Yesodey Hatorah School

Inspection of Yesodey Hatorah School 2–4 Amhurst Park, Hackney, London N16 5AE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

This is a friendly and welcoming school where pupils are safe, happy and valued as individuals. Pupils get on well with each other. Many describe school as their ‘second family’. Older pupils act as positive role models to the younger ones. They take responsibility for leading activities and help them with their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to the school’s ambitious expectations. They work hard in lessons and try their best. Overall, pupils achieve well in their learning. Many pupils achieve success in a range of GCSE qualifications before they leave the school. Children in the early years settle in well and make good friends. They enjoy their time in school. However, the quality of education for these children is not as strong as it should be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils reflect regularly on their actions, feelings and behaviours. The school helps them to know the importance of genuine respect, care and kindness to others. Pupils benefit from a variety of trips and activities which help them to experience life outside their local community. The school’s annual three-day residential trip is a particular favourite among pupils. This helps pupils to put their leadership and teamwork skills into action, particularly during the long hikes and outdoor activities. The school’s programme for relationships and sex education (RSE) does not meet the requirements set out in the statutory guidance for secondary-age pupils.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. It intends for pupils to achieve highly in their religious studies as well as in their secular subjects. The school has set out what pupils need to learn in each year group and subject. The school uses effective systems to identify pupils’ needs. Some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from additional supportive learning programmes. These are effective at addressing specific gaps in pupils’ learning, particularly in English and mathematics.

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better?

The school’s focus on English, particularly reading, makes a positive difference to pupils’ learning. From the Reception Year onwards, the school’s phonics programme is implemented consistently well. Pupils use their phonics knowledge effectively when they read and spell new or difficult words. The school spots quickly pupils who need extra help with their reading. These pupils are well supported to catch up. Pupils really enjoy the school-wide competitions which foster an excitement for reading and writing. Staff provide pupils with a wide variety of opportunities to read across the curriculum, including during presentations to their classmates and to large audiences. Pupils rise to these expectations. For example, pupils in Year 6 write insightful and emotive poetry about children’s lives during difficult times, including war. Older pupils relish the responsibility of preparing and leading prayers

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better?

Teachers use their subject knowledge well to support pupils’ learning. This is particularly the case in Years 7 to 10 where teaching helps pupils to think deeply 25 to 27 March 2025 about specific themes in subjects such as art and history. Overall, pupils achieve well and make progress through the curriculum. Occasionally, and in a few subjects, the activities which pupils are given to complete do not align as well as they could to the intended curriculum knowledge. Similarly, in a few subjects, opportunities for pupils to return to and build on prior knowledge are not as well thought through as they could be. These inconsistencies sometimes affect how well pupils build up their knowledge over time.

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better?

The early years curriculum is suitable, and the school’s provision meets the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage. However, there are inconsistencies in how this curriculum is implemented, particularly in supporting children’s language and communication skills. Children do not routinely benefit from high-quality interactions with staff. This hinders their learning and development. The learning environment, including the availability and use of toys and resources, does not support children’s learning as well as it should, particularly their physical development.

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better?

Pupils’ rates of attendance are high. They enjoy all that the school has to offer. In lessons, pupils concentrate well and listen carefully. Pupils know that their good behaviour helps everyone to learn and get on well. Younger pupils particularly enjoy earning tokens for their good behaviour. Pupils are polite and considerate to others. They offer a warm welcome to visitors. They share their work with pride, from well- scripted stories to large-scale art projects. Social times are happy occasions. Pupils play harmoniously together and participate in games and competitions, including table tennis.

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better?

The school provides pupils with a range of well-considered enrichment opportunities. For example, pupils visit local youth clubs to learn how to keep themselves safe outside school. They attend workshops to find out about different emergency services. The school’s careers programme enables pupils to learn about the different options available to them at each stage of their education.

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better?

The school’s programmes do not meet the requirements set out in the statutory guidance for RSE for secondary-age pupils. The school’s programmes do not provide pupils with information about some of the protected characteristics and different types of relationship. This affects how well pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and of the differences between people. Despite this, the school has made strides since the previous inspection to strengthen its personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programmes. The school has worked in consultation with parents and carers to help them to understand how important themes, such as abuse and consent, are taught in a sensitive and age- appropriate way. The school has strengthened opportunities for pupils to learn about themselves and others, including talking about and managing their feelings.

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better?

Pupils are taught about keeping healthy. They enjoy regular physical activity, including after-school swimming trips. They rehearse and perform energetic dances to the local community in order to raise funds for charity, including at Purim. Older pupils are taught about the effects of smoking, vaping and alcohol on their physical 25 to 27 March 2025 and mental health. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They understand the consequences of stereotyping and know why it is important to appreciate and respect people’s differences both in their school and in the world around them.

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better?

The proprietor has not ensured that some of the independent school standards (the standards) are met. This includes those which relate to RSE for secondary-age pupils and the protected characteristics. The proprietor ensures that the school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The proprietor has recently expanded the governing body to strengthen its expertise in understanding and overseeing the school’s work. Improvements made to the quality of education since the previous inspection demonstrate that the school has capacity to improve.

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better?

Parents are highly supportive of the school and the staff team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The promotion of communication and language skills and physical development in the early years is not routinely effective. The learning environment and use of resources do not promote these areas of learning as well as they should. These inconsistencies hinder children’s progress through the curriculum in the early years. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum is implemented consistently well so that children achieve highly.  The activities which pupils complete sometimes do not align well to the intended curriculum knowledge. They do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to recap, retrieve and build on what they learned previously. As a result, some pupils do not learn as securely as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well so that pupils build their knowledge securely over time.  The school’s RSE programme does not give due regard to the statutory

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

requirements for secondary-age pupils. The RSE and PSHE programmes do not provide pupils with information about some of the protected characteristics and different types of relationships. This affects how well pupils develop an age- appropriate understanding of relationships and of the differences between people. The school should ensure that its RSE programme meets the statutory requirements for secondary-age pupils and the related independent school standards are met. 25 to 27 March 2025

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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 100287 DfE registration number 204/6072

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School details

Inspection number 10299150 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 to 16 June 2022 25 to 27 March 2025

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Information about this school

 Yesodey Hatorah School is a day school for boys of Orthodox Jewish faith in Hackney.  The school is registered to cater for up to 920 pupils aged five to 16.  Pupils study a religious curriculum each morning. The secular studies curriculum is taught each afternoon.  The school operates from one site which is located at 2–4 Amhurst Park, Hackney, London N16 5AE.  The school does not make use of 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 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 discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and leaders responsible for safeguarding. Inspectors met with a group of governors, including the chair of governors and a representative of the proprietor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, including early reading; mathematics; history 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. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and pupils’ work in some other subjects.  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 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during social times. Inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils and spoke with pupils informally during lessons and breaktimes.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. 25 to 27 March 2025  Inspectors made tours of the premises and reviewed a range of school documents in order to check the school’s compliance with the standards.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils without staff present. The school requested inspectors not to ask pupils questions about different types of relationship or some of the protected characteristics, including marriage or civil partnership. This, together with the school’s programmes for PSHE and RSE, contributed to the

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Information about this inspection

evidence for the judgement on personal development and leadership and management.

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The school’s proposed change to the age range of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet 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.

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The school’s proposed change to the age range of 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 is currently registered for up to 920 pupils aged from five to 16 years old. The proprietor wishes to change the age range to four to 16 years. This is because in the Reception Year some children are four years old when they join the school.  The school does not have a Nursery Year. It does not intend to establish a Nursery class on this site in the future. It plans to keep the current model of one Reception Year class of four- and five-year-old children.  The current accommodation and provision are suitable to accommodate the material change should the proprietor’s application be approved.

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Information about the material change inspection

 This part of the inspection was commissioned by the DfE in response to the proprietor’s request to change the age range of pupils to four to 16 years.  This is the first time the school has applied for this particular material change.  Inspectors gathered evidence to assess whether the school is likely to meet the independent school standards and the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage. Inspectors gathered this information as part of the standard inspection activities.

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Inspection team

Gary Rawlings, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Newby Ofsted Inspector 25 to 27 March 2025

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 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.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 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.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 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), 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–

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

– 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–

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 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. 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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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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