Showing posts with label Jewish Free School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jewish Free School. Show all posts

Saturday 19 June 2021

Time to put pupils' needs first at JFS rather than play the blame game

 

Last Saturday LINK I reported the news that Sir Michael Wilshaw had taken over as Interim Executive Headteacher at JFS secondary school, a Jewish orthodox religious school in Brent but with a much wider catchment.  JFS’s foundation body is the United Synagogue and its religious authority is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. The headteacher had resigned and it appeared that the safeguarding of pupils was an issue.

On Tuesday of this week in an interview with Jewish News LINK, Wilshaw claimed to have already improved the school but blamed Brent Council for not intervening earlier:

When they knew there were issues around safeguarding and mental health issues, they should have been in here monitoring the situation – well before Ofsted. The local council has failed this school, there is no question about that in my mind.

This was followed on Wednesday by publication of  unattributed responses from Brent Council published in Jewish News LINK.

But it is understood that senior figures within Brent Council have reacted with “outrage” at the interim headteacher’s claims.

Sources within the local authority point to the 2016 Ofsted report into JFS, that was published during Wilshaw’s stint as chief executive with the official education inspectors.

They pointed to the fact that the 2016 report described safeguarding at JFS as “effective” and added that pupils “knew where to seek help” if needed.

They same sources also insisted it has been Brent who had intervened “very recently” to ask Ofsted to look at the school over safeguarding concerns.

One source added: “It is laughable to read Michael Wilshaw suggesting he has managed to turn a school around in a matter of weeks.

“Senior figures at Brent are meeting to decided how to respond to his comments, but the feeling is there are far bigger issues at stake here that Mr Wilshaw.”

On Thursday  Jewish News in an 'Exclusive' LINK published extracts from the Ofsted report on JFS which deemed the school 'Inadequate'. The report has not yet been published on the Ofsted website so please treat their summary with caution:

KEY FINDINGS FROM OFSTED REPORT: 

  • School leaders “do not ensure that all pupils are safe from harm”
  • Pupils don’t observe “appropriate boundaries”
  • Student relationships damaged “by unchallenged, inappropriate behaviour…including sexual harassment.”
  • JFS “does not adequately provide for pupils’ wider personal development”, including PSHE, RSE and LGBT issues
  • School in special measures for “failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education
  • Persons responsible for leading the school “are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement”

A spokesperson for the United Synagogue told Jewish News: 

This is a very distressing Ofsted report and one which we know will make very troubling reading for parents, students and staff. Notwithstanding the positive findings about the school’s education and sixth form, the serious failings found by Ofsted demand urgent attention. We acknowledge the governors recognise this and have already taken steps to improve safeguarding in particular. We will be working with the school to ensure the programme of improvements continues at pace.

In my view there appears to be some singling out of Brent Council for blame in the media when responsibility should be much more widely shared. The 'blame game' should not divert the partners involved from the main priority of safeguarding pupils and putting measures in place for addressing the mental health of those pupils who have suffered from sexual harassment in the past.

 


 



Saturday 12 June 2021

Former Ofsted chief Michael Wilshaw takes over at Jewish Free School following departure of the headteacher & safeguarding concerns

 Sir Michael Wilshaw

Sir Michael Wilshaw, former Chief Inspector at Ofsted (2012-2016), has stepped in as temporary interim executive principal of the Jewish Free School (JFS) in Kenton following the sudden departure of headteacher Mrs Rachel Fink.

Dame Joan McVittie

Sir Michael will be advised by Dame Joan McVittie a former London headteacher, senior Ofsted inspector and an expert in safeguarding.

JFS is tha largest Jewish secondary school in Europe and, although in Brent ,takes pupils from a much wider area.

The Jewish Chronicle reported LINK:

Parents have voiced concern about the situation at the school, highlighting disciplinary and safeguarding issues. Speculation is rife about the findings of a supposedly negative Ofsted inspection last month, which have yet to be published.

The school had been named on the Everyone's Invited website where pupils reported peer-on-peer sexual misconduct. The Daily Telegraph  LINK reported on the tesimonies:

“I was in the lunch queue and he put his hand up my skirt and groped me [and] no one said anything,” one account allegedly about JFS read. Another said it was “normal for boys of any age to grope girls”.

At the time Mrs Fink write to parents about the 'disturbing' testimonies:

There are those who might suggest that it is impossible to verify the truth of these allegations, or that the naming of different schools and universities is inconsistent.

Others will argue that when you read the testimonies it is clear that most of them reference incidents that take place out of school, at parties and on the weekend; that they are nothing to do with school.

My view, both as an educator and as a woman, is that we have a responsibility to have an open and honest discussion and once again partner with students and parents to really understand what is taking place in our community, a microcosm of society, and how do we collectively create change.

Andrew Moss, Chair of Governors said:

We appreciate that changes of this nature cause concern. We have full confidence in the team along with the entire staff body to deliver the education priorties and maintain the Jewish ethos of the school. 

Although JFS is not a local authority school, Brent Council has an overall responsibility for the wellbeing and safeguarding of all children in the borough.

There was much disappointment in 2014 when Ofsted downgraded JFS from 'Good' to 'Requires Improvement' based on the behaviour and safety of pupils and the school's leadership and management. Action taken at the school enabled it to reurn to the 'Good' category in all areas in 2016.

The report on the latest Ofsted inspection has not yet been published.