Hasmonean High School for Boys

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 November 2023

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They feel part of the wider Hasmonean community. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to do well. This results in strong examination outcomes. The school celebrates its Jewish character, while also promoting high levels of respect and tolerance for the faiths and beliefs of others. This helps to create a sense of community at the school, in which pupils get along well with each other. New pupils in Year 7 receive a warm welcome. Older pupils support younger ones, which helps them to settle in quickly. Leaders provide a varied offer of clubs and activities. These include table tennis, computer coding and music clubs. They also provide a wide range of visits, for example to Poland, Belgium and Scotland. Typically, pupils behave well around the school. In lessons, most pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. In a small proportion of lessons, there are minor disruptions. This affects pupils' learning. Pupils are safe and well cared for. They know that if they have a concern, there are adults with whom they can talk. On the rare occasion bullying may occur, it is swifty dealt with.

What the school should improve

• The school's high expectations for pupils' behaviour are not consistently applied. As a result, there is sometimes disruption that prevents pupils from learning as well as they should. The school should refine its training for staff to ensure that staff have the skills they need to manage behaviour and develop pupils' positive attitudes.
• Occasionally, the school does not check whether pupils have understood what they are learning with enough precision. When this happens, staff move on to new learning too quickly when pupils' knowledge and understanding is not secure. The school should ensure that in all subjects, staff consistently check pupils' understanding and then adapt their teaching accordingly.

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