Pickles’ praise for Stamford Hill Orthodox girl’s school

A senior cabinet minister has praised an Orthodox girls’ school in Stamford Hill for its “excellence”.

Secretary of State for Communities Eric Pickles attended a citizenship class at Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School, met school leaders and declared that “Jewish values are British values”.

Pickles’ visit, during which he praised “the excellence of the staff and facilities” comes after a surprise inspection last year led to a downgrade from ‘outstanding’ to ‘good’. It had earlier faced criticism for “obscuring” exam questions.