Jewish primary schools in London among UK’s best according to new Government report

Jewish primary schools in London have been recognised as among the nation’s best in 2015, according to a new government report which says faith schools are “dramatically over-represented” in the league tables.

Moriah Jewish Day School in Pinner and Sinai (formerly known as Michael Sobell) Jewish School in Kenton were among the select few featured in the Government Initiatives IQ report published last week. 

It highlights excellence by listing the “top performing and most improved schools” based on inspection results and the percentage achieving Level 4 or above in English and Mathematics.

The news came as a huge boost to teachers at Moriah, which opened in 1998, where the inclusion of the one-form entry school was seen as a welcome recognition for years of hard work.

Incoming head teacher Ruth Gafson said she was “absolutely delighted” and praised the “vision and passion” of previous heads Alan Shaw and Judy Lethbridge, saying: “Staff, children and parents are all invested” in efforts to keep standards high. 

The report shows that faith schools – which make up just a third of all schools nationally – are “dramatically over-represented among the best performers,” with four Jewish primaries among the top tier. 

In total, half the 72 schools were Church of England while one in eight were Roman Catholic. There was also a Sikh school in the list for the first time. 

The British Humanist Society has levied heavy criticism of the schools, saying they are “unrepresentative” of the local communities, with parents conveniently finding God to secure places for their children.