'Inadequate' Balham school still not meeting all standards

A Balham school which was rated 'inadequate' in 2018 is still not meeting suitable standards, a new Ofsted report reveals.

The private London Steiner School in Balham charges between £4,500 and £9,400 in annual fees.

In the previous standard inspection in 2018, Ofsted said leaders did not have written plans for the curriculum.

Members of the college of teaching and the faculty were not able to articulate how the curriculum built on what pupils knew.

The report also said it was not clear how assessments informed teachers' planning and next steps.

In the most recent additional February inspection the Ofsted report said they've made 'significant improvements' to curriculum plans.

However, the leaders were not able to demonstrate that they consistently meet all the independent school standards over time.

The report reads: "Leaders have not ensured that the school has met all the independent school standards at the last three inspections.

"During the school's previous standard inspection in November 2018, the school was judged to be inadequate with many unmet independent school standards.

"The school did not meet all the independent school standards during the most recent progress monitoring inspections in July 2019 and in January 2020.

"Consequently, leaders do not demonstrate that they consistently meet all the independent school standards over time.

"Therefore, the standards relating to the quality of leadership and management of schools remain unmet.

"The independent school standards in this part remain unmet."

A spokesperson for London Steiner School said:

"We are pleased to have all our students back at school for classroom learning, where the Steiner Curriculum is best delivered but we also want to applaud the effort and lengths all staff went to support children at the London Steiner School throughout lockdown."

London Steiner School has been contacted for further comment.