Torah Vodaas

Inspection of Torah Vodaas Brent Park Road, West Hendon Broadway London NW9 7AJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good 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?

Pupils are happy and proud to attend this school. They arrive on time each day. Pupils rightly said that they are safe and well cared for. Parents and carers echoed this view. Typically, they said their children ‘thrive’ in this nurturing environment. Pupils get on well together and with staff. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils feel confident that staff will deal with bullying on the rare occasion it occurs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ achievement. These expectations are more fully realised in early reading and mathematics. Pupils do not develop the same depth of knowledge in the wider curriculum. This means that they are not as well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils engage well with their learning. They enjoy participating in the school’s currency-based rewards system. Pupils collect, ‘Perutahs’ which they convert to ‘Issars’ and eventually exchange for prizes. They appreciate their learning about the British values of tolerance and respect. Pupils apply these values in the school and wider community. For example, Year 6 pupils take part in a programme whereby they use 10 pounds to buy food for a family for one week. This teaches them about budgeting and to have compassion for people less fortunate than themselves.

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better?

The school offers a suitable curriculum. It meets the requirements of the independent school standards. In early reading and mathematics, the curriculum gets off to a strong start in the early years. Children become familiar with language through repetition of stories and rhymes. They start their phonics learning at the beginning of the Reception Year. In mathematics, pupils gain a secure understanding of number, shape, space and measure. They learn the numbers one to ten and beyond. This prepares them well for Year 1. The mathematics curriculum is well designed. Pupils’ knowledge of topics such as geometry builds each year as they progress through the curriculum.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. The SEND team work effectively with staff and external agencies. Together they ensure that they identify and meet pupils’ needs. Staff make helpful adaptations to their teaching to ensure that pupils can access the curriculum.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Staff have received appropriate phonics training. This enables them to deliver the school’s phonics programme with fidelity. Staff check that pupils can segment and blend sounds to make words. They use this information to adjust pupil groupings and to provide catch-up sessions as needed. Pupils use their phonics knowledge to read with increasing fluency and confidence. Older pupils spoke about their enjoyment of reading. They value their visits to the school library where they borrow engaging books to read at home. 25 to 27 March 2025 From Year 1 upwards, the wider curriculum is less well developed. In some subjects, the school has not identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn. It has not considered how teaching should check pupils’ progress through the curriculum. Typically teaching does not ensure that pupils understand subject content in a systematic way. It does not consistently address misconceptions

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better?

in pupils’ written work. On occasions the tasks that pupils complete in lessons are not closely linked to the content of the curriculum. As a result, these activities do not help pupils to consolidate their learning. This leads to weak recall and gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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better?

The school has trained staff to ensure they follow the behaviour policy. From the early years, pupils sustain concentration and settle to their work. On occasion, when teaching relies on the contributions of a small number of pupils, older pupils lose focus. Pupils attend school exceptionally well. Where this is not the case, the school works sensitively with families. Together they remove barriers to attendance. This work is having a positive impact.

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better?

Pupils enjoy a well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. They learn the importance of staying safe. Younger pupils understand the importance of road and rail safety. Older pupils understand the pros and cons of the internet. Pupils have a clear understanding of different types of family. This learning prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils enjoy having a voice in the running of the school through the school council and organising the annual Purim carnival. They develop an appreciation of democracy through visits with the local mayor. Pupils go on outings to bring their learning of the curriculum to life. They visit places of cultural interest in London. Year 6 are looking forward to their residential trip in the summer term. Pupils take part in the schools’ club offer at lunchtime and after school.

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better?

The proprietorial body works closely with leaders, providing appropriate challenge and support. It fulfils its statutory duties. Leaders have ensured that the independent school standards are consistently met. They have maintained a culture of vigilance around safeguarding and ensured that staff training is ongoing. The school meets the statutory and welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage.

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better?

There has been less opportunity for the school to ensure that the wider curriculum is as well designed and sequenced as it is in English, mathematics and science. Due to leadership having many responsibilities, the school has been hindered in this work

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better?

Staff work together across the religious and secular curricular. They are proud and happy to work at the school. Leaders are considerate of their workload and well- being. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. 25 to 27 March 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Some subjects are further developed than others in terms of what pupils should learn and in what order. Where this is not in place, pupils do not build their learning on what has gone before. The school must ensure that the curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge and understanding securely over time.  In some instances, staff design lesson activities that are not closely linked to the aims of the curriculum. This affects how well pupils secure their understanding of key concepts. The school should ensure that activities help pupils to consolidate their learning of the subject content identified in the curriculum.  The systems to assess pupils’ learning are not consistently well developed across subjects. This makes it difficult for teachers to check what pupils know and remember in these subjects before moving on to new content. The school should ensure that there is a clear approach to checking what pupils have learned and

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

that staff use this information to inform adjustments to the curriculum.  The school’s leadership has many responsibilities. This has limited its ability to address some inconsistencies in the design and delivery of the wider curriculum. The school must prioritise its ambition to provide an equally high-quality education for pupils in all subjects. It must ensure that this ambition is realised by staff consistently well.

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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. 25 to 27 March 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 133553 DfE registration number 302/6115

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School details

Inspection number 10342039 Type of school Other independent school

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Co-headteacher

Dates of previous inspection 28 February to 2 March 2023 25 to 27 March 2025

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Information about this school

 Torah Vodaas caters for Orthodox Jewish boys aged between four and 11 years. The school no longer has provision for pupils under the age of four. As yet, the school has not updated its registration.  The school operates from premises at Brent Park Road, West Hendon Broadway, London, NW9 7AJ.  An early years setting is located on the same site as the school. This is called Torah Vodaas Early Years Centre. It is registered and inspected separately.  Since the last inspection, the school has appointed a new headteacher of the secular curriculum, Eli Lopian. Rabbi Feldman is the headteacher of the Kodesh curriculum.  The school’s last standard inspection took place from 28 February to 2 March 2023 when it was judged to be inadequate. This was followed by a progress monitoring inspection on 14 November 2023.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is registered to admit a maximum of 350 pupils.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteachers of the Kodesh and Chol curriculums and members of the senior leadership team including the safeguarding leads. Inspectors also held a discussion with members of the proprietor body, including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, PSHE and science. 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. 25 to 27 March 2025  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors toured the site. They reviewed a range of policies and documents to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

Lisa Strong, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Guy Forbat His Majesty's Inspector 25 to 27 March 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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