Talmud Torah Chaim Meirim Wiznitz School

Inspection of Talmud Torah Chaim Meirim Wiznitz School 26 Lampard Grove, London N16 6XB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a kind and caring school. School staff foster nurturing, encouraging, professional relationships with pupils. Pupils work together and help each other. They receive reward tokens for demonstrating the school’s values and for trying hard. The schools’ annual tuck shop event, where pupils spend their earned tokens, is enjoyed by all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave responsibly. They are happy and safe. At breaktimes, pupils play cooperatively and considerately. Pupils are respectful towards adults in school and each other. Parent and carers appreciate the way the school promotes values of respect and compassion for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious to raise pupils’ achievement. With this in mind, the school has developed the curriculum since the previous inspection. Pupils have more time to learn secular subjects than they did before. The school has improved the quality of curriculum content. The school has not secured sufficient improvements in the delivery of some curriculum subjects. As a result, the independent school standards are not met securely.

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better?

The school’s curriculum includes a range of subjects in line with the national curriculum. Typically, subject content is organised in a logical order so that knowledge builds sequentially from Year 1 onwards. For example, in mathematics pupils learn foundational knowledge to add and subtract numbers. In older years, pupils use this knowledge to add and subtract fractions and decimal numbers.

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better?

The school provides some training for staff that builds teaching expertise, focused on helping pupils to learn. Teaching staff receive training and support from experts, including occupational therapists and speech and language professionals. This helps to ensure that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified and appropriately met. However, suitable training to enable staff to develop their subject-specific expertise and knowledge is not in place. As a result, teaching does not routinely emphasise important information or select work that supports pupils to learn essential content as securely. Teaching does not check systematically that pupils know and can remember what they have been taught.

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better?

The school promotes the importance of reading. Pupils listen to stories and read aloud regularly in class. Pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL) receive appropriate support and develop their spoken English quickly. Pupils who speak EAL and those at the early stages of learning to read in Years 1 and 2, receive phonics teaching regularly. However, sometimes phonics teaching does not enable pupils to practise by saying and repeating the sounds they learn. Usually, books that pupils read match the phonics sounds they know. Pupils in Year 3 and above who still need phonics teaching do not routinely receive it. As a consequence, pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they could. 2 to 4 July 2024 Pupils are motivated and committed to learning. They attend school regularly and on time. The school carefully monitors absence and punctuality rates. If concerns arise, the school takes appropriate action. Pupils are attentive in class. Lessons are rarely

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better?

Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) is taught through the Jewish curriculum and secular studies. The curriculum includes appropriate content in line with statutory requirements. This includes age-appropriate information about healthy relationships. The school shares information about rights and the roles of public institutions. For example, recent teaching about the general elections supported pupils’ understanding of democracy and equal rights. Pupils are encouraged to respect difference and treat people equally in a general way and are taught some basic information about religions and cultures different to their own and the lives of people who live in different countries. Beyond the academic curriculum, the school does not provide wider opportunities for pupils to develop their own talents and interests. The school organises a range of educational visits and visiting speakers to complement pupils’ learning. For example, recent workshops

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better?

delivered by representatives of the emergency services, including the police and fire brigade, shared important messages about ways to stay safe.

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better?

The proprietor and leaders work closely together and have effectively improved the school. As a result, many standards that were unmet at the previous inspection are now met. Leaders engage with staff regularly and make considered decisions about issues that may impact staff workload. The school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Typically, the proprietor provides appropriate support and challenge. However, checks on how well the curriculum is taught are not robust. Some standards remain unmet. Consequently, the school does not meet its statutory obligations.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Teachers have not received recent subject-specific training to build their knowledge to deliver the curriculum, including in phonics. As a result, teaching and activity choices do not support pupils to learn and remember essential subject knowledge. The school must ensure that teachers are trained to teach subject content, select appropriate work for pupils to do and check that pupils learn and remember essential knowledge and skills.  The school’s checks on how well the curriculum is taught are not robust. As a result, variability in curriculum implementation is not identified and addressed 2 to 4 July 2024 routinely. Leaders must monitor how well subjects are taught and ensure the curriculum is delivered securely.  The school does not provide opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils knowledge of faiths, beliefs and cultures that are different to their own is basic. Leaders should improve provision

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

for pupils to develop their talents and interest and further encourage respect and tolerance of those with different faiths, beliefs and cultures.

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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. 2 to 4 July 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 100296 DfE registration number 204/6377

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School details

Inspection number 10322561 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor Chaim Meirim Association Community Nursery (CMA Community Nursery Ltd) Chair Ephraim Gottesfeld

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 to 30 June 2022 2 to 4 July 2024

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up the permanent post in April 2024.  Since the previous inspection, a progress monitoring inspection was carried out.  At the time of the school’s previous standard inspection in June 2022, inspectors noted that the school had decided to close the secondary phase of the school temporarily. At that time, there were pupils on roll aged five to eleven years. The monitoring inspection in July 2023 noted that the secondary phase continued to be closed and that all pupils on roll were aged five to eleven years. This inspection found that despite the school’s registration remaining unchanged and for pupils up to age 13, there were no pupils in the secondary phase.  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

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 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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other school leaders. Inspectors also met with the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, PSHE and history. 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 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive

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Information about this inspection

culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 2 to 4 July 2024  Inspectors reviewed documentation and toured the premises to check compliance with the independent school standards.  Inspectors spoke to some parents and reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors observed arrangements at lunchtime and visited the playground during breaktimes.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Hook Ofsted Inspector 2 to 4 July 2024

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

◼ 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school– – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress;

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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; 2 to 4 July 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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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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