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Wolfson Hillel joins elite group of primary schools with two Exceptional Ofsted grades
Of the more than 1,700 primary schools inspected under Ofsted's new regime, the number achieving "Exceptional" ratings in two or more areas is in single digits
Wolfson Hillel Primary School has been rated Exceptional in both Leadership and Governance and Personal Development and Wellbeing in its latest Ofsted report, making it one of only nine primary schools nationally to have achieved Exceptional judgements in two or more areas under the regulator’s revised inspection framework.
Of the 1,736 primary schools nationwide with published reports under the revised framework by the end of July 2026, just six had been judged Exceptional for Leadership and Governance and only 10 for Personal Development and Wellbeing. Only eight schools had achieved Exceptional judgements in two or more areas – fewer than 0.5% of all those inspected. Wolfson Hillel now becomes the ninth.
The result places Wolfson Hillel among a very small group of primary schools nationally to have achieved the highest judgement available under the new framework and recognises both the strength of the school’s leadership and governance and the exceptional experience it provides for its pupils.
Wolfson Hillel had received “Outstanding” grades in its previous two Ofsted inspections, but changes to the overall inspection system last year mean that schools no longer receive an overall judgement. Instead, the new system focuses on six key areas: Inclusion, Curriculum and Teaching, Achievement, Attendance and Behaviour, Personal development and wellbeing, and Leadership and governance. There are five possible grades for each area, ranging from “exceptional” to “urgent improvement” (a seventh section, safeguarding, is scored via a simple “met” or “not met” outcome).
Inspectors recognised the Southgate-based school’s Leadership and Governance as Exceptional, reflecting the ambitious vision for the school, the strength of its leadership and the role of governors in supporting and challenging the school to deliver the very best outcomes for pupils.
The school’s Personal Development and Wellbeing was also judged Exceptional, recognising a culture in which pupils demonstrate genuine respect, kindness and care for others and are given a wide range of opportunities to develop, flourish and thrive. In the other four ranked categories of inspection, the school received the second highest level, “Strong Standard”.
The report also highlighted the school’s extremely strong Early Years provision, the quality of teaching and its ambitious and engaging curriculum. Inspectors recognised the support provided to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring that every child is supported to thrive.
Alex Kingston and Laura Russell, Co-Headteachers of Wolfson Hillel Primary School, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled and immensely proud of this exceptional Ofsted outcome. To have two areas recognised as exceptional is an extraordinary achievement and a testament to our wonderful pupils, dedicated staff and the whole Wolfson Hillel community.
“Most importantly, the report reflects what we see every day: children who love coming to school, achieve exceptionally well and show genuine kindness, respect and care for others. We are hugely grateful to our staff and parents for everything they do to make Wolfson Hillel such a special place.”
Adam Goldstein, Chief Executive of the Jewish Community Academy Trust, of which Wolfson Hillel is a part, said:
“Everyone in the JCAT family is immensely proud of this achievement by Wolfson Hillel, the first of our schools to be inspected under the new Ofsted framework. The inspection outcome is recognition for the exemplary vision and culture that Alex and Laura have built in school, the dedication of all staff and volunteers, and the quality of education pupils there receive.”
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