Shock Ofsted downgrade from outstanding to inadequate for Hertfordshire school

As a result, the school - which has 457 pupils and is heavily over-subscribed - received the lowest inspection grade of inadequate, despite pupils recording above average attainment and the school being rated good in all categories except for leadership and management.

In a copy of the report seen by the JC, inspectors commented, "Too many members of the school and wider parent community are not confident to raise concerns about pupils’ wellbeing. Therefore, leaders do not know if all pupils are safe."

Leaders and governors, they reported, "have allowed the professional boundaries between staff, governors and other members of the community to blur. Matters which should have remained confidential have been shared too openly. Too many members of the community lack trust in the school and are not confident to raise concerns with staff and leaders."

Some parents expressed "significant reluctance to speak with members of staff in case what they said was shared too widely. This has eroded the open and trusting culture required for people to share the information leaders need to keep pupils safe."

While some safeguarding files were well-kept, some behaviour records were missing and others  varied in quality, which "undermines leaders’ ability to keep pupils safe," Ofsted said.

But the inspectorate noted that pupils felt safe and behaved well. It said teaching was good, early years provision was a strength and funding for disadvantaged pupils had been used well.

While governors had made changes, these were too recent to have had "sufficient impact on regaining the trust of the community in the leadership of the school," Ofsted said.

In his letter to parents Mr Blakeley stressed that despite the findings, "there is no question that children are safe at school. Our staff are well trained, our single central record and safeguarding files are excellent, we have robust policies in place to ensure children are well looked after, our children say they feel safe at school and the parent survey shows this too."

He added, “We have no child protection issues at school. This is all apparent from the report. What we have fallen down on is process and culture within the school.”

The school’s inadequate rating means it will have to switch from voluntary-aided status to becoming an academy. The United Synagogue, the school’s denominational body, recently launched a Multi-Academy Trust comprising an initial network of four schools.

Mr Blakeley said steps were already being taken to address the weaknesses identified by inspectors including “the appointment of a new, independent headteacher from outside the immediate community”, Rita Alak-Levi.

She was confirmed in the post permanently at the end of January after nearly a year as interim head following the sudden departure of Steven Isaacs.

Mrs Alak-Levi had “brought strong leadership and a no-nonsense approach to professional standards," he wrote." In addition, several new governors had been appointed, including independent governors with no connection to the school, staff or parent body. The impact of these changes is still in its infancy, but you may have noticed some of the changes already.”

Though saddened by the judgment, “we know what a wonderful school HJPS is,” he said.

Mr Blakeley told the JC that the US and the local council, Hertfordshire, were “extremely shocked” by the inspectors’ verdict.

Parents have been invited to a meeting at the school next Wednesday.