Eifa International School

Inspection of Eifa International School 36 Portland Place, Marylebone, London W1B 1LS

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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 Inadequate

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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?

The school is a happy, welcoming and inclusive community where aspirations for pupils are high. Pupils value all that they learn from their peers about their different cultures that they bring from a wide range of countries. They feel that this diversity enriches their lives and helps them to gain a global perspective of modern life. Pupils feel safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school strives to ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve highly. Right from the start of early years, the school ensures that pupils are immersed in both French and English. Pupils enjoy much success in the ambitious programmes of study. They also gain strong proficiency in both languages. Spanish and Latin also form part of the school’s rich curriculum offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy very strong working relationships with adults and with each other. There is a strong ambience of respect and valuing everyone for who they are. This leads to a harmonious and purposeful learning and social environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have several opportunities to develop and share their talents, cultures and interests. For example, every pupil, from Nursery upwards, takes part in the biannual musical presentations. These include musical orchestras, choirs and solo performances.

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better?

The school has given much thought to the curriculum offer. It goes far beyond statutory requirements, offering both breadth and depth in pupils’ learning. The school’s ambitious curriculum thinking and its careful organisation of the curriculum help to make sure that pupils achieve well.

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better?

The school prioritises the teaching of reading in both languages. In English, well- trained staff expertly teach the school’s chosen phonics programme. Pupils practise their reading with books that are matched to the sounds that they know. Staff keep a close eye on all pupils, so all who may fall behind are quickly helped to catch up. Children love hearing their teachers reading to them every day; once in English and once in French. The school also teaches pupils in Year 1 to read in French. As a result, from a young age, pupils become confident and fluent readers in both languages.

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better?

The school is fully committed to inclusion. The strategies for identifying, assessing and planning to meet the needs of all pupils with SEND are strong, effective and well embedded. This means that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

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better?

Teaching and support staff benefit from effective training. They have access to quality teaching resources. This means that they have the tools to deepen pupils’ 4 to 6 June 2024 knowledge and understanding. They use regular assessments to check on pupils’ learning. Teachers make themselves available every week to help pupils who fall behind. Teachers do much to encourage their pupils to research, read and explore well beyond the set content. Pupils said that teachers thus inspire a passion for learning beyond the classroom. Overall, pupils’ achievements are strong.

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better?

The school keeps its curriculum under regular review. For instance, although children in early years achieve well overall, the school is working to improve children’s learning opportunities in the outdoor provision. This is to ensure that the learning in outside areas is as effective as that provided in indoor classrooms at supporting children to gain new knowledge. In a small number of subjects in the senior phase, the curriculum did not enable pupils to achieve as well as they could have by the end of Year 11. This was because there were some inconsistencies in curriculum thinking and implementation. Much work has gone on this year to make necessary improvements. Initial indications are positive. However, this is still a work in progress.

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better?

The school establishes suitable routines from the time children join early years. Children learn to treat each other with kindness. They behave in a mature and sensible way, such as when walking to the park every day. All children have weekly lessons in yoga and ballet. These are designed to support their overall emotional and social development. Pupils are keen to learn. They work collaboratively on joint projects and present their findings to the class. Pupils are articulate and share their ideas with confidence. Their classmates listen to their ideas in a respectful manner. The school is currently working on refining its behaviour policy and practices. It aims to secure greater consistency in the application of rewards and sanctions. The school also works effectively to encourage regular attendance and punctuality. Both are improving.

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better?

Secondary-aged pupils receive a suitable programme of impartial careers guidance. All pupils are taught, in an age-appropriate way, about healthy relationships. Pupils can choose to attend a wide range of clubs, from martial arts to robotics and street dance. From Year 3 upwards pupils go on residential trips. These are mainly in the UK, but also overseas, for example, in France, Germany and Italy. Educational visits also feature regularly in early years, with children recently visiting a farm and a toy museum, for example. As part of teaching about democracy, pupils visit the British houses of parliament. They also have a talk from a member of the French parliament. Some secondary-aged school councillors have agreed an Eifa constitution, which they presented to the school. It is based on fundamental British values and the French republic values.

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better?

School leaders make sure that staff have a manageable workload so that they can concentrate on their teaching. Leaders make parents and carers feel welcome in the school. They also meet termly with the parents’ representative liaison group to hear their views.

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better?

Directors of the proprietor body work closely with school leaders. The proprietor body is very supportive and holds leaders to account. Since the previous inspection, 4 to 6 June 2024 directors have introduced several appropriate mechanisms to help assure themselves that all the independent school standards and requirements for the early years foundation stage are consistently met. They make sure that the premises are safe and kept in an excellent state of repair.

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better?

The school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and all the other requirements of independent schools, including in the early years.

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better?

The proprietor body took some very difficult strategic decisions recently about the future of the school. These have raised concerns and anxieties for some parents and some members of staff. The proprietor body has endeavoured to support and help those affected as best as they can. Nevertheless, some remain discontented about the proposed changes.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In the early years and in a few secondary subjects, the school has not completed its work in sharpening curriculum thinking and delivery. This means that, in these instances, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should continue its work to ensure that all subject thinking and implementation are ambitious, robust and embedded.

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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. 4 to 6 June 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 139239 DfE registration number 213/6000

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School details

Inspection number 10322590 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor L'Ecole Internationale Franco-Anglaise Ltd

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School details

Headteacher Françoise Zurbach (co-head of school) Stephane Kuhn (co-head of school)

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £21,321 to £25,851

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 to 19 May 2022 4 to 6 June 2024

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Information about this school

 The school’s last standard inspection took place in May 2022, when the school was judged to be inadequate. Some of the independent school standards were not met. The school had a monitoring inspection in November 2022, which judged that the previously unmet standards were met.  The school applied to the Department for Education (DfE) for a material change. Their application was granted in May 2024 and the school intends to implement the changes by September 2024. The school’s registration to educate up to 355 two to 18-year-olds will change to educate up to 165 pupils aged two to 14-year- olds. Furthermore, the school will no longer use the additional premises at 10 Duchess Street, London, W1G 9AB.  The curriculum follows the breadth and depth of the French national curriculum. In the secondary phase, the school also draws on the English national curriculum. This prepares pupils for both international English and French qualifications.

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Information about this school

Sometimes, in a few subjects, such as science, the schools draw on the ambitions of both curriculums. From the start of provision for two-year-olds, the school teaches pupils the range of subjects in both French and English.  The school does not make any 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 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: Reading, mathematics, history and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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. They also considered other subjects as part of this inspection. 4 to 6 June 2024  Inspectors met with the two co-headteachers and other senior staff. They met with the chair and another director of the proprietor body. They also had formal meetings with groups of staff and groups of pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  To check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards, inspectors carried out a range of activities including meeting with leaders, a site walk to check the premises, looking at the content on the school’s website and scrutinising the school’s records and documentation.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for parents and for staff. They also spoke with some parents at the start of the day.

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Inspection team

David Radomsky, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sahreen Siddiqui Ofsted Inspector 4 to 6 June 2024 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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