Beis Chinuch Lebonos Girls School

Independent School

DCSF Registration Number 204/6399 Unique Reference Number 102171 Inspection number 320344 Inspection dates 24-25 January 2008 Reporting inspector Jill Bainton

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Independent School

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002 (as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005). 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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Independent School

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, in order to advise the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about the school

Beis Chinuch Lebonos School is an independent Orthodox Jewish chassidic girls’ school for 518 pupils from three to 16 years. It caters solely for girls of the strictly orthodox Jewish community from the local area of Stamford Hill. The families are from a variety of social and economic backgrounds. A significant proportion of pupils come from Yiddish speaking homes and use English as an additional language. There are four pupils who have a statement of special educational need.

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Information about the school

The school is in three separate parts, nursery, primary and secondary. It was founded in 1987 and relocated onto the present site in 2004. It operates as three distinct and separate schools and six headteachers and curriculum advisors form the senior management teams. The nursery school is registered with Ofsted Children’s Services for government nursery funding; this was inspected in 1999. It is also registered for full day care, out of school care and crèche facilities and was inspected in 2005. This is the first inspection of the school under section 162A of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about the school

The school’s philosophy aims to instil in pupils a high level of knowledge, good morals and behaviour.

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Evaluation of the school

Beis Chinuch Lebonos School is a good school and successful in its aims. The girls’ behaviour is outstanding, their work ethic is strong and they achieve high standards by the time they leave the school. They are a credit to themselves, their teachers and parents. The standard of education and care is good. As a result of good teaching and learning, supported by appropriate Kodesh and Chol curricula the girls make good and often outstanding progress. The school meets all but two of the regulations for registration.

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Quality of education

The curriculum is good and is well planned with a good balance between the Kodesh and Chol aspects. The school is very clear about what it intends to teach the girls and the curriculum heads spend much time overseeing it to ensure that an effective balance is achieved. In both the primary and secondary schools the afternoon curriculum is based on the National Curriculum with information and communication technology (ICT) introduced in the senior school. The schools try hard to include as many subjects of the National Curriculum as they can with a strong emphasis on mathematics and English. The results in GCSE and in national tests are very commendable and they are very proud of the girls’ achievements considering the time constraints on the secular curriculum. This represents good progress. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) is integrated throughout the curriculum and taught as a separate

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Quality of education

subject to some of the older girls along with citizenship. The Kodesh curriculum is broad and well balanced covering an appropriate number of topics. The Foundation Stage curriculum is used effectively in the nursery department. There is a good balance between teacher directed and child initiated activities with an emphasis on free imaginative play. In the Reception class while the Chol curriculum covers many aspects of learning it is not soundly based on the six areas of learning for the age group. This is because the staff have insufficient knowledge of the Foundation Stage curriculum requirements. Pupils, who need additional help, including those with a statement of special educational need, are provided for effectively. The curriculum related visits enhance the girls understanding of the world around them.

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Quality of education

The quality of teaching and assessment is good. The staff are confident, most have prepared their lessons well and their enthusiasm transmits itself to the girls who report that they enjoy learning, love their school and are proud of it. The staff are very committed and work hard. There is a great range of expertise and subject knowledge among them. The teaching has many strengths throughout the nursery, primary and secondary schools with particularly strong and often outstanding teaching in the senior school. The pace of most lessons is brisk and the girls are motivated to learn. This is partly based on the school ethos of hard work and application but also because teachers strive to make lessons interesting. Expectations for work and behaviour are high and the girls respond positively. In some less effective lessons the staff are not sufficiently well informed or they expect too little from the girls in terms of independent learning. Homework is used appropriately to

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Quality of education

support learning. Resources are adequate and used well, but some of the books are in need of replacement.

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Quality of education

Assessment is good in both strands of the curriculum; it is particularly thorough in English and mathematics. Assessment information is monitored effectively and used well to support learning. The school has begun some very good initiatives involving older girls in evaluating their work; this is already showing some benefits. It is not yet developed to the same extent with the younger girls.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

The school’s provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the girls is outstanding. The day starts with prayers, which set the tone for the whole day, and the sincerity with which they are said permeates the whole school ethos and life of the girls. Not only are the girls taught the meaning of their prayers, through these sessions and Tefilah (prayer) lessons, but they are encouraged to include their own personal prayers.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Behaviour and attitudes towards learning are outstanding. The girls have a strong sense of right and wrong through the excellent role models of their teachers, and they respond well to others with kindness and consideration. Girls were eager to talk, to share their pride in their school and to welcome visitors. Their enjoyment was clearly seen in lessons and in discussion, as one girl said, ‘everyone gets on so well in this school because we have good ethics and morals’. Attendance is very good.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

The school places much emphasis on the girls’ social development and encourages them to make a positive contribution to the wider community. Girls are involved through their Chesed (kindness) project and the whole school community is involved with charitable ventures. Responsibilities too, are given in school, especially amongst the older girls and all are encouraged to help each other in and out of school. The emphasis on the girl’s personal development and their high academic standards both in Kodesh and Chol including the career guidance given at Key Stage 4, equip them well for their future life.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Cultural development is good. Girls learn about public institutions and visit a number of museums. There are a number of visiting speakers who talk about their work and through specific projects girls are taught to respect all people regardless of race, colour or religion. Older girls learn about other religions and cultures in current affairs.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The provision for the welfare, health and safety of the pupils is good. Each department in the school has a range of polices which are fully implemented, these include anti-bullying, health and safety on visits outside the school, behaviour and child protection. There is a named child protection officer in each school who has attended recent training and trained the rest of the staff. Pupils are encouraged to take regular exercise in the well-equipped playground but there are limited opportunities for planned physical education indoors. A minority of parents did express the view that the girls had too little physical exercise. The school has begun an initiative to encourage the girls to eat healthily. The school is vigilant about fire safety. The admission and attendance registers are kept according to regulations. The school fulfils its duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2002.

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Suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school checks all staff to ensure their suitability to work with children and holds a single central register of staff checks.

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School’s premises and accommodation

The premises and accommodation are suitable to ensure effective learning. The senior and primary departments are located in one large main building with the Nursery in a small adjacent building. The school is generally in a good state of decorative order and repair. The presentations of pupils’ work around the building help to make it an attractive, welcoming place. The classrooms are suitable for the number of girls, but some desk surfaces are in need of improvement. The governors have further plans to extend the school to occupy additional premises. The school has a medical room but there is no wash basin in the room, which is needed to meet the regulations. There are sufficient toilets and wash basins but there is only cold water at present in the girls’ washbasins in the main building.

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

A good range of information is provided for parents about the school’s work, policy and procedures. Regular and helpful reports inform them of their child’s progress. The many parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the school.

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Procedures for handling complaints

The school has a set of procedures, which meets the regulations.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets all of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended January 2005, with the exception of those listed below.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of the premises and accommodation (standard 5) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 provide hot water in the pupils’ washbasins (paragraph 5(a))  provide a wash basin in the medical room (paragraph 5(l)).

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by the regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development:

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What the school could do to improve further

 increase staff confidence by providing them with additional focused training  continue to implement the process of self assessment with the younger girls.

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School details

Name of school Beis Chinuch Lebonos Girls School DCSF number 204/6399 Unique reference number 102171 Type of school Orthodox Jewish day school Status Independent Date school opened 1987 Age range of pupils 3-16 Gender of pupils Girls Number on roll (full-time pupils) 510 Number on roll (part-time pupils) 8 Number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs Annual fees £ 2,080 Address of school Woodberry Down Centre Woodberry Down London N4 2SH Telephone number 0208809 7737 Fax number 0208802 7996 Email address Headteacher@bclschool.co.uk Headteachers Mrs Springer, Mrs Reich ( secondary school), Mrs Schneck, Mrs Brinner, Mrs Spitzer (primary school), Mrs Domb (nursery) Proprietor Mrs E Spitzer Reporting inspector Jill Bainton AI Dates of inspection 24-25 January 2008

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