Manchester Mesivta School

Manchester Mesivta School

Address: Beechwood, Charlton Avenue, Prestwich, Greater Manchester, M25 0PH Unique reference number (URN): 134195

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders foster an inclusive culture and prioritise the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff promptly identify the needs of pupils new to the school. They respond quickly to any emerging needs. Most pupils participate fully in school life. That said, they do not attain as well as they could.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have a detailed knowledge of their pupils. They ensure that teachers have the information that they need to provide effective help for pupils in their classes. Leaders adapt their provision to help pupils overcome both academic and wellbeing difficulties. They ensure that staff have had the professional learning opportunities to do so effectively. For example, pupils who may become overwhelmed by sensory distractions have adapted timetables and time out to re-regulate themselves. Most teachers adapt their learning resources to meet the needs of their pupils.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils purposefully. They evaluate the impact of this funding carefully. For example, they have secured a speech and language therapist and an educational psychologist to help staff meet pupils' needs. Pupil voice and parent and carer involvement, as well as multi-agency working, further strengthen personalised support.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious for the school’s future success. They know where the school's strengths and areas for improvement are. Leaders, alongside staff, are addressing a legacy of underperformance across several aspects of the school. Their actions are already having a positive impact, particularly on pupils’ behaviour, the curriculum and the quality of teaching.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise pupils’ best interests. For example, they are now ensuring that pupils study the full curriculum. This enables them to achieve all that they can. Leaders remain committed to making strategic decisions that will lead to better outcomes for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors have an appropriate understanding of the school’s priorities and provide both support and challenge to leaders. They understand and fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are mindful of staff’s workload and wellbeing when implementing change. They consult staff on key decisions, such as revisions to the marking policy. As a result, staff feel valued. They are supportive of the school’s direction and are proud to work at Manchester Mesivta.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Professional development is closely matched to the needs of individual staff. It enables teachers to choose learning opportunities, focused on the school’s improvement priorities, that strengthen their teaching and subject expertise. This is contributing to improvements in teaching over time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work proactively with external partners to support school improvement and engage families through regular communication and community events. Leaders regularly seek and

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Needs attention

respond to the views of the school's community. This includes pupils, parents and carers and staff. Leaders build positive relationships with families and the wider community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have designed an effective personal, social, health and economic education programme. The school’s ethos and values underpin the programme. Teachers cultivate pupils’ understanding of important topics such as mental and physical health. Pupils learn about the pitfalls of sharing information online and the risks of fraudulent finance schemes. This supports them in making well-informed life decisions.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils understand fundamental British values. They recognise the importance of tolerance and the need to respect people’s differences. Students in the sixth form explore age- appropriate topics. For instance, they understand what the legal age of responsibility is and the implications of this. This helps them grow as responsible citizens, ready to join society.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have established a comprehensive programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance. Pupils benefit from visits from employers and colleges. They experience one-to-one careers guidance meetings and benefit from opportunities to gain work placement experiences. This supports them in making considered choices about their futures. For example, pupils gain leadership experience by leading prayers and by leading the Mishna club. They participate in experiences such as overnight hikes and fishing trips. This widens their hobbies and interests. A wealth of other activities supports pupils in exploring their other talents. Pupils are also encouraged to participate in supporting charitable causes and giving back to their community. The school’s choir sings for residents of the local care home and pupils raise money for charitable causes. This reflects the school's commitment to preparing pupils to contribute positively to society as responsible

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

and selfless adults. Where pupils face barriers to participation, leaders use additional funding effectively to ensure that all pupils are able to enjoy these experiences.

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Achievement Needs attention

By the end of Year 11, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not attain well enough. Outcomes in national examinations have remained below those achieved by pupils nationally. Historically, this has limited some pupils' readiness for future education, employment and training. Students in the sixth form have also achieved below national averages over time. Leaders have recognised these weaknesses and taken decisive action to secure improvement. They have strengthened the curriculum and increased the focus on teaching quality. Leaders now monitor pupils' achievement more closely and provide targeted support where needed. As a result, current pupils are making better progress through the curriculum. However, some pupils continue to have significant gaps in their knowledge and understanding. Weaknesses in reading, writing and mathematics remain barriers for some pupils. These gaps affect how successfully pupils

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Over time, pupils’ absence rates have remained high. This means that too many pupils are missing school. Leaders’ recent actions have started to have a positive impact on pupils’ attendance. Leaders check for patterns in attendance and put support in place for pupils who do not attend school regularly. As a result, some pupils who had previously disengaged from school are now beginning to attend more often. However, despite leaders’ work, some pupils are not in school as often as they should be. Therefore, they miss the opportunities that the school has to offer.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders have quickly secured a considerable change in behaviour expectations. They act promptly to address unwanted behaviours, including bullying. Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. They are respectful to each other and staff and they are welcoming to visitors. Generally, staff engage pupils in their learning. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well to manage their behaviour. For example, those who struggle to maintain concentration have extra processing time to be ready for learning. Pupils value the rewards available through the school’s behaviour system.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of teaching that pupils receive remains uneven. Leaders recognise this and have started to secure improvements. They have redesigned the curriculum so that learning is appropriately ordered and enables pupils to develop deeper knowledge over time. The curriculum is now designed to enable pupils and students to enter examinations when they have studied the full curriculum. This means that more pupils are developing the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders are clear in their expectations of teaching. That said, recent changes, such as the effective use of assessment information and approaches to marking and feedback, are not embedded. As a result, sometimes teachers do not identify and address the gaps in pupils’ knowledge in a timely manner.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders' tailored approach to professional learning is raising expectations of teaching in the classroom. This has resulted in many staff expecting more from pupils. However, this is not consistent across the school. At times, staff’s expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Where pupils have not yet secured fluency in reading and writing or they struggle to use numbers accurately and confidently, leaders ensure that they receive the help that they need to catch up with their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Most teachers modify learning resources for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers generally support pupils with SEND well in lessons. For instance, support staff are well placed to provide pupils with the help that they need.

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Post-16 provision Needs attention

Students in the sixth form, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning, do not attain as well as they should. In national examinations, their attainment is below that of their peers nationally. Early entry to examinations has been a large contributory factor in this. Leaders understand what needs to be addressed and are taking decisive action.

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Post-16 provision Needs attention

Leaders have recently reviewed the sixth-form curriculum to ensure that it gives teachers the time to deliver the in-depth knowledge that students need to achieve success. Students now have a greater choice about the range of subjects that they study. However, it is too early to see the impact of these changes in published outcomes.

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Post-16 provision Needs attention

Typically, lessons are well delivered. Students are engaged and their work largely shows that they make progress through the curriculum. Staff support students with barriers to learning effectively.

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Post-16 provision Needs attention

Students in the sixth form benefit from tailored curriculum pathways. For example, some students undertake projects such as engineering challenges. This develops their problem- solving abilities and helps broaden their skills. Although academic outcomes remain below national averages, students benefit from these practical opportunities and work placements that help prepare them for their next stage of education, employment or training.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils here enjoy their learning. Most pupils work well and demonstrate positive behaviour. Leaders have introduced a new curriculum that offers a broader range of subjects. Where pupils face additional barriers to learning, leaders ensure that they receive the support that they need. However, some pupils do not attend regularly enough. This means that they miss out on the opportunities that the school has to offer.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils in the school and students in the sixth form do not achieve as well as they should. This has meant that some pupils are not fully prepared for their education, employment or training after school. In part, this has been because pupils have had reduced time to study curriculum subjects in full. Leaders have addressed this issue. Pupils now have the time that they need to gain a greater depth of knowledge. Typically, pupils enjoy learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Positive relationships underpin pupils’ experiences. This is a warm and welcoming community built on respect between staff and pupils. Pupils benefit from opportunities to develop their broader knowledge and skills through experiences such as visits to Poland. This enhances their knowledge of their cultural history. Pupils access a broad range of clubs, such as the Warhammer club. This nurtures pupils’ creative talents and strengthens their social skills.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils understand fundamental British values. They realise the importance of tolerance and respect. They show this in their behaviours in school and to visitors. Pupils can explain the risks they may be exposed to in society, such as online scams and health risks such as vaping. This prepares them well for life beyond the school gates. Pupils feel safe. Staff deal with concerns, such as bullying, promptly. Pupils understand the school’s values, which are deeply rooted in their faith. They strive to live these out in their daily actions. Pupils feel that staff behave with kindness and fairness. They recognise the improvements that leaders have secured in recent years.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue their work to ensure that staff apply the agreed teaching approaches across all subject areas, so that pupils are well prepared for their next stages of education, training or employment and attain well. Leaders should make sure that staff regularly check what pupils know and remember, so that any gaps are identified quickly and addressed. Leaders should strengthen their approach to managing attendance, so that the gap between school and national attendance is diminished rapidly.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Avrom Topperman.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

This inspection took place on 15 and 16 September 2026.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with school leaders, governors, staff, pupils and representatives from the local authority during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having an Orthodox Jewish religious character. Its last section 48 inspection was on 14 and 15 May 2024.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 15 September 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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English and maths GCSE

Percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Attainment 8

A measure of pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 41.8 45.9 Close to average

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Progress 8

How much progress pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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A-level average point score

The average points that students achieved per A-level entry.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 31.00 34.38 Close to average

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A-level value added

A score showing students’ progress between the end of key stage 4 and the end of their academic qualification studies.

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national average

2023/24 (revised) -0.1 0.0 Close to average

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 9.9% 8.9% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 9.3% 9.0% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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