Bosses of an independent school for girls have come under fire from inspectors for failing to 'encourage respect for other people'. An Ofsted team visited Beis Malka Girls School in Salford for an additional inspection in October just four months after a prior inspection said improvements were needed.
The latest findings say the school is still falling short of the standard required of independent schools. Ofsted’s report said: “Inspectors found that the curriculum and schemes of work relating to personal, social, health and economic education did not encourage respect for other people.
“Also, pupils in the secondary phase of education were not taught about all the protected characteristics. This limited pupils’ readiness for life beyond the school.”
When the school’s action plan was evaluated in September, it was judged that leaders’ plans were ‘not sufficient to address the [required] standard’. “This was because the actions in the plan were vague,” the report said. “The plan did not pay sufficient regard to the rights of the different groups of people covered by the protected characteristics, as defined by the Equality Act 2010."
Protected characteristics as defined by the Act relate to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The report continued: “Since the last inspection, leaders have not implemented their action plan…This continues to limit pupils’ readiness for life in British society."
However, it was judged that the school meets the required standard for the welfare, health and safety of pupils. “Although the school does not have a website, a copy of the safeguarding policy is available to parents on request,” said the report.
In their action plan, leaders identified actions to consult with other schools and to provide training for leaders and governors. “But the success criteria were not clear,” the report went on. “The plan did not set out dates for the completion of actions. Neither did it set out the precise role that the proprietor body would have in overseeing the proposed actions.
“The plan contained no clear indication of how the proprietor body and leaders intended to ensure that the standards encouraged respect for all of the protected characteristics, as outlined in the Equality Act 2010, would be met. The proprietor body and leaders have not taken effective action to address the unmet standards following the last inspection.”
The report said that during this inspection, which was requested lawfully, Ofsted was informed by the Department of Education (DfE) that the inspection was commissioned in error. At the point that information was received from the DfE, Ofsted had commenced the inspection and therefore Ofsted statutory inspection functions were engaged.
"The DfE had required the school to prepare an action plan following the previous inspection," it said. "This plan was a statutory requirement. The action plan was evaluated by Ofsted on September 15. The DfE rejected the school’s action plan."
Beis Malka Girls School has been contacted for comment.
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