Beis Yaakov High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

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 p...urposeful 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 does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school, supported by trustees, has considerably improved the breadth and ambition of the overarching curriculum. Pupils now study a wider range of subjects than they did in the past.

Typically, most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well in the subjects that they study. However, more work is needed to ensure that the breadth of subjects is fully commensurate with that of the national curriculum. The school is aware of this and it is taking action, for example by introducing geography in Years 10 and 11.

It hopes to improve the proportion of pupils who study the suite of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate.

Since the previous inspection, the school has undertaken significant work to improve the quality of education. For example, external support has been used effectively to train subject leaders to develop their curriculum thinking and subject-specific expertise.

In many subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should learn and the sequence in which it is taught have been carefully identified. In these subjects, teachers deliver the curriculum well. Similarly, approaches to checking pupils' understanding have improved so that teachers more routinely identify and address gaps in pupils' learning.

However, in some subjects this work is in its early stages and remains underdeveloped. Opportunities to identify misconceptions in pupils' learning are sometimes missed. Sometimes, teachers do not choose the most appropriate activities to support pupils' learning.

This leads to variability across subjects in how securely pupils are able to build on their prior knowledge and achieve highly.

The school has improved the systems that it uses to identify the additional needs that pupils have. It ensures that this information is now routinely shared with teachers to help inform their teaching.

However, in subjects where inconsistences remain in the delivery of the curriculum, some staff do not use this information as well as they could to support vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND. This hinders the learning of these pupils. Similarly, the school has started to routinely identify those pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge and this information is shared with staff.

However, there is not a coordinated approach in place to help pupils improve their reading knowledge. This negatively impacts how well some pupils can access the curriculum.

The newly introduced systems for behaviour have significantly improved the school's atmosphere and culture.

Typically, pupils attend lessons on time. They are attentive and enthusiastic in their approach to learning. However, where deficiencies in the curriculum remain, a small number of pupils struggle to meet the expectations set for their behaviour.

Additionally, the school does not use the information that it gathers about pupils' behaviour swiftly enough to provide effective additional support for some pupils.

The school has significantly strengthened its work to improve attendance and this is starting to impact positively. However, too many pupils remain persistently absent from school.

This leads to a lack of continuity in some pupils' learning and hampers how well they achieve.

Lessons and activities to support pupils' personal development have been extended to ensure that pupils receive important information that they need. For example, pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe, including online.

However, the range of social and cultural experiences that pupils access rarely extend beyond their own local community. Moreover, the school does not ensure that pupils are taught about the full range of protected characteristics. This limits pupils' understanding of difference and diversity in the wider world.

Work is underway to develop a more comprehensive careers programme for pupils. For example, visitors from local colleges now talk to pupils about their next steps in education and training. However, some pupils are not as well informed as they should be about their choices when they leave school.

For example, pupils' understanding and experiences of the world of work are limited.

During a period of rapid change, trustees and the school have maintained a clear vision. They have ensured that staff feel well supported so that they can focus on developing themselves in their roles to benefit pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• 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.

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