Jewish schools top league tables

Jewish secondary schools have scooped the top four places in a national exam league table of non-elective state schools compiled by The Sunday Times.

Hasmonean, which came first, was joined by second-placed Yavneh, third-placed King David High School in Manchester and JFS, which came fourth. King David High in Liverpool also scored highly.

It is a particular boon to Kenton-based JFS, which, despite its continuing exam success, was last year judged to “require improvement” by Ofsted. Hasmonean also recently hit the headlines for asking prospective parents about their sex life as part of selection efforts to ensure families “observed the laws of purity”.

“Jewish faith schools prove that it is possible to score truly glittering exam results with a non-selective intake,” The Sunday Times wrote.

Hasmonean topped the list with 81.5 percent of A-levels graded A*-B and 60 percent of GCSEs graded A* or A.

In addition, two Jewish primary schools made it into the paper’s Top 20 list, with Akiva in Finchley and King David in Manchester featuring highly.

Rabbi David Meyer, the former headteacher of Hasmonean and now the director of Partnership for Jewish Schools (PaJeS), paid tribute to the hard work behind the results.

“It conveys a clear message as to how a faith school can educate within a religious framework and at the same time uphold the principles of British values and enthuse students with a passion to succeed and excel.”

He added: “As a community, we should be very proud of these achievements and continue to support our schools so that we can help ensure they continue to build on these successes and set the highest standards of excellence.”

Elsewhere, Immanuel College, in Bushey, scored highly as an independent school, with 84 percent of its A-levels A*-B and 71 percent of GCSEs graded A* or A.

It comes as Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan was accused of attacking faith schools by drawing up new powers that allow her to take over failing schools and turn them into secular academies.