Rimon Jewish Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Rimon Jewish Primary School 41a Dunstan Road, Golders Green, London NW11 8AE

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Outcome

Rimon Jewish Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sarah Simmons. This school is part of the Jewish Community Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Adam Goldstein, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Michael Goldstein.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this happy and inclusive school. They talk confidently about the importance of upholding the school’s values. This helps pupils to understand the importance of being respectful and kind. Pupils explained with confidence how these values help to keep them safe and happy in school. Pupils build positive working relationships with their teachers and trust adults to sort out any worries or upsets quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school aspires for pupils to achieve well and be academically, emotionally, and socially well prepared for secondary education. Pupils enjoy studying a wide range of subjects. Strong systems and skilled leadership ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support that they need. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for the next stages of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop character here. Their opinions are sought and valued by leaders. Pupils are taught that their voice counts, they develop confidence to be individual and they readily express their views. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the support that the school provides to their children. The school provides a rounded education to pupils with many opportunities for them to develop their talents and interests.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has recently redesigned its curriculum, which is broad and ambitious for all pupils. Leaders have thought carefully about what is taught and how different subjects link together. Staff have a thorough understanding of what they want pupils to learn and when. Equality and diversity are integral in the curriculum. For example, pupils learn 15 and 16 May 2024

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about eminent people across the curriculum, including those from a range of backgrounds.

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Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and school life. Pupils benefit from a well- resourced phonics programme and effective teaching. This begins in Reception, where children make a positive start in learning to read. Teachers provide swift support, when necessary, to help pupils to keep up with the phonics programme. Carefully selected books match pupils’ phonics knowledge so that they can read fluently.

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Staff check pupils’ learning carefully in some subjects, including English and mathematics. This helps teachers to match teaching activities closely to what pupils already know and can do. Systems to check pupils’ knowledge with precision are developing across other subjects. However, pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in understanding are not always picked up securely. This sometimes limits pupils’ readiness for new subject content.

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Staff know children well in the Reception class. Children are settled, happy, and mostly interact with each other in a kind and considerate way. The planned curriculum means that children engage with a range of activities across all areas of learning. During independent play, adults support and encourage children effectively. However, the development of children’s vocabulary and communication skills is not consistently developed well.

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Pupils behave very well in lessons and around school during social times. Warm working relationships underpin high expectations. Restorative practices and open communication help to resolve any issues. For pupils who continue to struggle, the school provides a safe and supportive environment. Most pupils attend well. However, a small number of pupils are still persistently absent and remain a focus for the school.

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The school develops pupils’ understanding of how to be active citizens in modern Britian. This includes through careful teaching during personal, social, health and citizenship education and Kodesh lessons. Staff teach pupils about the importance of healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe physically as well as online. Pupil mental health is a high priority here. The school teaches pupils about how to manage their mental health. This includes during assemblies and specific events such as for mental health awareness week.

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Pupils enjoy many different extra-curricular activities. These include a before-school running club, dancing, choir, chess, and a wide range of sports. Regular visitors to school also share their experiences with pupils through assemblies and workshops. These activities help pupils to develop high aspirations, confidence, and resilience.

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Leaders, including governors, have a shared vision for the future of the school. They are dedicated and passionate. Staff training is a priority so that all staff are supported to develop professionally over time. This means that staff feel very well supported and believe their workload and well-being are genuinely considered by leaders. 15 and 16 May 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have consistent systems in place to check pupils’ curriculum understanding across all the foundation subjects. As a result, staff do not accurately assess pupils’ knowledge in these areas. This limits pupils’ readiness for new subject content. The school should ensure that assessment systems are developed and applied consistently to enable leaders and staff to identify and address gaps in pupils’ understanding effectively.  In Reception, sometimes teaching does not help children remember long term what they have been taught. In particular, the school does not develop children’s vocabulary and communication skills consistently well. The school should ensure that all adults working in the early years are able to systematically check children’s understanding, identify misconceptions and provide clear explanations to improve their learning and spoken language.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour, or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 15 and 16 May 2024

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 15 and 16 May 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Rimon Jewish Primary School is part of the Jewish Community Academy Trust (JCAT).  There are no pupils attending alternative provision.  The school has a Jewish ethos. The last section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in June 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with senior leaders and subject leaders and held meetings with members of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history, and music. During each deep dive, the inspector discussed curriculum content with subject 15 and 16 May 2024

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leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, spoke to pupils and met with teachers. The inspector also observed pupils reading to an adult in the school.  The inspector met with groups of pupils formally throughout the inspection and spoke with them informally at social times and in lessons.  The inspector looked at documents about school improvement, the curriculum and safeguarding. The responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and staff survey were taken into account.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.

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Inspection team

Sam Johnson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 15 and 16 May 2024

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regulates and inspects 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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