Schools shine in study of GCSE pupils’ progress

EVEN BY their own high standards, Jewish schools have performed spectacularly well at GCSE, according to provisional figures released by the Department for Education this week.

Five Jewish schools were in the top 50 state schools in England for their Progress 8 score, assessing how well pupils did at GCSE in terms of their ability when they entered the school.

For a second year, Menorah High, a Charedi girls’ school in Hendon, topped the Jewish table, ranking sixth out of 6,530 state schools in England with a Progress score of 1.36.

Yavneh College in Borehamwood was placed 13th nationally with a score of 1.27, closely followed by another Charedi girls’ school, Beis Yaakov High in Salford, at 15 with 1.25. A third Charedi school, Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls in Stamford Hill, was ranked 20th with 1.21 and JFS in Kenton, 44th with 1.02.

Yesodey Hatorah’s Progress grade contrasts with its inadequate rating earlier this year by Ofsted, which criticised the school for censoring library books.

A Progress 8 score of one or above means pupils are achieving at least a grade higher at GCSE than would have been predicted when they started at the school. Only Menorah last year gained a score above one — 1.26.

Also ranked “well above average” were Hasmonean High School in Barnet with 0.92; King David Liverpool with 0.83 and Lubavitch Senior Girls’ School in Stamford Hill with 0.76.

Three other schools are classified as above average — JCoSS (0.47); Manchester King David High (0.45) and Kantor King Solomon High in Redbridge (0.31).

Jewish state schools collectively achieved a Progress rating of 0.83, behind the 11 Muslim schools which were the best performing faith school group with 1.20. The national average for state schools is 0.01.

The full performance tables for secondary schools are due to be published early next year.

A SECOND Lubavitch boys’ school has been ranked inadequate by Ofsted within a month as the inspection service continues to pile pressure on strictly Orthodox schools.

The independent Lubavitch Senior Boys’ School in Stamford Hill (LSBS) was given the lowest inspection grade following a similar rating for the independent Mechinoh School in Golders Green at the end of last month.

Ofsted criticised the “unbalanced” curriculum at LSBS, where most of the day is devoted to Jewish studies.

Although Jewish studies was well taught, “the time allocated to English, mathematics and science, and a small range of other subjects, is minimal”.

But boys tested on English reading were found to be confident and fluent.

The school, teaching 25 boys from 11 to 13, failed to meet safeguarding standards because staff had been appointed without the necessary checks on their qualifications, references or right to work in the UK. On the positive side, the school was “outward-looking” and taught pupils about other cultures and beliefs.

A LSBS governor said: “The aim is to establish a school offering a full curriculum leading to GCSEs. We are working on an action plan and we are determined to turn things around.”

Five other strictly Orthodox independent schools have also been ranked inadequate in the latest batch of inspection reports — Bnois Jerusalem, one of Stamford Hill’s largest schools with 846 girls from two to 16; Beis Chinuch Lebonos school for girls; Beis Trana school for girls and Wiznitz Cheder for boys, all in Stamford Hill, plus Beis Medrash Elyon, a secondary boys’ school in West Hendon.

But there was a better news for Beis Aharon, an independent boys’ school for three to 13-year-olds in Stamford Hill, which moved up a grade from inadequate four years ago to “requires improvement”. As reported last week, the Department for Education has lifted a ban on new admissions.

Beis Aharon’s new headteacher Moishe Gotleib was credited with “beginning to transform” the school and pupils were starting to make more rapid progress in literacy.

The school was also taking steps to promote respect and tolerance for groups protected under equality law. “For example, an assembly led by a Holocaust survivor explained about all the other groups of people with protected characteristics who were persecuted by the Nazis,” Ofsted reported. Protected characteristics include same-sex orientation (although the report did not say whether Nazi persecution of homosexuals was specifically mentioned in the assembly).

Also requiring improvement is Tiferes, a small independent Charedi secondary girls’ school in Hendon. Although it was downgraded from good four years ago, the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils remained good with GCSE attainment well above average.

The school’s main failing has been the poor state of its premises.

Ofsted praised the high quality of artwork, which pupils discussed with “immense insight and enthusiasm. They explain how it helps them to highlight injustices such as global poverty, including in Africa, and the rights of people, such as the suffragettes’ fight for the rights of women to vote.” The school also satisfied inspectors on its teaching of British values, promoting principles which “encourage respect for other people”.

Pupils at Elyon — which has 70 boys from 11 to 15 on its roll — take a range of GCSEs. Some also sit A-levels, though most leave for yeshivah after year ten.

However, Ofsted said the boys did not have sufficient opportunity to take part fully “in high-quality physical education or develop their creativity in art and design, technology and music”.

Understanding of prejudice-related bullying was weak because school leaders believed issues such as sexual orientation would be addressed by parents when boys were older. The inspector had respected the school’s request not to discuss such issues with boys — although the school was aware it was not meeting independent school standards by avoiding them.

Beis Chinuch Lebonos, whose education was rated outstanding seven years ago, was rapped for censoring school books and restricting pupils’ learning.

References to Christmas were removed from fiction books, the teaching of revolution and science was prohibited and photographs of men and women with bare skin had been covered up. The school failed to provide a “well-rounded education”, although girls achieved well in English and maths and produced high quality work in creative subjects such as art and textiles.

But its roll of 717 girls, from two to 16, exceeded the number it was officially allowed to take, breaching its registration terms, Ofsted said.

Bnois Jerusalem was criticised for its policy of censorship, which resulted in girls taking no GCSEs. “Images and any text deemed not to be in line with the traditions and religious teaching of the Jewish faith are redacted or covered over with blank paper,” Ofsted reported.

Girls were unable to take GCSEs because Bnois Jerusalem’s leaders said censoring papers would breach exam regulations.

But Ofsted found standards in English and maths broadly in line with national expectations.

While girls at Beis Trana took GCSEs, they did so in only three subjects — maths, English and geography — with plans to add history and science yet to be implemented. Attainment in GCSE English last year was below the national average, Ofsted noted.

Teachers, the inspectorate found, “do not acknowledge the diversity of families and relationships in modern Britain. As a result, pupils do not develop respect and understanding for some of the protected characteristics”.

Most teachers at the Wiznitz Cheder, which takes boys from three to 13, were unqualified and the narrow curriculum left pupils “ill-prepared” for British society.

Leaders had “not ensured that pupils know about and appreciate the many cultures that live side by side in Britain other than their own”, Ofsted reported.

Staff were appointed without the proper checks’ Images not in line with religious teaching are redacted’