UMALUSI
UMALUSI is the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training. All independent schools have to satisfy UMALUSI that they meet very stringent criteria in order to receive provisional accreditation. This involves the submission of very detailed evidence concerning our effectiveness on a wide range of criteria. Once this evidence has been provided, and the school reaches the point of having been recommended as an accreditation candidate, a site visit is conducted by UMALUSI inspectors to verify the evidence. The site visit includes examination of school policies, minutes of meetings, documentation etc, examination of the school premises and separate meetings and interviews with the principal, the senior management team of the school, a random selection of teachers, and a random selection of learners.
Criteria that are assessed include:
· Leadership and governance
· School policies, procedures, and quality management
· The school’s management information system and reporting procedures, including the tracking of learners
· monitoring of staff turnover, staff appraisal systems and staff development
· Review of learning programmes and materials, and compliance with the national curriculum
· Instruction and delivery
· Assessment
· Monitoring of equipment and learning support material
· Learner access and support
· Client satisfaction
· School safety and security.
After a site visit held in 2008, we were delighted to have received the highest ranking (6) on all these criteria, accompanied by comments such as “excellent and exemplary” and “of the highest standard.”
Under the heading, “Indicators of best practice”, the report reads:
“The ethos of the school is that of a Jewish, inclusive school centred in a community. The care, love and support for the learners are exemplary. It is clear that the teachers are committed to teaching and to help the learners. The head has an open door policy and from the interview with the teachers, it became clear how much they appreciate him and his leadership…...The school consistently focuses on their ethos as an inclusive, Jewish school and instils their core values in the learners.”