Menorah Grammar head to step down next week

THE HEADTEACHER of Menorah Grammar School, Simon Appleman, is stepping down at the end of the month, parents were told on Wednesday.

The former deputy head of JFS, who took over the school last September, was leaving due to “unfortunate personal reasons that have recently and unexpectedly developed,” said joint chairmen of governors, Doniel Goldberg and Yonason Perl.

They said they were “truly grateful” to him for the impact he had made during the school.

The school’s principal, Rabbi Yoel Rabinowitz, will now take on the additional role of headteacher.

Rabbi Rabinowitz was a “skilled leader who is equally comfortable and experienced in running a Kodesh [Jewish studies] or Chol [secular] department,” the governors said.

For many years, he was “the sole head of Tiferes High School, a role which he carried out successfully, having previously achieved ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ Ofsted results under his leadership.

“We are therefore taking the opportunity presented by Mr Appleman’s unfortunate and untimely departure to consolidate the role of menahel [principal] and headteacher.”

They were impressed by his vision to raise standards of teaching and learning in secular subjects, they said.

“As governors we are keenly aware how important stability at the helm of our school is for parents, staff and most importantly the students,” they said. “Yet, due to unforeseeable circumstances, we now find ourselves in the position of having to make further changes.”

The school was graded inadequate two years ago when the high turnover of headteachers was noted by Ofsted.

But inspectors, returning last year, praised the “rapid changes” made to improve the situation under the then head Rachel Hanison.