Bnois Jerusalem Girls School

Overview

The inspection concludes that the school “does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked.” While safeguarding arrangements are effective, the report states that “important omissions from the curriculum” mean it fails to meet pupils’ educational and wellbeing needs adequately. Leaders maintain that religious restrictions on curriculum content are “non-negotiable,” resulting in unmet standards regarding relationships education and the promotion of respect for protected characteristics.

Strengths

• Pupils “feel well cared for and safe at school” and can speak to any staff member with concerns.
• Staff attend “regular, suitable safeguarding training” and report concerns “in a timely way.”
• The curriculum includes subjects beyond statutory requirements, such as typing and finance, with staff typically identifying “small steps of learning.”
• The school complies with the restriction order, having added no new pupils to the register since September 2021.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure the curriculum covers statutory relationships and sex education content, including intimate relationships and consent, which are currently omitted.
• The school must teach pupils about all protected characteristics and different cultures to prepare them for “life in modern Britain,” rather than limiting this to their own faith.
• Leaders need to actively promote pupils’ wellbeing by addressing curriculum weaknesses that “could put pupils at increased risk of harm.”

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding standards are met, with effective training, timely reporting of concerns, and a policy that reflects government guidance and is available to parents.