Hinds wins applause for his school speech

EDUCATION SECRETARY Damian Hinds was warmly applauded during a visit to Yavneh College in Elstree when he called on Britain to be “nurturing and protective” of its Jewish community. The community was “a very special and important part of British society and it has never been more important than today to say that”.

Mr Hinds said he had once thought of antisemitism as a thing of the past and could never have imagined it still happening in Britain today.

His visit — the fourth by an Education Secretary to Yavneh since its opening in 2006 — was to cut the ribbon on the new building of the primary school on the campus.

Chatting to primary pupils as he toured their new home, he said they were “truly delightful” and taught by “clearly inspirational staff”. Yavneh was an “amazing school”, he added.

Mr Hinds had special praise for president of the Yavneh Academy Trust, Benjamin Perl, whose vision to open schools had been “so fundamental” to Jewish education.

And pronouncing in immaculate Hebrew the Yavneh motto, olam chesed yiboneh (a world built on kindness), Mr Hinds noted it “says a lot about your school”.

There may be more to celebrate. The executive head of the schools, Spencer Lewis, indicated that the primary’s first Ofsted inspection, conducted a few weeks ago, had gone well.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis also spoke at the event.