is now working to develop the role of subject leader, making sure that learning is more joined up than in the past as pupils move up through the school years.

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better?

The school offers pupils a broad curriculum in line with the independent school standards. Technological education, for example, is well developed across the school. Pupils are taught food technology, sewing and art. As pupils move into Years 10 and 11, they can choose to study a formal qualification in these subjects, such as GCSE fine art or qualifications in food technology or creative crafts. Pupils achieved well in their GCSE examinations and other qualifications at the end of Year 11 last year. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are taught the same curriculum as their peers.

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better?

In some subjects, including in some areas of learning in the early years, what pupils are taught is not ambitious. Sometimes, the school has not identified clearly what it wants pupils to know and remember. In the early years, the focus is often more on the activity that children complete than on the knowledge and skills they should be learning from taking part in the activity. The school has not given careful thought to the role of outdoor education for children in the early years. Adults do not consistently help children well in developing their speaking, listening and vocabulary. In some subjects, such as science and geography, leaders do not allow pupils to 14 to 16 November 2023 study certain concepts, read content or complete tasks that are not in line with the school’s religious beliefs.

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better?

Generally, pupils know and remember a lot of what they have been taught. For example, in Year 8, pupils studying geography have a secure understanding of the different sectors of industry and how these have changed over time. In the early years, children are supported effectively with their physical development, developing skills such as eating, writing, manipulating objects and getting dressed. Pupils with SEND have their needs identified quickly. They are well supported. Leaders are ensuring that staff are trained so that they can meet pupils’ needs.

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better?

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and want to be successful at school. They are polite and friendly. Low-level disruption in class is rare. That said, routines for children in the early years are not consistently encouraged. As a result, some children do not develop positive habits to understand and manage their own behaviour and keep focused. Leaders monitor attendance rates each day and make sure that pupils attend regularly.

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better?

Pupils benefit from trips that support the academic curriculum, for example to museums and places of historic interest. The school’s approach to careers advice and guidance helps pupils to learn about a range of options and job roles that are open to them when the time comes to leave school. Pupils with SEND benefit from personalised advice and guidance.

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better?

The school has reviewed how reading in the early years is organised. It is using the same phonics scheme across the early years and Years 1 and 2. It has improved its training for staff. That said, variability remains in how effectively adults support pupils with learning to read and write. Books are not consistently well matched to the sounds that pupils learn. Children in Reception are not enabled to take books home to practise their phonics sounds. Adults are not quick to spot and correct errors that pupils make, such as in their letter formation. There is regular support for pupils with their reading and writing, including for those with SEND, but is not as helpful as it should be.

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better?

Leaders still do not fulfil their legal duties under the Equality Act 2010. Leaders’ position has not changed since the previous inspection. They continue not to actively promote and encourage respect for other people and, in particular, those who have the protected characteristics of sexual orientation and gender reassignment. The school has written a policy for relationships and sex education. All parents and carers have exercised their right to withdraw their children from sex education. However, the school does not teach the statutory content that they should for secondary-age pupils. This includes the concepts and laws in relation to being safe, such as sexual consent, sexual exploitation, grooming and abuse. The school’s approach is not supporting older pupils to navigate life in modern Britain or promoting fundamental British values in line with the requirements of the relevant independent school standards.

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better?

14 to 16 November 2023 Leaders are working with consultants to help them to identify where further improvements are needed, for example in supporting governors in understanding how to better challenge school leaders. This support has also helped the school to embed systems to check that the independent school standards in relation to the welfare, premises, health and safety of pupils are consistently being met. The school’s accessibility plan complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school does not have a website. The safeguarding policy and other information required by the independent school standards are readily available to parents.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 There are inconsistencies in how well adults teach the school’s programme for early reading and writing. Adults working with pupils, including those with SEND, do not ensure that pupils practise their reading and writing as well as they should. Books do not consistently match the sounds that pupils are learning. The school must review its strategies to support pupils in these areas. The school must develop the expertise of staff to ensure that support for pupils’ reading and writing development is of a consistently high quality. It should also ensure that children in Reception regularly read books that help them to practise their phonics sounds.  In some subjects and in some areas of learning in the early years, staff have not given sufficient thought to identifying the knowledge that pupils should learn. Some curriculum thinking is not ambitious, including the role of outdoor education in the early years. In some subjects, key content is removed and omitted.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

Consequently, pupils do not build up the strong body of knowledge that they should. The school should review its curriculum thinking, from the early years upwards. The school should ensure that all examination content is taught in all subjects.  Adults working in early years do not make sure that children learn as much from activities as they should. They lack the skills to maximise children’s communication and vocabulary development. Overall, children do not develop the strong, secure knowledge and skills that they should. The school should improve adults’ training so that they make better use of their interactions with children. Training should also help staff to understand how to use planned activities to fully support the delivery of the intended curriculum.  Leaders and governors continue to not meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. They do not actively promote what they should in relation to different

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

faiths, beliefs and protected characteristics. Relationships education in the secondary phase does not cover statutory requirements. Pupils do not learn important content included in the DfE’s guidance regarding online and media, being safe, and respectful relationships. All these weaknesses combine to mean 14 to 16 November 2023 pupils are unprepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders must review their personal development curriculum, ensuring compliance with the Equality Act 2010, DfE statutory guidance and the independent school standards.

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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

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,037

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School details

Email address mainoffice@satmarschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 December 2022 14 to 16 November 2023

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Information about this school

 The school is a strictly Orthodox Jewish independent day school for girls.  The school is registered for 810 pupils between the ages of five and 11 years. However, there are 1,037 girls aged two to 16 years on the school’s roll. The permitted number of pupils was revised by the registration authority from 200 to 810 in November 2020. The school therefore continues to be in breach of its registration agreement with the DfE because it has exceeded the maximum number of pupils on roll and continues to admit pupils below and above the registered age range.  There are 239 children in the early years provision, which comprises nursery, kindergarten and Reception sections.  The school’s most recent inspection was a progress monitoring inspection in December 2022. This monitoring inspection found that there were unmet independent school standards. It took place after the school’s last standard inspection in June 2021.

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Information about this school

 At the standard inspection in June 2021, the school’s overall effectiveness was inadequate and there were numerous unmet independent school standards.  The school does not currently make use of any 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 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

 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, the head of curriculum, the school’s consultants and other senior staff. The lead inspector also met with the proprietor and members of the governing body, including the chair.  The lead inspector also spoke with staff from a local authority to discuss provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science, PE and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers, supporting 14 to 16 November 2023 adults and pupils about their learning. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons and looked at pupils’

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Information about this inspection

work 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 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. Inspectors met with leaders with responsibility for safeguarding and behaviour. They reviewed a range of safeguarding documentation, risk assessments and case studies.  When inspectors met with pupils, leaders requested that they did not ask questions or discuss anything in relation to the protected characteristics, other faiths and beliefs or sex education. Inspectors were able to discuss pupils’ learning and their views on behaviour and well-being. In a few cases, the headteacher was close to the classroom door when inspectors met with pupils. Inspectors were satisfied overall from their inspection activities that they had

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Information about this inspection

been able to gather a fair reflection of pupils’ views about their learning, behaviour and well-being.  Inspectors considered a range of evidence to evaluate compliance with the independent school standards.  Inspectors considered replies to Ofsted Parent View and the online surveys for pupils and staff.

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between two and 16 years (from the current ages of between five and 11)

 The school has applied to the DfE to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school meets the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school meets the relevant

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Inspection team

Sam Hainey, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alice Clay Ofsted Inspector 14 to 16 November 2023

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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(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 the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act; – 2(2)(i) effective preparation of pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

experiences of life in British society.  2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor- – 2A(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 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(a) actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; – 5(b) ensures that principles are actively promoted which- – 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 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. 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

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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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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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