One of London’s oldest Charedi schools has been downgraded from good to inadequate after inspectors found that safeguarding failures put pupils at risk.
A room used to teach cooking at Pardes House Grammar School in Finchley was “unclean and cluttered”, while some hot water taps in toilets presented a “scalding risk”, Ofsted reported.
The risk assessment policy of the independent boys’ secondary school was “not implemented consistently well” - with weak risk assessment of a year-10 trip one example.
Leaders, Ofsted said, “not providing pupils with a safe school”.
Ofsted said that pupils “are able to enter the building before the school day begins, including when no staff other than security guards are on site. This lack of supervision puts pupils at unnecessary risk.” Arrangements for recording pupils’ attendance “are inefficient and lack rigour”.
Pupils were also “at risk of harm” because recruitment procedures were not followed by leaders, allowing staff “to start working with pupils following a weak and informal recruitment process”.
But staff, inspectors said, “are vigilant in looking out for signs that a pupil’s welfare is at risk” and “follow up on any concerns, such as changes in pupils’ behaviour, without delay”.
Pardes pupils are proud to come to the school, work hard and generally behave well, although at times are “overly boisterous” in corridors.
Although they learn well in English and maths in particular and study a wide range of subjects, the quality of the secular curriculum is “not consistent”, Ofsted said.
Most boys leave after year 10 to go to yeshivah, although a few stay on in year 11.
The relationships and sex education programme does “not include teaching about different types of relationships that people may have”, Ofsted said. (Children are supposed to be told about LGBT identities before they leave secondary school.)
Recently appointed leaders have ambitious plans to develop the curriculum, assessment and premises, Ofsted noted. But while governors have a clear vision and hold leaders to account “to some extent”, Ofsted said, “governance is not sufficiently rigorous”.
