Beis Rochel d'Satmar Girls' School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Pupils and their families love this school which has high expectations of what pupils can do. Pupils work hard to meet these expectations and many achieve very positive outcomes. Pupils hear from a range of visitors, including former pupils, about the different career options available to them. Pupils behave extremely well. They are polite and welcoming to visitors. In the early years, children learn the habits of positive behaviour that will help them succeed in life. Each playground is full of the sound of laughter and pupils feel safe in school. Learning the principles of honesty, compassion and respect are of high importance here. Pupils are encouraged to think about others and make a positive contribution to their local community. The school helps pupils to understand fundamental British values. For example, pupils in Year 7 and 8 organised a mock election. The school does not teach some of the protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010. Therefore, pupils' have a limited understanding of the full variety of people in modern Britain. Primary-aged pupils do not learn how to stay safe online and secondary-aged pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of sexual harassment and consent.

What the school should improve

• Until this year, children in Reception have not learned phonics in English. The books read by pupils in Year 1 did not match the sounds that children know. As a result, children currently in key stage 1 do not have age-appropriate fluency and comprehension in their reading of English. The school should ensure that the recent steps taken to support pupils to develop their reading fluency and comprehension in Reception and Year 1 are securely embedded so that all children are ready for their next steps.
• The school does not ensure that the provision for pupils' PSHE and relationships education programmes comply with statutory guidance and equip pupils for life in British society. Pupils do not gain an awareness of the legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010) and that everyone is unique and equal. The school should ensure that it fulfils its statutory duties and that all aspects of the school's work are fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
• Pupils in the primary phase do not gain an age-appropriate understanding of online safety and pupils of secondary age do not gain an age-appropriate understanding sexual harassment and consent. This puts them at increased risk from harm. At times, information sharing and record keeping of low-level safeguarding concerns in the school lack systematic rigour. The school should ensure that they actively promote the wellbeing of pupils so that all pupils are well-equipped to identify risks in modern Britain.
• At times, the activities given to pupils do not help them to secure and embed their learning and apply it to new contexts. Pupils lack opportunities to demonstrate their learning through extended writing. As a result, teachers may not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and misconceptions until summative assessments at the end of lesson sequences. The school should ensure that activities used to secure pupils' learning give pupils greater opportunity to demonstrate their learning and apply it to new contexts.
• At times, the school's oversight of procedures across their school sites is not as strong as it could be. This includes oversight of premises maintenance, behaviour, and safeguarding records. As a result, the school does not have a clear view of all that is happening at the school's separate sites. The school should ensure and assure themselves that there are clear processes for communication across all areas of the school so that policies are implemented consistently well.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)