Kantor King Solomon High School in Essex has been praised for its Jewish education, catering for a diverse mix of pupils, two-thirds of whom are not Jewish.

Results in Jewish studies at GCSE, which is taken by all students, and at A-level were high, said Pikuach, the Board of Deputies-run inspection service, which rated the school’s Jewish programme good in all categories.

KKS was “successful in creating a cohesive, inclusive community” for its students, Pikuach said. Some 35 per cent were Jewish, with 30 per cent Muslim and “a significant number of Hindu, Sikh and Christians of European, Afro-Caribbean and English backgrounds”. Around 40 per cent of students spoke English as an additional language, with around 30 per cent from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Relations among students were strong, while respect for each other’s religions and celebration of diversity were a “great strength of the school”. 

Students were “stimulated in their discussions about justice and charity” and, in a discussion of whether money led to happiness or greed, they were able to explain the Jewish point of view.

Inspectors remarked on a spirit of togetherness among Jewish studies staff under the positive leadership of Melanie Shutz, who were determined to make every child’s Jewish studies experience “as rewarding as possible”.

Local rabbis offered extra-curricular classes, while the recruitment of more teachers by new headteacher Hannele Reece enabled an increase in Jewish activities for Jewish students.

Teachers in other departments supplemented Jewish learning, for example, with “the study of Jewish authors in literature, the study of Jewish music, art and drama, learning about kashrut in food technology, the study of irrigation in the Negev Desert in geography, and Holocaust studies within history.”

However, inspectors said the school needed to improve Hebrew reading for Jewish students.