JFS’s recent Ofsted report may have been disappointing but governors have not questioned its findings. “We recognise things have gone wrong, we have got plans in place to quickly put this school back,” he says.
“We are absolutely determined that this school will be recognised again as a good school and then an outstanding school.”
While he will be keeping an eye on the trust schools, he will be spending the “vast majority” of his time at JFS; his appointment is initially for a year.
Over the past decade, JFS’s fortunes have seesawed. Its demotion from outstanding to a school that “requires improvement” came as a shock in 2014, though it recovered to “good” status two years later. Its academic performance, measured by results, has remained strong, while its Jewish studies department earned an outstanding grade at its last inspection from the Board of Deputies-run service Pikuach.
The deficiencies identified by Ofsted in its latest report were mainly to do with behaviour and safeguarding. Staff did not consistently challenge low-level disruption or inappropriate behaviour, such as derogatory language; boys in particular could be disrespectful.
While many pupils enjoyed positive relationships with staff and their peers, many others felt “they were not protected from the behaviour of their peers”, inspectors found. Many pupils reported sexual bullying, including via social media. In some cases, inappropriate behaviour escalated to “harmful”. Many pupils did not feel confident about reporting safeguarding concerns.
Both the personal, health and social education (PHSE) and the relationships and sex education (RSE) programmes were judged “unfit for purpose”, offering insufficient information on healthy relationships, consent and respect.
Besides the Ofsted verdict, thousands signed a pupil-led petition calling for better mental health support in the wake of the death in March of a 14-year-old girl. The Everyone’s Invited website, which has posted more than 50,000 anonymous testimonies of sexual assault and harassment suffered by British schoolgirls, included several from JFS (not all outside the school gates).
Under the direction of former Ofsted head Sir Michael Wilshaw — who was called in by governors to help last term — some “rapid improvements” were made in “quite a short space of time”, Mr Tissot says. His trust provided some personnel support to JFS as it got to grips with the need for change.
“I visited the school last term and I really only saw the calmness, a new sense of purpose in the school and a determination that JFS will soon be back to where it was — a well-reputed school with very high standards. The standards here are still exceptionally high in terms of pupil outcomes and the quality of teaching.”
It is, he stresses, “a lovely, lovely place to work”.
His arrival is not the only change at the top. A new senior deputy head from outside has been appointed this term and one of his trust colleagues has come in as an acting deputy head.
The shortcomings spelled out by Ofsted are being addressed “robustly and rigorously,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to work in a school where the staff have been very open and welcoming and supportive and that has helped us to continue the journey.”
With bullying, all schools may experience the problem but “what makes the difference is the way schools respond to that and encourage the students to come forward so they can have confidence that anything they raise is going to be dealt with. And that’s what I will do.”
Systems have been put in place to ensure that pupils feel pastorally well supported and their welfare is “paramount”, he says.
On behaviour, pupils must understand that “if you do something wrong, if you fail to hand in your homework in, if you are rude to a teacher, there will be a consequence, such as a detention”.
A while back he was reported as being “famous” for his Saturday detentions — an option not open to him at a Jewish school. But he was at an after-school detention last week where the pupils, he reports, were “very receptive to the advice they were given”.
A new rewards scheme has also been introduced to motivate pupils, who can cash in merits for prizes while their achievements may be hailed in a “postcard home” to parents.
Pupils have also been equipped with a journal to record such things as homework assignments but where parents will also have the space to make notes for teachers.
In light of Ofsted’s criticisms, PHSE has been overhauled.
“I think the school does have a responsibility to make sure that pupils that come here do have a deep respect for each other and grow up understanding what makes for healthy relationships and behaviour,” he says. “But it’s not just the responsibility of the school, it’s a partnership obviously with
parents.”
As a result of being put into special measures, JFS must convert to academy status under a trust. He is aware that some parents are uneasy about it joining the United Synagogue’s Jewish Community Academy Trust, which has experience of running only primary schools. “But at the end of the day I am confident that arrangements will be entered into that make sure the school is able to progress and develop,” he says.
He acknowledges that early on there were “some communication difficulties” with parents. “I hope they have been addressed. For whatever reason, the school does seem to receive an inordinate number of email communications from parents.”
Clearly, its widely publicised troubles have had some adverse impact. For the first time anyone can recall in years, year-7 was undersubscribed, when in some years JFS was able to offer a bulge class. Entry was 13 below its 300 maximum “and I know we have some pupils coming in… Hopefully, we will move towards being full.”
With an open evening due shortly, he will be doing his best to convince prospective parents to have faith in the institution.
“My view is the school is on the up,” he says, “and I hope that will be confirmed when Ofsted monitoring takes place, as it surely will, reasonably soon.”
