OTHER FAITHS MAKE OUR SCHOOLS STRONGER, SAY HEADS

HAVING a roll call of students from different faiths is “an absolute honour and a privilege”, according to Kate Baum, headteacher of Mosaic Jewish Primary School in south London.

Since its inception in 2013, the cross-communal free school – which offers 50 per cent of its places to children of all backgrounds – has been given top ratings by Ofsted and Pikuach, and is praised for its Jewish ethos and education.

“We are unashamedly Jewish; that is clearly evident from the minute you walk into the school,” Ms Baum said. “We are absolutely driven to ensure that our children have knowledge and respect for practices across the Jewish faith.”

Lisa West, deputy head at Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School said a mixed intake “has only been a positive thing”.

While the Essex junior school is not a free school, but a voluntary-aided primary under the auspices of the United Synagogue, a declining Jewish population in the area led to the intake of non-Jewish pupils, who make up 19 per cent of the student body.

But, Ms West stressed, its ethos and religious underpinning remained unchanged.

“We daven, we say tefillot, we do benching, we say grace after meals, all our boys wear kippot, whatever their religion.”

Steve Langford, headteacher of King David Primary School in Birmingham, said the same rules applied in his school, despite only 25 per cent of his students being Jewish. Seventy per cent are Muslim, while the remainder are made up of a range of faiths and nonfaiths.

“We are very upfront about the fact that this is a Jewish school,” he said. “The parents do not choose this school despite it being Jewish, but because of it – they value the Jewish aspects.”

Mr Langford explained that Muslim families in particular welcome a Jewish education.