Beis Rochel D'satmar School

Inspection of Beis Rochel D'satmar School 180 Bethune Road, London N16 5DS

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive relationships are the cornerstone of this thriving school community. Pupils love to come to school and behave exceptionally well. They feel safe. The school encourages pupils to gain a sophisticated understanding of right and wrong. Pupils develop a strong sense of individual character and collective responsibility. In the early years, children learn routines and habits that foster positive behaviour traits. Older pupils organise school events and lead activities for younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Recent work to develop the school’s curriculum has increased the ambition within the secular subjects. Pupils gain a stronger understanding and depth of knowledge across different subject areas. The school has recently introduced the teaching of phonics in Reception. The ‘Topic of the week’ curriculum enhances older pupils’ English language and comprehension skills, as well as covering aspects of British history and fundamental British values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school knows its pupils well. The enrichment opportunities on offer match pupils’ differing talents and interests. The school provides a range of in-house therapies to support the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff who provide individual support to pupils with SEND have expert knowledge. As a result, pupils with SEND successfully access the full curriculum alongside their peers.

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better?

Pupils experience an increased range of secular subjects. The school teaches mathematics and English grammar and comprehension as discrete subjects. Other subjects, such as science and history, are sequenced within the Jewish religious studies. The school has broken down each subject into the key knowledge and skills that pupils should know. Many aspects of the school’s curriculum repeat each year in increasing depth. At times, pupils do not have enough opportunity to retrieve their prior learning. This hinders how well they can remember their learning and build on it year on year.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They explain new concepts clearly and show how to answer problems to pupils. This helps pupils to understand new learning. Teachers routinely check how much pupils have understood. They adapt their teaching to address any knowledge gaps or misconceptions. Teachers know the individual needs of pupils in their class with SEND. They provide effective support to ensure these pupils learn successfully.

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better?

Children in the early years enjoy an engaging and well-thought-out curriculum. The school meets the requirements of the early years foundation stage. Children learn to understand and express their feelings. They are encouraged to work together and develop their social skills. Children become confident in their use of and understanding of numbers. Adults that work in the early years engage children in 4 to 6 February 2025 meaningful discussions about their learning. They read children stories in English and Yiddish to support children’s vocabulary development.

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better?

The school places high importance on the teaching of English. Well-trained teachers model sounds when teaching the school’s chosen phonics programme accurately. Pupils learn to decode unfamiliar words with increasing fluency and confidence. The school swiftly identifies pupils who need additional help to read. These pupils receive effective support to catch up with their peers. Older pupils, who started phonics when they were in Year 2, read at a level below what could be expected for their age. Their access to a range of English texts remains limited.

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better?

The school has carefully embedded its personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum across all aspects of school life. Pupils learn about the role of parliament and democratic processes. The school makes sure that pupils explore the lives and cultural traditions of people in countries across the world. School leaders ensure this includes some knowledge of other religions. The school encourages pupils to become active citizens and engage with their local community. They perform songs at a nearby residential home and support local charities. They take some trips further afield, including a visit to a farm outside London. However, where the school confines pupils’ first-hand experiences largely within pupils’ own community, opportunities for them to understand cultures, views and beliefs different to their own are reduced.

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better?

Highly positive and nurturing relationships exist between staff and pupils. Pupils work hard for their teachers and enjoy the range of rewards offered to encourage positive behaviour. Pupils in the school attend well. The school works effectively with families if a pupil’s attendance does not meet their high expectations. Parents and carers are hugely supportive of the school’s work. The appreciate the strong lines of communication between the school and home.

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better?

The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The proprietor has worked in strong collaboration with school leaders to drive improvements in the school. As a result, the school meets all the independent school standards. Staff are proud to work at the school. They trust the school leaders to make decisions with due regard to their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times, teachers do not check what pupils have remembered from their previous studies with enough care. This hinders how well pupils remember their learning and build connections between different pieces of knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers give pupils ample opportunities to recall and revisit their 4 to 6 February 2025 prior learning in readiness to build on their knowledge with new ideas and concepts.  Pupils do not have access to a variety of high-quality reading texts in English. This limits their exposure to a range of different authors and genres. The school should ensure that pupils have opportunities to read from a wide range of texts in English, including fiction, to broaden their English vocabulary and strengthen their understanding of different forms of writing.  Some opportunities that pupils have to learn deeply about views and beliefs different to their own are reduced when activities offered to pupils are limited to

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

their own community. This reduces pupils understanding of difference in the world and its people. The school should ensure that pupils have access to a range of rich and varied opportunities beyond their local community and which help them to develop further their understanding of difference across cultural, religious, ethnic, and socio-economic communities.

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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 February 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 147296 DfE registration number 204/6021

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School details

Inspection number 10342146 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor Talmud Torah Torah Veyirah D’Satmar London Limited Chair Rabbi Samuel Law

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 to 15 September 2022 4 to 6 February 2025

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Information about this school

 Beis Rochel d’Satmar School is an independent school for boys. The school has an Orthodox Jewish character and ethos.  The school is housed in purpose-built premises in 180 Bethune Road, N16 5DS, which is the registered address. The school has two other sites at postal addresses on 105 Cranwich Road, N16 5AJ and 91 Amhurst Park, N16 5DR. All the sites make up part of the same school campus.  The school’s curriculum includes Kodesh (Jewish studies) which are predominantly taught in Yiddish, as well as Chol (secular subjects) which are predominantly taught in English. The school allocates most of the school day to the teaching of the Kodesh curriculum. The school delivers some aspects of the secular subjects within the Kodesh curriculum.  The school is registered for children aged two. There were no pupils aged below three at the school at the time of the inspection.  The school does not use any 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 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the executive director and other senior school leaders, including the heads of the Kodesh curriculum. They also spoke with the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculums for geography and PSHE. They also reviewed the school’s ‘Topic of the week’ curriculum.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and 4 to 6 February 2025 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses of parents and carers to the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. They also met with groups of staff, pupils and parents in person to consider their views on the school.

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Inspection team

Annabel Davies, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Guy Forbat His Majesty's Inspector 4 to 6 February 2025 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

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