The Moriah Jewish Day SchoolOfsted inspection, 12 Jan 2006

Inspection Report The Moriah Jewish Day School

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131229 Unique Reference Number Harrow LEA LEA 282183 Inspection number 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006 Inspection dates Tusha Chakraborti AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Cannon Lane School address Primary Type of school Pinner Voluntary aided School category HA5 1JF 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02088682001 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02084298419 Fax number 212 Number on roll Mr Brian Leaver Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Alan Shaw Headteacher 15 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282183 11 January 2006 - 3 to 11 12 January 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

The Moriah Jewish Day School is a one form entry voluntary aided school in the London Borough of Harrow and its denominational authority is the United Synagogue. It opened in 1998, starting with a reception class and had its first Year 6 in 2005. As the only Jewish school in the area, its pupils come from Harrow and the surrounding boroughs. All pupils are Jewish and almost all are from White British heritage. The majority of pupils come from owner-occupied homes and most parents are very supportive. Approximately 8.9% pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities, well below the national average. There are only four pupils who speak English as an additional language but none are at the early stages of learning English. No pupils are eligible for free school meals. All pupils learn to speak Hebrew as a part of Jewish Studies.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Moriah Jewish Day School, 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with some excellent features, where all pupils achieve well. The school benefits from the outstanding leadership of the headteacher. He is supported very well by the deputy headteacher and both, along with other staff, have a clear idea of the strengths and the areas for improvement. The school gives good value for money. The school provides a good standard of education. The quality of teaching is good and as a result, all pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, make good progress. English and mathematics are assessed accurately but systems to check on progress in other subjects are not sufficiently developed. Currently, the school is in the process of implementing a new assessment system to replace the old one. This is beginning to be used effectively in English and mathematics and plans are in place to implement this in other subjects. The marking of pupils' work is not always

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Grade: 2

consistent and does not always provide sufficient guidance to pupils on how to improve their work. Children start in the nursery with average skills for their age and make good progress in the Foundation Stage. As a result, most are likely to exceed the levels expected nationally in all areas of learning when they transfer to Year 1. By the end of Year 2, pupils achieve standards that are significantly above average. Standards are also above average at the end of Year 6. Pupils across the school make good progress. Pupils' personal development is outstanding and attendance is above the national average. Children at the school feel safe and learn with confidence and enjoyment. Parents value the school's work highly. The school has successfully addressed all issues raised in last inspection and the effective self evaluation procedures mean that it is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Ensure that marking is consistently used to guide pupils on how to improve their work. * Continue to develop assessment in all subjects, as planned, and ensure that it is used effectively to plan work.

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Grade: 2

All pupils, including those with learning difficulties, achieve well and make good progress. Children's attainment on entry to the nursery is average and most come with pre-nursery educational experiences. They make good progress and most are likely to exceed the expected goals by the end of the reception year. Over the past five years, the national test results in Year 2 show that standards have been significantly above the national average in reading and mathematics and just above average in writing. More able pupils are especially successful. The school's first Year 6, a small cohort of 19 pupils, took the national tests in 2005 and achieved above average standards in English, mathematics and science; results in English were particularly strong. A high proportion of pupils are especially successful in English and science and most attain levels which are above average. Pupils exceeded the school's challenging targets. Many

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: The Moriah Jewish Day School, 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006 pupils are adept in their use of information and communication technology (ICT) to support their work across the curriculum. Boys and girls and those who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as others.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. In particular, the expression of their faith instils very strong moral values and social responsibility. Assemblies and a rich curriculum including the tending of a 'habitat garden', and the annual release of butterflies nurture spirituality effectively. Pupils are very friendly and eager to celebrate their work. They love school, and attendance is consistently good. Pupils develop a high level of self-confidence through the school's very good provision for music and drama. In a Year 3 class two pupils performed a spontaneous re-enactment of Aesop's fable of the Hare and the Tortoise to the great delight of their peers.Pupils are extremely caring towards one another, and behave very well in class and around the school. They are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles through regular exercise and healthy diets. They know how to stay safe and

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Grade: 1

take part in the Junior Citizen programme. There are many opportunities to contribute to the local community. The school choir is much in demand to support civic and other events. Pupils are very well equipped in the basic skills necessary to prepare them for secondary school. By the time the pupils leave their good communication and social skills together with competency in literacy, numeracy and ICT skills have prepared them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. This supports pupils well in making good progress throughout the school. Staff have very good relationships with pupils and treat them with respect and kindness. They have high expectations of their pupils' work and behaviour. As a result, pupils behave well and respond by working hard and doing their best. Teachers have good subject knowledge and engage learners well through effective questions. In an outstanding literacy lesson in Year 4, the teacher used well focused questions to deepen pupils' understanding of how language and settings influence events and characters in a story. This led to some work of a high standard from pupils. Teaching assistants support pupils' learning effectively. Good links are made between subjects, especially between the personal, social and health education and the Jewish Studies programmes. Marking of pupils' work is not

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Grade: 2

consistently used to guide pupils on how to improve their work. Although teachers assess their pupils' progress regularly, with the exception of English and mathematics, the information is not always used effectively for planning, Teachers have started to make good use of the newly developed assessment system to analyse test results and form focus groups to improve standards in English and mathematics. 3 Inspection Report: The Moriah Jewish Day School, 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum, enriched by its emphasis on Jewish studies. Literacy is linked to other areas, for example in geography, when a local councillor was interviewed about a scheme for a pedestrian crossing in the High Street. Pupils wrote persuasive letters presenting their own views, which developed their understanding of the local area. Music and the performing arts are strengths that boost pupils' self-confidence.Curriculum provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Children are given a wide range of interesting activities to stimulate their learning. Pupils with learning difficulties receive an appropriate curriculum for their needs, and are well supported by a dedicated team of classroom assistants.The curriculum is considerably enriched by a wide range of clubs, visits and visitors. Clubs include football, netball, art, French, stamps, Israeli dancing and Jewish Studies. The school has received

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Grade: 2

visits from a Holocaust survivor, an olive-press demonstration, and a Matsa bakery. The older pupils go on residential visits, which help to broaden their experiences. There are regular celebrations in school of Jewish festivals, as well as exchanges with other schools to find out about the festivals of other religious groups.

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Grade: 2

The school has successfully established a very caring and friendly ethos that gives pupils confidence. Staff work hard to involve parents and keep them well informed. The vast majority are very happy with their children's education and welfare. One parent wrote, andquot;Our child bounces into school at the start of the day and bounces out at the end: what more could a parent want?andquot;There are very good links with outside agencies so that the school can provide effective support to vulnerable pupils. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are robust and there are suitable child protection procedures. Pupils speak warmly of their teachers, and appreciate the respect they receive from all members of staff. However, marking does not give pupils sufficient guidance in how to improve. The newly formed school council gives pupils a voice and they take their responsibilities very seriously.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and underpin the school's many strengths. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership in raising standards and promoting pupils' personal development. Together with the deputy headteacher, he leads an effective team who are committed to providing as well as they can for all pupils. This strong teamwork means that the school has improved consistently since it was opened and is well placed to build upon its strengths. The school has established very good links with parents and the wider community. Parents and children are regularly consulted about their views and make an important contribution to school improvement. Self evaluation procedures are robust and enable staff to have a clear and accurate view 4 Inspection Report: The Moriah Jewish Day School, 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006 of the areas for further improvement. These are reflected in the school development

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Grade: 2

plan which clearly identifies strengths and areas for development. Well focused performance management ensures that staff have targets linked to personal development, pupils' progress and management responsibilities. Rigorous and effective procedures are in place to monitor teaching and learning, and to keep a careful track of pupils' progress, particularly in English and mathematics. Plans are in place to improve assessment in science and other subjects.Governors carry out their role effectively. They have a range of useful experience which they bring to the open, frank, challenging dialogue they have with the managers. Financial planning is very effective and this helps the school to meet its aims successfully. The school has good capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: The Moriah Jewish Day School, 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: The Moriah Jewish Day School, 11 January 2006 to 12 January 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

My colleague and I would like to thank you for the welcome you gave us when we inspected your school. As you know, were very interested in what some of you had to say. It was good to see that you like coming to your school and enjoy learning. We are pleased to tell you that we agree that your school is a good school. We were especially pleased with the following:* Your headteacher and the deputy headteacher are very effective in providing you with a good quality of education.* You are doing well in all your subjects. You work hard and listen carefully to your teachers. This helps you succeed at school. * You behave very well and you are most courteous and polite. You are very good at taking responsibilities and carrying them out successfully. * You understand the importance of staying safe and healthy very well and take part in the wide range of physical activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle.* Your teachers give you interesting work in lessons and have high expectations of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your work and behaviour. * Your teachers and the teaching assistants take very good care of you and support you well in your learning. * Staff organise some very good activities outside the normal school day to make learning exciting and enjoyable. Your teachers plan well and check how well you are doing. We would like to see them doing this even better by helping to you improve your work further while marking your work. Your teachers' check your progress particularly well in English and mathematics. We would like this to happen in all other subjects and recognise that the school is already planning to do so.We hope that you will continue to work hard and achieve even better in the future.

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