Talmud Torah Chaim Meirim Wiznitz School

School progress monitoring inspection report

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

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 3, 3(c), 3(e), 3(g)  The last standard inspection found that teachers did not have suitable training to enable them to develop their subject-specific expertise and knowledge. Consequently, teaching did not routinely emphasise the most important information for pupils to learn. The work given to pupils did not support them to securely learn essential content. Teachers did not check that pupils had learned the intended curriculum and could remember this over time.  The school continues to engage the support of an external consultant to develop the curriculum and deliver training to staff. Teaching staff have received basic training on lesson planning and delivery, including how to encourage pupils to take more interest in the secular subjects. Staff also receive individual support sessions with the curriculum lead and the consultant. Many staff are positive about the impact this training is having

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Main inspection findings

on their classroom practice. This work is still in its early stages, however. It is too soon to see the full impact of the changes being made. More training is planned for the coming year. Some staff are more reluctant to make positive changes to their teaching practice. This slows the rate of improvement in teaching within the secular subjects.  The school’s secular curriculum is now resourced with subject knowledge booklets for teaching staff. These booklets outline the key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary the underpins the curriculum. Teachers are positive about the impact this has had on their subject knowledge in the secular subjects. They now have more awareness of what knowledge goes before, and comes after, each topic. Currently, teachers are working through these booklets as they teach topic by topic. Here again, this work is still in its early days and the full impact cannot be seen.

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Main inspection findings

 Teachers have been trained on strategies to check what pupils know and can do in the classroom. Some teachers are successfully using these strategies to give feedback to pupils and to identify knowledge gaps and misconceptions. However, this practise is not currently being used across the school with consistency.  The school is considering ways to introduce more formal methods of assessing pupils’ knowledge and understanding within the secular subjects. Some teachers are using ad hoc methods to confirm how well pupils have learned the intended curriculum. There is currently no whole-school approach to assessment.  The independent school standards (the standards) in this part continue to be unmet.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Part 6. Provision of information Paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b), 32(1), 32(1)(c)  The school has an appropriate safeguarding policy that outlines the procedures for reporting and managing concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. This policy is made readily available to parents.  There is a clear process for staff to report concerns that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff have received appropriate training and are alert to the signs of abuse. The school has appointed a new designated safeguarding lead. They have had appropriate training to carry out their role. Leaders of safeguarding are still gaining familiarity with the processes for engaging external help when needed to manage safeguarding concerns.  The school follows appropriate procedures when appointing new staff. The required checks are completed when new staff join the school. Some record keeping regarding

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Main inspection findings

the checks made on contracted staff could be improved.  During the inspection, a before-school provision run by a separate organisation which accesses the school’s premises was open during the school day. Children of secondary school age were allowed to move unescorted through the school building whilst the school was open. Leaders at the school were made aware of this concern and have taken steps to ensure this does not happen in the future.  These standards continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34, 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)  The last standard inspection found that the proprietor body had not made sure that the independent school standards were met consistently and securely. The post-inspection action plan was found not to be acceptable.  School leaders and the proprietor body have identified the most pressing actions from which to start to address the unmet standards. They continue to work with an external consultant to support improvements to the secular curriculum and its delivery. They have engaged with staff and parents to emphasise the importance of these changes. Currently, the school is heavily reliant on the external consultants. The positive changes being made would be unlikely to be sustainable without the support of the external organisation.  Some staff remain reluctant to make the changes necessary to improve the outcomes for

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Main inspection findings

pupils in their class. School leaders are sensitive to the views of staff and are taking appropriate measures to ensure staff engage with the training they are receiving. However, this slows the pace of change at the school.  Some of the independent school standards continue to be unmet.  The standards in this part continue to be unmet.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 ('the independent school standards') and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection, as set out in the annex of this report. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which 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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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 2 to 4 July 2024

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Information about this school

 The school is an orthodox Jewish boy’s school located at 26 Lampard Grove, London N16 6XB.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place in July 2024. During this inspection, the school was judged to not meet all the independent school standards. The school submitted an action plan which was evaluated to be not acceptable in November 2024.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  The inspection was conducted without notice.  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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspection activities focused on the independent school standards in Parts 1 and 8 that were found to be unmet at the last standard inspection.  The inspector met with the headteacher and a representative of the external consultancy commissioned by leaders to support the work of the school. The inspector visited

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Information about this inspection

classrooms, held conversations with curriculum leaders and members of staff and spoke with the chair of governors.  The inspector reviewed documents relating to leaders’ plans for the development of the secular curriculum, including schemes of work and staff training records.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Annabel Davies, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain un-met at this inspection

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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 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; and guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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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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