Jewish schools

There are many kinds of Jewish school, ranging from those that are in the maintained sector and offer a standard National Curriculum with some additional Jewish studies, to the orthodox Haredi schools.

Jewish schools seek throughout the curriculum to promote an adherence to Judaism (hence the regulations on the curriculum may be met in different ways than in conventional schools).
In most Jewish schools, there are two curriculum strands: Limmudei Kodesh (religious studies) and Limmudei Chol (secular studies), sometimes with limited time for the latter. Religious studies are usually taught by rabbis.
Haredi schools are strictly observant, serving communities with large traditional families, many of which speak Yiddish.
Haredi schools often have a different curriculum for boys and girls. Boys' schools are heavily biased towards religious studies, with limited time for secular studies covering English and mathematics, since it is argued that religious studies cover the other key areas via the study of the Talmud, which certainly offers intellectual challenge.
A typical feature of Haredi schools is that boys leave at 12 or 13 for yeshivot (Talmudical institutions).
Inspectors could refer to recent reports which include Talmud Torah Chinuch N'orim (Haredi) School (355/6007); Bnois Jerusalem School (204/6242).

Although there was a Jewish community in medieval England, this was expelled by Edward I in 1290. A Jewish presence was re-established during the time of Oliver Cromwell, and since then there has been considerable immigration into the country, most notably between 1880 and 1910, and in the period before and after the Second World War. After peaking at about 450,000 in the period after 1945, the community has now dwindled and is less than 300,000. The drop in numbers has been the result of assimilation or emigration, either to Israel, the USA, or elsewhere; however, there has recently been some growth, most notably within the strictly observant communities (sometimes known as 'ultra-orthodox', but preferably called 'Haredi'), but also, to some extent, within the more liberal groups. Historically, there is a difference in origin between Sephardi Jews, i.e. those whose roots lie in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern world, and Ashkenazi Jews, who come from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Only about 12,000 Jews in Britain are Sephardi.

There is no single Jewish community in Britain and there are several divisions, all of which reflect different levels of religious observance and adherence to tradition. The centre ground is occupied by the United Synagogue, headed by the Chief Rabbi, who is often seen as the figurehead for the whole community. In reality, his authority is very limited and is not accepted by either 'right' or 'left', as the strictly observant and liberal wings of Judaism are commonly known.

To the right of the United Synagogue is the Federation of Synagogues, and further to the right is the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations. The strictly observant community is divided into Misnagdic and Hasidic Jews: the former originated in Lithuania and represent a very scholarly and formal approach to matters of belief, while the latter are the spiritual descendants of a charismatic and popular movement in Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 18th century. There are several different sects of Hasidic Jews, each of which is characterised by intense loyalty to a particular rabbinic dynasty and headed by a spiritual leader known as the Rebbe. The further to the right, the more inwardly focused the communities are.

To the left of the United Synagogue is a breakaway movement known as Masorti, which is small, but significant in terms of scholarship. Further left are the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain, and further left again is the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues. Many well-known Jewish speakers on radio and television come from these left-wing movements.

The main centres of Jewish population are North London, the Home Counties and Essex, North Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Gateshead and the South Coast, especially the Bournemouth and Brighton areas. In other provincial centres the communities are declining. The areas of most rapid growth are those with significant strictly observant communities: Stamford Hill (Hackney), Golders Green (Barnet), Broughton Park (Salford), Prestwich (Bury), and Gateshead.

The Jewish community has always placed great emphasis on education and on the provision of schools. Its oldest school in Britain, Jews Free School in London, dates back to the 18th century. There has been an explosion in the number of schools that have been established since the early 1960s, and there are 36 maintained schools (voluntary aided) and 55 independent schools. Within the independent sector there are a small number of mainstream orthodox schools and one Reform school, but the vast majority are schools which have been established by the Haredi communities.

Mainstream schools

In the small number of mainstream independent Jewish schools, there are few serious problems with the educational provision, although in some of them there are difficulties fitting in the two traditional strands of Limmudei Kodesh (religious studies) and Limmudei Chol (secular studies), so that there is adequate time for the latter. A feature of one or two schools is their adherence to Zionism and their close contacts with Israel.

Haredi schools

The strictly observant schools, especially those in North Manchester and Hackney, serve communities which are economically disadvantaged. Families are large (10Đ12 children would be typical) and parents want their children to be educated on acceptable traditional lines which keep them away from modern secularism. Many of these families are Yiddish speaking and the children have no access to radio, television or newspapers. Schools have very few resources on which they can draw unless they are supported by specific Hasidic groups. Although there are purpose built schools, many occupy converted houses. Religious studies are taught by rabbis who have usually had thorough rabbinic training; secular studies may be taught by qualified teachers (sometimes non-Jewish), rabbis or unqualified staff.

There is a significant difference in the curriculum of the girls' and boys' schools. The former often have a more balanced curriculum at both primary and secondary phase, whereas the boys' schools are heavily biased towards religious studies. The school week for boys can be long (sometimes over 40 hours), but the secular curriculum may only occupy six or seven hours and be largely confined to English, mathematics and some general knowledge: the argument put forward by these schools is that many aspects of secular studies are covered in religious studies. This argument is not without substance, since the study of the Talmud, which is a major feature of religious studies, can involve an encyclopaedic range of subject matter, as well as considerable intellectual challenge, and the development of a range of skills in language and logical thinking. However, few schools have tried to describe formally how Limmudei Kodesh contributes to secular knowledge. A major issue over the years has been to determine what secular learning is needed to supplement the traditional Jewish curriculum.

At secondary level a typical feature of boys' education is that they leave school at 12 or 13 to go to yeshivot (Talmudical Colleges), either in Britain or abroad. No satisfactory solution has yet been found as to how these colleges, which have children of compulsory school age, can either be registered or inspected. Girls tend to stay on at school until 16 and then go on to a seminary, where they may acquire some teaching skills.

The problems described in the preceding paragraphs are not typical of all Haredi schools. Some of those towards the 'left of the right' have a more balanced curriculum and achieve success in public examinations.

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