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Pupils 'pinched, smacked and slapped' at Charedi school

Ofsted expresses 'great concern' about Talmud Torah Yetev Lev in Stamford Hill, rating it inadequate in all categories

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Boys at a Chasidic school in Stamford Hill say they have been slapped, smacked and had their cheeks pinched as a form of discipline.

The independent Talmud Torah Yetev Lev school, which was rated inadequate by Ofsted in all categories, was also found to be teaching twice as many pupils as its official limit.

“Of greatest concern is that pupils reported that physical sanctions are adopted by staff in the event of pupil misbehaviour, including cheek pinching, smacking and slapping,” Ofsted reported.

Pupils and staff also said “writing lines” was a common sanction for misbehaviour despite the behaviour policy not condoning the use of this.

A “small minority” of pupils had reported boys being slapped or smacked, Ofsted said.

While the school’s leaders said this was unacceptable, inspectors said that they “required the school to follow its stated safeguarding procedures, including reporting these allegations to the local authority as raising serious safeguarding concerns”.

Inspectors remained “concerned that the school’s strategies to manage behaviour compromise pupils’ welfare”.

Ofsted identified other safety concerns including an area in one of the school’s premises that was “filled with rubbish and large holes in the playground surface, which were a trip hazard.”

Yetev Lev’s proprietor continued to “disgregard” registration requirements with more than 1,200 pupils on the roll - “more than twice the number that the school is registered to take”. And although registered to teach up to the age of 12, some 13- and 14-year-old boys were continuing their education there.

Although an additional building had been acquired to prevent overcrowding, the proprietor had not notified the Department for Education of its use.

In the early years’ section, a poorly maintained playground surface posed a risk to children, while in reception, children were not supervised effectively and observed playing on staircases and standing on tables and chairs.

Inspectors also criticised the narrow curriculum, low standards in maths, reading and writing, and lack of sufficient experience in subjects such as science or technological education.

On the plus side, it said pupils were keen to learn and the religious curriculum contributed strong moral values. They also had a basic understanding of British values, a general awareness of different faiths and the importance of being respectful and tolerant of others.

 

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