A Strictly Orthodox school in Salford has been accused by Ofsted of paying “scant regard” to requirements on health and safety after inspectors criticised failings over fire protection, first aid and other areas.
Ahavas Torah Boys Academy, an independent secondary with 70 pupils, moved into a building that was converted from flats.
But it “has failed to ensure that the new premises and accommodation are suitable for use as a school,” said a report from the inspection service.
Ofsted said the school “continues to show scant regard to the relevant health and safety and fire-safety legislation”.
While the school had commissioned a fire-safety risk assessment on the premises last summer prior to their conversion from flats, “urgent actions” identified in it had not been addressed, Ofsted said.
“For instance, the assessor required the installation of fire doors to all rooms. Moreover, it required that the school displayed fire signage around the building and information about escape routes in each room.
“It also advised that the school had between six and eight fire marshals. The school has neglected to act on any of these recommendations.”
While the school had installed smoke detectors and fire-fighting equipment, there were “numerous unresolved fire-safety issues. For instance, an upstairs corridor that is the escape route from a bathroom is blocked with a desk, chair and bags of rubbish.”
First-aid kits were described as “disorganised”, while gas-safety checks had not been been carried on boilers.
The outdoor space was “unsuitable for pupils to play or to be used
for PE lessons,” Ofsted said. “The surface is uneven and covered with loose stones and gravel. This poses a high risk of slips, trips and falls. This is also accessed from the school entrance via a steep uneven path with several trip hazards.”
Not all sinks had hot water and one was not fixed to the wall. “Some of the washing facilities have no toilet roll, soap, paper towels or hand-dryers,” inspectors reported. One shower room was found to be unsuitable.
In addition, Ahavas Torah did “not carry out rigorous and robust checks to reassure itself that staff are suitable to work with children. It pays scant regard to the risks posed to pupils as a result of its negligence.”
A second independent Charedi boys’ secondary school in Salford, Mechinoh, was rated inadequate after inspectors identified various shortcomings.
Premises were said to be in a state of “considerable repair. For example, the basement that is used as a social area for pupils is damp and the walls are covered with mould. Also, many windows are broken and boarded up.”
Mechinoh did “not keep accurate and up-to-date records of safeguarding concerns” and was unaware of its statutory responsibility to do so, Ofsted said.
The school’s proprietor had “not ensured that there is a robust safeguarding culture at the school. There is a lack of vigilance… The school is of the view that safeguarding incidents do not happen. This puts pupils at risk of considerable harm.”
Boys did not benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum, did not acquire sufficient knowledge of English and maths and some pupils did not take their academic studies seriously, Ofsted said.
Ahavas Torah and Mechinoh were approached for comment.
