The class of 2019! Top teachers honoured at Jewish Schools Awards

The community’s top educators took centre stage last night at the fourth annual Jewish Schools Awards.

Held by Jewish News and the Partnerships for Schools (PaJeS), eight gongs and a Lifetime Achievement Award were handed out to outstanding teachers during a glittering ceremony attended by 200 guests at JW3.

Juliette Green, of Sinai Jewish Primary School, and Anna Joseph, of JFS, opened proceedings with awards for promoting excellence in literacy.

Yavneh College’s Dina Jacobson was honoured for facilitating student responsibility in a secondary school, whilst Ruth Finkel of North West London Jewish Day School picked up the award for chesed initiatives in a primary school.

Winners received £5,000 for a project of their choice, with runners-up each getting £1,000.

For the first time, two Manchester-based educators received honours. Cath Davies, of Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School, and Rabbi Jonathan Goodman, of The King David High School, Manchester, were both honoured for excellence in the Israel education category.

Akiva School’s Nicole Craig and Suzanne Singer, of Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School, were jointly named as winners of the outstanding practice in foundation stage award, with Denise Sloane, of JFS, picking up the award for outstanding arts initiative in a secondary school.

Rabbi David Meyer, Executive Director of PaJeS, said: “This spectacular evening has helped to really recognise the efforts of all of our teachers who have put their hearts and souls into the education of our children.”

A lifetime achievement award was presented to philanthropist and Master of Birkbeck, University of London, Professor David Latchman of the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges, including Kate Goldberg, Chief Executive of the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, Naomi Greenwood, a founding governor of Immanuel College and former chair of the Jewish Teacher Training Partnership, Leonie Lewis, Director of the Jewish Volunteering Network, and leading Consultant Paediatrician Dr Michael Markiewicz.

Simon Johnson of the Jewish Leadership Council, who hosted the awards, said: “Tonight’s awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of our finest educators.

“It is a reflection of the standards of our teachers that there were 350 nominations and the judges found it harder than ever to select the finalists and the winners.”

Jewish News editor Richard Ferrer added: “We were proud to partner with PaJeS to deliver this special night for our schools and the entire community. Our teachers are truly worth celebrating. This event shows what exciting times these are for Jewish education.”

The evening was sponsored by Andrew Wolfson, of The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, who praised the “fantastic” event, and Marc Samuels, of The Emmes Foundation, who expressed his hope for a “bigger” evening next year with parents joining the celebrations.