The Jewish education at Britain’s largest Jewish school, JFS, has received a rave review from inspectors, who rated it outstanding in all three areas.
In keeping with Ofsted’s new practice, Pikuach, the Board of Deputies-run service which evaluates Jewish studies, no longer awards an overall headline grade.
But inspectors highlighted the “strong Jewish ethos”, the “well-planned, inspiring and engaging” Jewish education offered in a “positive and all-inclusive environment”, and the “knowledgeable, dedicated and inspiring” teachers, led by the outstanding co-directors of Jewish life and learning, Abi Keene and Rabbi Danny Baigel.
Pupils exhibited “an awareness of the spiritual aspects of Judaism and display a high level of personal conduct,” inspectors found, and were
encouraged to explore the relevance of Torah to their lives by a “rigorous and engaging” curriculum.
Head teacher Dr David Moody commented, "I am massively proud of all the staff who are working so hard build the best Jewish experience possible for our students. At a time when our Jewish connection is so important, it is great to see Pikuach recognise all of the effort that the school is putting into this.
"Making things as meaningful as possible for our broad range of students is a piece of work that will span years, but it is excellent to be working with such a talented group of teachers and students in pursuit of this.”
A “standout feature” for Pikuach was the voluntary beit midrash programme offered in the morning to 11 to 14-year olds.
“It was remarkable to see so many students choosing to attend this daily session, demonstrating their enthusiasm for independent Torah learning,” inspectors said.
The “buzz” around lunchtime clubs showed the strength of the informal education programme, “reinforcing the school’s commitment to making Jewish learning accessible, enjoyable, and impactful beyond the formal classroom setting”.
GCSE Religious Studies results were well above the national average, with nearly 88 per cent of pupils achieving a grade 4 or above, 48 per cent attaining a grade 7 or above and 10 per cent the top grade grade 9. Students with special needs also performed well, inspectors noted.
For pupils who wanted deeper textual study, there was an alternative to regular Jewish studies lessons which provided that.
The school has 2,048 pupils on its books.
