TTD Gur School

Inspection of TTD Gur School 17 Margaret Road, Stamford Hill, London N16 6UX

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate 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?

Leaders and school staff are motivated and determined to make improvements. The school is ambitious to raise pupils’ achievement. There is a more focused approach to the teaching of early reading. There is greater emphasis on identifying gaps in pupils’ knowledge in English and mathematics and on addressing these gaps. However, many of the school’s intended improvements to the curriculum and quality of education are still at the planning stage and have not been introduced and realised. The current curriculum remains narrow and does not support pupils to develop strong knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Provision for pupils’ wider development has improved substantially since the previous inspection. Pupils now attend extra-curricular clubs during the school day. These include chess, weaving and learning to play the keyboard. Pupils are encouraged to care for others and to contribute actively to the school and local community. For example, pupils run a tuckshop, help with litter picking and visit residents at a local care home for the elderly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy here. Older pupils lead performances for younger pupils to encourage appropriate behaviour. Pupils’ conduct has improved. Pupils behave responsibly. They treat each other with courtesy and respect.

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better?

Pupils up to Year 7 do not learn a broad, well-sequenced curriculum that meets the requirements of the independent school standards. The secular curriculum prioritises the teaching of English and mathematics. Some other subjects, such as geography and science, are delivered as part of English lessons or during Jewish studies. For English and other subjects, typically, pupils complete reading comprehension exercises or disconnected, stand-alone work in class. In some subjects, pupils do not access a wide, rich set of resources to support their learning. The school’s leaders and proprietor body are committed to making the necessary improvements to the curriculum. The school is preparing to teach a range of subjects in line with the requirements of the independent school standards and the national curriculum from September 2024. The school has created suitably sequenced subject plans for pupils in Years 1 to 6. The school have not developed the early years curriculum since the

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better?

time of the previous inspection. There is no new curriculum planning for the early years phase or for pupils in Year 7. Currently, staff are receiving training to build their teaching expertise ahead of the introduction of the school’s new curriculum subject plans from September 2024.

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better?

Leaders and the proprietor body engage with staff regularly on matters that may affect their workload. Leaders check that training supports staff to build teaching expertise securely. Staff are enthusiastic and keen to implement the school’s new curriculum subject plans. However, training for staff to develop subject-specific expertise and build their content knowledge to teach the subject content of the new curriculum subject plans has not taken place. Leaders and the proprietor body have 14 to 16 May 2024 not concluded how they will implement the new curriculum subject plans and allocate time to ensure that pupils learn all the subjects required by the independent school standards. Currently, there are no clear plans to increase the amount of time dedicated to the teaching of secular subjects.

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better?

The school checks pupils’ knowledge of English and mathematics. They use this information to plan what to teach next and prepare pupils for future learning. For example, the school is addressing gaps in pupils’ knowledge of arithmetic by giving pupils plenty of practise in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division before they move on to new or more complex content.

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better?

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are effectively identified and met. Staff receive training and support from experts to help them to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Through working with experts including in speech and language, occupational therapy and psychotherapy, pupils with SEND receive appropriate help to learn the curriculum currently in place.

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better?

The school emphasises the importance of reading. All pupils attend a daily reading club at lunchtime. Since the previous inspection, the school has worked together with parents, carers, staff and pupils to build a small school library. There are a small number of books for pupils to borrow and read. This academic year, leaders have introduced a programme for teaching early reading and staff have received training in teaching early reading and phonics. Pupils read decodable books that match the phonics they know. The school provides regular guidance for parents, including information about the letter sounds pupils are learning and ways parents can help their children with reading at home.

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better?

Pupils are motivated and enthusiastic to learn. They attend school very regularly. The school measures pupils’ attendance rates and any lateness. Leaders take swift, appropriate action if any concerns about attendance and punctuality arise. Typically, pupils are attentive and focused in lessons. Learning the Jewish and secular curriculums is rarely interrupted by disruptions.

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better?

Leaders and the proprietor have improved the provision for pupils’ broader personal, social and emotional development, taught through Jewish studies and the secular curriculum. Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) now includes appropriate content. The school now meets its statutory obligations regarding relationships and sex education. Parents are informed of their right to withdraw their child from sex education. Pupils are encouraged to respect and treat people equally and they receive age-appropriate relationships education content. Pupils are taught about faiths and traditions that are different to their own. Pupils in Year 7 receive information about careers and professions. Pupils are given important guidance about safety.

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better?

The proprietor and leaders have worked successfully together to address non- compliance with previously unmet independent school standards and improve the school. Together, they demonstrate capacity for improvement. Many of the previously unmet independent school standards, including for safeguarding for 14 to 16 May 2024 pupils and children in the early years, are now met. The school prioritises safeguarding including regular training for staff and leaders. The school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

However, some independent school standards remain not met. The previous standard inspection found that there were no changing or shower facilities provided for the use of pupils aged 11 years or over who receive physical education. No suitable changing accommodation or showers are provided for pupils in Year 7.

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better?

Mostly, planned action to address the remaining unmet independent school standards is appropriate. However, the proprietor’s plans are not implemented and finalised to ensure that the teaching of secular subjects has the allocated time needed to cover all the subjects required by the independent school standards. Some independent school standards remain not met that may have a serious impact on pupils’ academic development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum is not broad or well sequenced. As a result, pupils do not build knowledge and skills cumulatively across a broad range of subjects. The proprietor body and leaders must implement the school’s new curriculum subject plans to ensure that pupils learn a range of subjects that match the requirements of the independent school standards and the breadth and ambition of the national curriculum.  Teachers have not received subject-specific training to build their knowledge to teach the subject content of the school’s new curriculum subject plans. As a result, teachers do not have the subject expertise to deliver the specific content when the new curriculum subject plans are implemented. The school must ensure that teachers are trained and prepared to implement the new curriculum subject plans successfully.  The proprietor body’s plans to ensure that the teaching of secular subjects has the allocated time needed to deliver all the subjects required by the independent

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

school standards are not finalised or realised. Without this, previously unmet independent school standards remain unmet and may have a serious impact on pupils’ academic development. The school must ensure that all the independent school standards are met consistently and securely. This includes making, and following through, firm decisions to implement the school’s new curriculum subject plans.  The school has not developed the early years curriculum since the time of the previous inspection. The school does not have a programme of activities which is appropriate to their educational needs in relation to personal, social, emotional 14 to 16 May 2024 and physical development and communication and language skills for children below compulsory school age. The school should ensure that it has a written policy, plans and schemes of work for the ages of all pupils for which it is registered.

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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 May 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 138101 DfE registration number 204/6005

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School details

Inspection number 10322589 Type of school A school registered with a religious ethos

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School details

Proprietor Talmud Torah D’chaidei Gur Limited

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 to 14 July 2022 14 to 16 May 2024

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Information about this school

 This is an Orthodox Jewish school for boys.  The school day is organised so that Jewish studies are taught in the morning. The secular curriculum is delivered in the afternoon for one and a half hours each day.  The school is operating beyond its registration agreement. The school is registered for up to 140 boys between the ages of three and seven years. The school has 185 pupils on roll from age six years to age twelve years. The school is currently subject to enforcement action. A restriction on admissions was imposed by the Department for Education so that no new pupils were to be admitted to the school after 22 September 2021. The previous progress monitoring inspection found that pupils had been admitted after September 2021. Therefore, the school was in breach of the restriction order. This practice has stopped. No new pupils have been admitted to the school since the previous progress monitoring

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Information about this school

inspection in February 2022.  The school has pupils on roll from Year 1 to Year 7. Due to the current restriction on accepting new pupils, there are no children in the early years phase. For this reason, there is no separate qualitative judgment for the early years. Leaders intend to amend the school’s registration and cease teaching children of nursery and reception ages. The school has not developed the curriculum in the early years since the time of the previous inspection. At that time in July 2022 the early years provision was graded inadequate.  There have been significant changes since the previous inspection, including to the proprietor body. The chair of the proprietor body took up post in May 2023. The Department for Education are aware of this change. The headteacher and other senior leaders joined the school in or after September 2023.  The school does not make use of 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. 14 to 16 May 2024  Inspectors held meetings with representatives of the proprietor body, the headteacher and other senior leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and PSHE. 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.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some 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.  Inspectors visited the playground at breaktimes to observe behaviour.  Inspectors reviewed correspondence from parents and spoke to some parents at the gate at school drop off time.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sahreen Siddiqui Ofsted Inspector 14 to 16 May 2024

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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(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan; 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)(f) where the school has pupils below compulsory school age, a programme of activities which is appropriate to their educational needs in relation to personal,

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

social, emotional and physical development and communication and language skills;  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range;

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Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools

 23(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that - – 23(1)(c) suitable changing accommodation and showers are provided for pupils aged 11 years or over at the start of the school year who receive physical education. 14 to 16 May 2024

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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; –

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Section 1 – The learning and development requirements

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 1.1 This section sets out what providers must do, working in partnership with parents and/or carers, to promote the learning and development of all children in their care, and to ensure their entire early years’ experience contributes positively to their brain development and readiness for Key Stage 1. The learning and development requirements are informed by the best available evidence on how children learn. They also reflect the broad range of skills, knowledge and attitudes children need as foundations for life now and in the future. Early years providers must guide the development of children’s capabilities to help ensure that children in their care will fully benefit from future opportunities.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 1.2 The EYFS learning and development requirements for group and school- based providers are made up of the seven areas of learning and development, as set out in the educational programmes described below.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 1.3 In reception year, teachers and practitioners will also utilise the early learning goals which summarise the knowledge, skills and understanding that all young children should have gained by the end of the EYFS. The areas of learning and development

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 1.4 There are seven areas of learning and development that set out what providers must teach the children in their settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 1.5 Three prime areas are particularly important for learning and forming relationships. They build a foundation for children to thrive and provide the basis for learning in all areas. These are the prime areas: Communication and language Physical development Personal, social and emotional development

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 1.6 Providers must also support children in four specific areas, which help strengthen and develop the three prime areas, and ignite children’s curiosity and enthusiasm. The specific areas are: Literacy 14 to 16 May 2024 Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design 14 to 16 May 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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