Talmud Torah D'chassidie Belz

Inspection of Talmud Torah D’chassidie Belz 157 Bevendon Square, Salford M7 4TP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their happy, friendly school. They arrive at school full of enthusiasm for the day ahead. Pupils enjoy playing with their friends at breaktimes. They know that there is always something exciting to do such as the games and activities that staff provide. Pupils develop strong and positive relationships with staff. These relationships help them to feel safe and secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils try their best to live up to these expectations. They usually settle down quickly to learning and listen carefully in lessons. Pupils are excited to show their knowledge, for example by answering teachers’ questions in class. Gentle reminders from staff help pupils to manage this excitement sensibly. Pupils typically achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are simple rules and routines for pupils to follow in school. For example, pupils know that they must walk sensibly indoors. This helps to keep the school environment calm and orderly. With sensitive support from adults, pupils learn how to resolve disagreements with each other and to behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the opportunity to take responsibility for classroom tasks, such as distributing books or cleaning the board. They learn, in ways appropriate to their age, about values such as tolerance, respect for others and democracy. These experiences help them to prepare successfully for future life.

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better?

Since the school opened, it has ensured that pupils benefit from a Chol, or secular, curriculum that is broad and ambitious. This strong curriculum sets out the knowledge the school wants pupils to have learned by the time they reach the end of Year 2. All pupils learn this curriculum, including those with SEND.

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better?

In the majority of subjects in the secular curriculum, pupils achieve well. In these subjects, the curriculum is well organised. Key concepts of knowledge have been carefully broken down into smaller, well-ordered steps. This information helps staff to ensure that pupils build a solid, secure foundation of knowledge in readiness for the next stage in their education.

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better?

In a small number of subjects, work to identify the smaller steps of knowledge that pupils should learn is at an earlier stage. This makes it more difficult for staff to ensure that pupils learn everything that they need to achieve well in these subjects.

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better?

Pupils enjoy their lessons. Staff design learning for pupils that is interesting and engaging. This helps pupils to stay focused. Staff check regularly that pupils have understood their learning. This ensures that any misconceptions are identified and addressed before pupils move on to new knowledge. 4 to 6 June 2024 The school has made reading a priority. Staff check pupils’ prior phonics knowledge when they join the school in Year 1. They provide prompt help for any pupils who need to catch up with the phonics programme.

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better?

Staff have received suitable training to enable them to teach the phonics programme effectively. They provide pupils with reading books that are matched to the letters and sounds that pupils know. On a very small number of occasions, there are inconsistencies in the way that staff teach the phonics programme. When this happens, some pupils do not receive the support that they need to remember their phonics knowledge.

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better?

Most pupils speak English as an additional language. Nonetheless, staff are adept at supporting pupils to speak and communicate well in English. Through the curriculum, pupils encounter a range of books and stories that foster pupils’ love of reading.

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better?

Any pupils who may have SEND have their needs identified quickly. Staff make careful adaptations to enable these pupils to fully access the curriculum. The school communicates effectively with parents, carers and professionals to ensure that pupils with SEND receive expert support if they need it. Pupils with SEND typically achieve well from their starting points.

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better?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ attendance and punctuality. Most pupils arrive at school on time and attend regularly. This has a positive impact on their ability to learn and to achieve. Staff combine kindness with firmness when managing pupils’ behaviour. Pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and life at school.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils have opportunities for their development beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils readily take part in singing and drama performances. They enjoy listening to the life experiences of older members of their local community. Through the Kodesh and Chol curriculums, pupils begin to learn about differences and similarities between people, such as their faiths and cultures.

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better?

The proprietor has taken effective steps to ensure that all of the independent school standards (the standards) are met securely and consistently. For example, the premises are well maintained, clean and tidy. Any necessary repairs are carried out promptly. Pupils benefit from a wide range of suitable resources to support their learning.

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better?

The proprietor has put in place a relevant health and safety policy, supported by a number of risk assessments. The school complies with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

Staff appreciate the concern that leaders show for their well-being. Leaders take account of the impact on staff workload when they make decisions about teaching and learning. The school engages positively with parents and professionals in ways that support pupils’ experiences at school. 4 to 6 June 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not contain enough information about the knowledge that pupils need to learn. This limits the ability of teachers to make sure that pupils are taught the knowledge that they require for subsequent learning. The school should ensure that in these subjects, teachers are clear about the essential subject knowledge that pupils should build securely over time.  On occasion, there are inconsistencies in the way that staff teach the phonics programme. When this happens, some pupils do not receive the support that they need to remember and apply their phonics knowledge to their reading books successfully. The school should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to implement the phonics programme consistently well.

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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

Annual fees (day pupils) Voluntary contributions

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School details

Email address admin@belzcheder.co.uk 4 to 6 June 2024

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Information about this school

 Talmud Torah D’chassidie Belz is an Orthodox Jewish faith school.  The school was registered on 1 June 2023. This was its first standard inspection. This first standard inspection was from 4 to 6 June 2024.  The school operates from premises at 157 Bevendon Square, Salford, M7 4TP. The proprietor operates an early years setting at the same address. This setting is registered separately with Ofsted and was not the subject of this inspection.  The school does not make use of any alternative provisions.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the curriculum mentor and other school leaders. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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.  The lead inspector made a tour of the school. Inspectors also reviewed documentation to check the school’s compliance with the standards.  Inspectors considered the views expressed by parents in their responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments. 4 to 6 June 2024  Inspectors spoke with some pupils about school life.  Inspectors also spoke with staff to discuss the school’s support for their workload and well-being.  The inspectors only inspected the education provision for pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 at this school.

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Inspection team

Mavis Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Phill Walmsley 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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