Beis Yaakov High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

Pupils feel happy and proud to be part of a caring, close-knit school community. They share respectful relationships with staff who know them well. Pupils trust that there are people who they can talk to if they have a concern or worry. Most pupils rise to meet the high academic expectations that the school sets and their achievement is improving. However, the curriculum does not meet the needs and interests of some pupils as well as it should. In addition, there remains variation in how well subjects are taught. This impacts on the extent and depth of some pupils' learning. Typically, new behaviour rules are helping most pupils to enjoy a calm and purposeful atmosphere around school and in lessons, where they can learn without disruption. However, a minority of pupils do not attend school often enough and this disrupts their learning. Pupils embrace the opportunities that they have to contribute to the school community and to socialise with their peers, for example by fundraising for local charities or taking part in residential trips. However, the opportunities that they have to understand and participate more widely in the world, beyond their own community, are limited. This hinders how well pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the curriculum is underdeveloped or newly introduced. In these subjects, teachers sometimes do not choose the most appropriate tasks and activities when delivering the curriculum. They do not identify misconceptions and gaps in pupils' learning as well as they should. This hinders how well some pupils develop a depth of subject-specific knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers receive the training that they need to deliver the curriculum well in all subjects so that pupils can embed their knowledge securely.
• The school does not ensure that all teachers use the information that they receive about vulnerable pupils as well as they should to inform their teaching. This prevents some pupils, including some with SEND, from learning the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff receive appropriate training so that they can support these pupils to access and embed their learning.
• The school does not have a coherent approach in place to support pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge. This prevents some pupils from accessing the full curriculum and achieving as well as they should. The school should ensure that they put into place clear strategies that help to fill the gaps in pupils' reading knowledge so that all pupils can read with accuracy and fluency.
• The school does not use the information that it gathers about pupils' behaviour and attendance as swiftly and effectively as it should to make improvements. Small numbers of pupils do not receive the support that they need to attend school regularly or to meet the improved behaviour expectations in place. The school should use the information that it gathers about behaviour and attendance more swiftly and strategically to inform the support that it provides for these pupils.
• The school does not ensure that pupils' experiences and understanding of the wider world and the world of work are as wide-ranging as they should be. This limits how well pupils are prepared for their next steps when they leave school and more generally for life in modern Britain. The school should provide more opportunities for pupils to gain a wider understanding of difference, diversity and the choices that they can access when they leave school.

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