• Ofsted reports that the Beis Ruchel D’Satmar school restricts students from studying key subjects and neglects its duty to promote respect for other communities.
• An investigation by The Times revealed how thousands of Jewish boys from Stamford Hill left school without knowing how to read and write English.
In a report released in 2023 and subsequently, 2024, Ofsted stated that Beis Ruchel D’Satmar, an independent Orthodox Jewish girls’ school in Stamford Hill, prohibits students from studying subjects such as science and geography. Ofsted observed that “key content” is “removed and omitted.” Furthermore, despite the statutory obligation, Ofsted asserted that the school fails to “actively promote and encourage respect for other people” concerning the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
Furthermore, Ofsted reported that the school neglects to deliver “statutory content” in relationships and sex education (RSE), omitting critical topics such as “sexual consent, sexual exploitation, grooming and abuse.” This omission leaves students “unprepared for life in modern Britain,” Ofsted asserted.
In 2021, a report by the Jewish counter-extremism organisation Nahamu underscored how the absence of RSE contributes to instances of forced marriage within Orthodox Jewish communities. During a prior inspection, school leaders informed Ofsted that “no aspect” of sex education is taught, not even “reproduction in the context of an academic subject like science.”
The school has been rated “inadequate” since 2016. Additionally, during conversations between inspectors and pupils, school leaders obstructed Ofsted from raising questions regarding “the protected characteristics, other faiths and beliefs or sex education.” In certain instances, the headteacher stationed themselves “close to the classroom door.”
Despite being prohibited from enrolling new students since 2019 and currently violating its registration agreement by exceeding the approved maximum number of pupils, Ofsted stated that the school “continues to admit pupils below and above the registered age range.” The school enrolls pupils from between two years old and nineteen years old.
Jack Rivington, campaigns officer for the National Secular Society, remarked: “This school’s prioritisation of religious ideology over the best interests of its pupils deprives children of a comprehensive education and leaves them ill-equipped to navigate life in modern Britain.
“The interference by school leaders during Ofsted’s inspection is deeply concerning and, combined with the school’s persistent refusals to fulfill its legal obligations, demonstrates a blatant disregard for educational regulation and oversight.
“The school should consider how its failure to adequately teach crucial concepts such as sexual consent and exploitation – a failure it seeks to justify on religious grounds – exposes its pupils to heightened risks of harm.”
Sunday Times Investigation into Yeshivas in Stamford Hill
Notably, Andrew Norfolk led an investigation for the Sunday Times titled ‘The hidden schools of Stamford Hill’. He initiated his research in 2015 and subsequently revisited it in March 2023. Norfolk reached the following conclusion:
Thousands of Jewish boys who grew up in Samford Hill and attended one of the 1500 Yeshivas in the locality, leave School without the ability to read and write English.
• Thousands of Jewish boys who grew up in Samford Hill leave School without the ability to read and write English.
• Many of the 1500 Yeshivas (Jewish religious schools) were unregistered, unsafe and unhygienic.
• Yeshivas only teach the Torah to boys and do not offer any secular Education.
• Several teachers only speak Yiddish and cannot speak English.
• The Department for Education were aware of these unregistered schools in 2015 but chose not to do anything about them.
