Menorah Primary School for Girls

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is an exceptional school that is at the heart of its community.

The ethos of deep care and high ambition is threaded through all aspects of school life. Leaders have high aspirations to make sure pupils become active citizens of the world.

Leaders have the highest expectations for pupils' achievement and behaviour.

All staff want pupils to achieve their very best, and pupils consistently do. They excel in their learning across the curriculum. All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), thrive at this school.

Pupils are polite and courteous. Their behaviour around the school is calm and orderly. At soci...al times, pupils play well together and take turns.

Working relationships are strong and respectful. As a result, pupils feel secure and are kept safe.

The vast majority of parents and carers speak overwhelmingly positively about the school.

They value the focus leaders place on not only their academic development but also pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. One parent said, 'Overall this is a wonderful school, mirroring the ethics and values of its families and nurturing our children academically, physically and spiritually.' This is a view echoed by many parents.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has constructed a high-quality, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that has been designed specifically for the school's context. The knowledge that pupils are expected to learn is clearly identified. This means that teachers know precisely what to teach and when.

From Reception to Year 6, the order in which pupils learn new subject content is logically sequenced. In early years, children build their knowledge and skills deeply. For example, in mathematics, children in Nursery practised counting out objects, measuring and comparing quantities.

Staff enable children to identify number bonds with great skills and care.

Staff have very strong subject knowledge. Teachers plan tasks to encourage pupils to apply their knowledge at a very high level.

Pupils respond extremely well to this. They enjoy showing what they know and can do. Children in the early years receive an excellent education.

They are highly motivated and sustain concentration in their play. Carefully planned staff interactions and engaging activities mean that even the youngest children display a love for learning.

There are regular opportunities for pupils to recall and build on prior knowledge.

They make meaningful links across their learning in different parts of the curriculum, and this helps to deepen their understanding over time. Pupils produce high-quality work. They are confident and articulate, with a highly secure understanding of what they have been taught.

For example, in history, pupils have an in-depth knowledge of the causes of World War One, the Treaty of Versailles and the subsequent Great Depression in Germany. All of this means that pupils across the school are very well prepared for the next stages of education.

Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and well supported.

Teachers and highly skilled support staff work closely with pupils with SEND. They make adaptations that enable pupils to reach the same ambitious endpoints as their peers.

There are well-established routines and high expectations set across the whole school.

These begin in the early years, where staff expertly develop children's independence. Leaders have created an environment built on mutual respect. During lessons, pupils remain focused and concentrate very well.

At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play well together. Older pupils take care of those younger than themselves. Pupils eagerly come to school each day, and rates of attendance are high.

Leaders keep a close eye on the small number of pupils who do not attend regularly.

The school promotes a love of reading. In the early years, this begins with a strong focus on developing children's communication and language skills.

The school library and classroom libraries are full of high-quality texts for pupils to enjoy. Well-trained staff implement the school's phonics programme expertly. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know.

Pupils enjoy reading a wide variety of books and speak excitedly about reading and completing their reading logs.

Leaders have prioritised pupils' personal development and mental health. All decisions stem from a commitment to ensure that pupils get what they need to prepare them for their future lives in modern Britain.

This includes learning about different careers. There are also a range of visitors to the school who teach pupils about their own life experience. Pupils develop a strong understanding of difference and diversity.

They are taught to respect lifestyles that are different to their own.

Governors provide highly effective support and challenge to the school. Staff appreciate the professional development they receive.

Staff feel valued and enjoy working at the school. They know that leaders care about their well-being and work–life balance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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