Bnos Zion of Bobov

Inspection of Bnos Zion of Bobov 65–69 Ravensdale Road, London N16 6TJ

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Inspection dates: 19 to 21 November 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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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?

Pupils love school and are excited about arriving each day. They are safe and appreciate the individual support and attention they receive. Pupils have a strong sense of belonging. Staff expect the very best for every pupil both academically and personally. Pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and across the school is exceptional. Pupils treat each other and staff with the greatest respect. Staff communicate and model the school’s high standards consistently. Pupils respond quickly to instructions and guidance from staff. They demonstrate great enthusiasm in lessons, and when talking about their learning. Pupils play harmoniously with each other in the school garden. They have full confidence that staff will take their worries and concerns seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the visits planned by the school each year, such as to museums, parks and fieldwork trips. Older pupils look forward to their residential trip to Devon. Staff arrange whole-school events, which pupils take the lead to organise and manage. However, the school does not ensure that its personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and relationships education programme complies with statutory guidance. This limits pupils’ readiness and deeper understanding of life in modern Britain.

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better?

The school has worked well to address previous weaknesses in the curriculum. For example, it has made sure that the curriculum in the primary phase is broad and ambitious. The school has identified clearly the important knowledge pupils should learn and know well in most subjects, including English and mathematics. Overall, pupils achieve well at the end of key stage 2 and in their GCSE outcomes.

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better?

However, despite these improvements, in the primary phase, the curriculum in some areas such as history and creative subjects is not well structured and lacks depth and ambition. The school has also not made sure that sufficient time is dedicated to support the effective delivery of some foundation subjects. This limits pupils’ development of their knowledge and skills securely in these subjects.

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better?

In early years, the school has adopted an ambitious curriculum. Strengths can be seen in early reading and mathematics where the curriculum is broken down into smaller steps with clear expectations. In some areas of learning, the school has not provided staff with clear information on the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary that children should learn step by step. This means that sometimes staff design activities without knowing the specific intent and desired outcome. This also hinders how well staff check children’s progress in all areas of learning.

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better?

In English and mathematics, pupils demonstrate secure subject knowledge and can articulate their learning with confidence. Staff are skilled in checking for errors and misconceptions and address them in their lessons. Outcomes for pupils at the end of 19 to 21 November 2024 Year 6 are broadly average. In the secondary provision, pupils achieve very well and have very high published outcomes.

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better?

Overall, staff are well trained. They typically check for errors and misconceptions and address them effectively. In English and mathematics, pupils demonstrate secure subject knowledge and can articulate their learning with confidence. Nevertheless, sometimes teachers’ subject knowledge in the primary phase is variable. They are not clear what pupils should learn and know well. This is especially evident in the subjects which are not well structured. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they could across all subjects.

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better?

The school has a clear overview of reading at the school. It has made the teaching of early reading a priority. Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme consistently well. They receive appropriate training on the programme and demonstrate secure subject knowledge when delivering phonics teaching. Children are taught how to read from Reception. Regular checks help staff identify any gaps. In addition to the daily phonics lesson, any pupils who fall behind receive daily support. As a result, they quickly catch up. The love of reading is promoted across the school through a broad range of carefully chosen texts and genres. Pupils enjoy reading and talk with enthusiasm about the books they have read.

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better?

Pupils behave extremely well at all times. They follow the school’s behaviour policy consistently. In early years, children follow routines and instructions. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at social times is excellent. They have very positive attitudes to their learning. The school works closely with families to make sure that all pupils have high attendance. It provides effective help for any pupils and their families in this aspect of its work. Attendance rates are high.

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better?

School leaders and governors work closely to ensure that staff are happy and maintain a positive work–life balance. Staff enjoy working here. All leaders make sure that there are rigorous systems in place to safeguard pupils. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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better?

The personal development programme builds on what pupils learn through the school’s Kodesh curriculum. The school promotes a range of careers, and gives pupils individual guidance on their options. Pupils benefit from visitors to the school, who talk about their careers. Staff plan a range of educational trips and whole- school celebrations and performances ,which the pupils organise themselves. The school has consulted parents and carers about the school’s relationships and sex education (RSE) policy. All parents have expressed that they wish their child to be withdrawn from sex education. The school’s RSE policy sets out the details required should this be taught or if any pupils request this from three terms before their 16th birthday.

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better?

The proprietor body does not fulfil its statutory responsibility to pay due regard to all the protected characteristics. The PSHE curriculum and relationships education programme do not comply with statutory guidance. This means that pupils do not learn about protected characteristics at a timely point as part of the school’s 19 to 21 November 2024 relationships education. The school does not teach pupils about important concepts sufficiently well, such as how to deal with issues related to consent, harassment or abuse.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school does not fulfil its statutory responsibility to pay due regard to all the protected characteristics. The PSHE and relationships education programme does not comply with statutory guidance fully. This limits pupils’ understanding and preparedness for life in modern Britian. The proprietor body should make sure that the school complies with the Equality Act 2010 fully. It should also ensure that pupils are taught how to deal with important issues, including aspects such as consent and harassment, in an age-appropriate way.  In some areas of learning in the early years, the school has not identified precisely the important knowledge children should learn step by step. This means staff sometimes design activities which do not help children develop their knowledge and skills securely. The school should make sure that the curriculum in all areas of learning is well sequenced and staff have the information they need to

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

check and ensure that children succeed in all aspects of the curriculum.  The curriculum in some foundation subjects in the primary phase lacks depth and ambition. Additionally, teachers’ subject knowledge is variable in these subjects, leading to some of the curriculum content not being covered as intended. As a result, pupils in the primary phase do not build a deeper body of knowledge and understanding in some subjects. The school should make sure that the curriculum in all primary phase subjects is coherent and staff have strong subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum content effectively.

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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. 19 to 21 November 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 136015 DfE registration number 204/6073

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School details

Inspection number 10322585 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) Voluntary Contribution

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School details

Email address administration@bobovschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 to 30 June 2022 19 to 21 November 2024

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Information about this school

 Bnos Zion of Bobov School is a day school for girls of Orthodox Jewish faith. The school caters for girls aged three to 16.  The school serves the local Jewish Bobov community. Yiddish is the first language of most members of the community.  The school’s education is based on the principles of the Torah. Pupils study the religious curriculum in the morning. The secular curriculum is taught in the afternoon.  The school is based at 65–69 Ravensdale Road, Hackney, London N16 6TJ. The school recently acquired a building at 100 Amhurst Park N16 5AR. It moved secondary-aged pupils to this premises in September 2023.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has exceeded the maximum number of pupils on roll that it is registered to admit. The school is registered to admit 230 pupils and there are 281 pupils on roll.  The school’s last standard inspection took place in June 2022, when the school

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Information about this school

was judged to require improvement overall. Independent school standards in parts 1, 2 and 8 were unmet.

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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 considered early reading, English, mathematics and geography as part of this inspection. They spoke to pupils about their learning in these subjects and looked at their work. Inspectors met with the teachers who teach the secular curriculum.  Inspectors also met with a group of pupils to discuss their views about the school, behaviour and safety. They met with some staff. Inspectors also reviewed the survey responses of pupils, staff and parents.  Several meetings were held with the headteacher, compliance officer and the heads of departments. Inspectors also held discussions with some governors, including the chair of the governing body. They spoke to the proprietor. 19 to 21 November 2024  Inspectors scrutinised a range of policies and documents. They checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.

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The school’s proposed changes to the age range of pupils, its premises

and the maximum number of pupils. The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make some ‘material changes’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, inspectors checked whether the school is likely to meet and/or meets the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: The school meets the

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independent school standards relevant to the material changes that

they have already implemented.  The school has requested an increase in capacity from 230 to 380 pupils, which includes new premises for the older pupils.  The school has already moved secondary-aged pupils, aged 12 to 16, into the new premises. The building is new and provides ample space for the pupils to learn. The proprietor, together with other leaders, has made suitable arrangements to ensure that the premises and wider provision on offer can accommodate the proposed increase to the number of pupils.  Arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils in the school. There is an effective health and safety and risk assessment policy, and the proprietor has ensured compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The new school building has suitable toilet and washing facilities. All pupils have access to changing accommodation and showers for when they partake in

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independent school standards relevant to the material changes that

physical education. Suitable accommodation is provided to cater for pupils’ medical needs. All areas of the building are well lit, including externally. Suitable drinking-water facilities are provided and are clearly marked. Leaders fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently and actively promote the well-being of pupils.  The school already has 281 pupils, which is above its registration. The school meets the standards in relation to these additional pupils.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: The school is likely to meet the

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relevant independent school standards, if the material change relating

to the school provision is implemented.  The school has also requested to amend its lower age range from three to two. It plans to include five two-year-olds in the early years provision and create a new setting for 20 two-year-olds in the new, secondary building. The school is likely to meet all standards relating to this material change request. 19 to 21 November 2024

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Inspection team

Aliki Constantopoulou, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters His Majesty’s Inspector 19 to 21 November 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(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are– – 2(2)(d) personal, social, health and economic education which– – 2(2)(d)(ii) encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act[9]  2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor– – 2A(1)(b) ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with secondary education at the school is provided with relationships and sex education, except in so far as the pupil is excused as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2) – 2A(1)(d) in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c),

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools.

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

 5 The standard about the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school is met if the proprietor– – 5(b) ensures that principles are actively promoted which– – 5(b)(vi) encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act.

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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. – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils. 19 to 21 November 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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