Toras Emes

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Toras Emes 6 Coke Street West, Salford M7 4AH

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(1)(b), 2(1)(b)(i)  At the school’s previous standard inspection in July 2024, inspectors found that the curriculum had not been thought through well enough in subjects other than English and mathematics. Inspectors found that these subjects did not set out learning in a progressive, sequential manner and that teachers lacked the knowledge needed to be able to teach these subjects well.  In December 2024, an evaluation of the school’s action plan to remedy these unmet standards found that there was little detail about how the school was going to define the essential knowledge it wanted pupils to learn in each subject. The action plan also lacked detail about what training and support staff would receive.  When a progress monitoring inspection took place in January 2025, inspectors found improvements to the science curriculum but found that weaknesses remained in other

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Main inspection findings

subjects. Inspectors also reported a lack of consideration in the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  The action plan submitted in April 2025 explained how the school would break each curriculum down into step-by-step objectives. The action plan also gave further detail about the training that staff would receive regarding the progression of learning and subject-specific vocabulary. However, there was little detail in the plan to address how the curriculum would be adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.  At the time of this monitoring inspection, the school has put in place effective curriculums for physical education (PE) and geography that enable pupils to know and remember more about the topics that they study. The school has ensured that the curriculums for subjects such as technological and aesthetic and creative education have been designed to help pupils to build on their prior knowledge. However, the school has

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Main inspection findings

not implemented these curriculums. As such, pupils do not have sufficient knowledge in these areas of learning.  Although there have been positive steps taken to develop the school’s curriculum, the arrangements for adapting the curriculum for pupils with SEND are at the early stages of development. Additionally, the strategies to support pupils to access the curriculum are limited. As such, some pupils’ progression through the curriculum in some subjects is not as strong as it should be.  The independent school standards (the standards) in this paragraph remain unmet. Paragraphs 3, 3(e), 3(g)  At the school’s last standard inspection in July 2024, the checks the school was making on pupils’ knowledge were not effective. As a result, teachers did not use this information to review what pupils knew and to inform teaching and learning. The action plan evaluation that took place in December 2024 stated that the plan did not explain

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Main inspection findings

how teachers would be supported to improve their own knowledge of the curriculum. It also noted a lack of subject-specific methods for teaching different subjects. This evaluation clearly identified that the lack of knowledge about the curriculum was hindering staff when making adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND.  The evaluation of the school’s action plan that took place in April 2025 found that the school’s plans continued to be vague about the way in which staff would improve their subject knowledge. The plan did not provide assurances about how teachers would gain a common understanding of how to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils or to anticipate likely misconceptions.  At the time of this progress monitoring inspection, the school has supported staff to improve their subject knowledge in geography. However, staff could not demonstrate their subject knowledge in technological or creative and aesthetic education because the

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Main inspection findings

revised curriculums, and the arrangements to assess pupils’ knowledge in these subjects, have not been introduced.  The standards in this paragraph remain unmet. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34 to 34(1)(b)  At the time of the standard inspection in July 2024, inspectors found that weaknesses in monitoring the quality of education were slowing the pace of improvement. In addition, leaders did not have a realistic view of the school’s effectiveness.  The action plan evaluation in December 2024 found a lack of detail about the actions taken to improve leadership oversight. By the time of the progress monitoring inspection in January 2025, the proprietor was starting to address these weaknesses but could not demonstrate how the standards were being consistently met over time. In addition, the action plan evaluation in April 2025 did not provide assurance about the urgency of some

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Main inspection findings

of the proprietor’s actions to address some of the concerns raised. It noted the slow rate of addressing the unmet standards that were first raised in July 2024.  At the time of this progress monitoring inspection, the inspector found that many positive steps had been taken to ensure that the proprietor had an accurate understanding of what needs to be done at the school to ensure that the standards are met. The proprietor has used external professionals to validate the view of leaders about the school’s effectiveness. As a result, the proprietor has an accurate understanding of what further action needs to take place to address the unmet standards identified at the school’s last standard inspection. However, the school has previously been too slow to address the unmet standards around the curriculum and its assessment arrangements. As such, many aspects of these standards are still at the early stages of development.

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Main inspection findings

Consequently, the standards have not been met consistently over time.  The standards in this paragraph remain 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

Annual fees (day pupils) Voluntary contributions

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School details

Email address mainoffice@torasemes.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 2 to 4 July 2024

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Information about this school

 Toras Emes is an orthodox Jewish faith school. The school provides a religious (Kodesh) and a secular (Chol) curriculum.  The most recent standard inspection of the school took place from 2 to 4 July 2024. A progress monitoring inspection, commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE), took place in January 2025.  The school is registered to take 280 pupils.  The school operates from premises at 6 Coke Street West, Salford M7 4AH.  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 school’s previous standard inspection took place in July 2024. Since then, an action plan evaluation took place on 3 December 2024. Following the school’s progress monitoring inspection in January 2025, the DfE required the school to submit a statutory action plan. This was evaluated in April 2025 and rejected by the DfE.  This is the school’s second progress monitoring inspection. This inspection was conducted without notice.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to the standards, the curriculum and leadership and management. They also visited lessons

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Information about this inspection

and spoke to pupils.  The inspection also considered the school’s safeguarding arrangements, including the single central record of pre-employment checks and whether the school’s safeguarding policy is available to parents and carers. These requirements of the independent school standards are met.

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, 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

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 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; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 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 the 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. 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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