Yavneh Primary School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Yavneh Primary School Hillside Avenue, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 1HL

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Outcome

Yavneh Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Caroline Field. This school is a member of the Yavneh College Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the executive headteacher, Spencer Lewis, and is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Roz Levin.

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘A world built on kindness’ underpins all that happens at this school. Staff instil in pupils the important values they need to be well prepared for life beyond Yavneh. Staff and pupils live and breathe ‘The Yavneh Way’ in all they do. This creates a close-knit community where pupils thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well throughout the day. Children in the Reception Year quickly learn the routines and high expectations staff have of them. This helps pupils to become effective learners and to achieve highly. Break and lunchtimes are positive times of the day. Pupils happily come together as one to climb on the climbing frames or play basketball on the multi-use games area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the rich and varied enrichment offer. The curriculum inspires pupils to develop new talents such as learning to play the trombone. Pupils represent their school with pride as members of the choir or in various local sporting events. Carefully chosen trips, to places such as The Royal Albert Hall or Shakespeare’s Globe, teach pupils more about the topics they learn in school. This all helps to spark pupils’ aspirations as future archaeologists, artists, computer programmers and more. 1 and 2 April 2025

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Across subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge it expects pupils to learn and understand. This knowledge has been placed into a logical sequence. The school provides meaningful training to staff. This ensures staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum effectively. Staff use precise subject specific vocabulary. Pupils understand and use this language well. Overall, pupils achieve very well. They are thoroughly prepared for secondary school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff probe pupils’ understanding through careful questioning. This helps to elicit knowledge from pupils and check that they understand. Staff use these precise checks on learning to adapt their teaching. For example, staff in the Reception Year tailor the provision exceptionally well depending on children’s prior knowledge. They select specific activities for children to complete for their ‘core skills’ time. This practice helps children secure the knowledge they need for their future learning in Year 1 and beyond.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has established clear and robust systems to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff expertly put in place effective strategies for pupils with SEND to achieve well. For example, teachers carefully check that pupils with SEND understand what to do before they settle down to complete their independent work. Staff use these checks to revisit content should they need to.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has created a very positive reading culture. Children in the Reception Year love to pick a favourite book and settle down on the carpet to read with a friend. Older pupils value the opportunity to get stuck into a good book from the well-stocked library. The school quickly identifies pupils who find reading difficult. Expert staff help these pupils to develop their fluency and confidence.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils enjoy writing. They often write with flair and create work that is vibrant and interesting to read. The school has recently put in place a new English curriculum. It provides pupils with more opportunities to apply their writing knowledge, edit and improve their work. Consequently, pupils’ written work is improving. However, sometimes, the school does not always provide pupils with the precise support they need to apply what they learn about handwriting, grammar, punctuation and spelling into their independent work. This limits how well these pupils write.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils display exceptional levels of respect for those who are different to them. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum teaches pupils about the similarities and differences people share. Pupils have a secure understanding of why discrimination and prejudice are wrong. The PSHE curriculum also teaches pupils the important knowledge they need to be healthy and safe. For example, pupils understand how to behave appropriately when online.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have carefully managed the growth of the school since the previous inspection. They have a clear understanding of where to target future school improvement priorities. The school, and the trust, provide effective support to staff. As a result, staff are immensely proud to work at the school. They value the way leaders help them to develop 1 and 2 April 2025

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their practice and effectively manage their workload and well-being. This helps staff to provide the high-quality support pupils need to thrive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching does not support pupils to consistently apply their knowledge of handwriting, grammar, punctuation and spelling. When this happens, these pupils do not write as well as they could. The school should ensure that teaching provides pupils with the support they need to consistently apply this knowledge in their independent work.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has grown significantly since the previous inspection, when 181 pupils were on roll.  The school has a Jewish ethos. The school’s most recent inspection of its religious character under section 48 of the Education Act was in March 2025. The next section 48 inspection will be within eight years of this date.  The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 1 and 2 April 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, headteacher, the assistant headteachers, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, staff and the chair of trustees.  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.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, bullying

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records, attendance records, pupil records, minutes of trustee meetings, school development plans and school policies.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View alongside written correspondence received during the inspection. He also took into consideration the Ofsted online staff and pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 April 2025

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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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