The Brodestky Primary School in Leeds has received a glowing report for Jewish studies from Pikuach, which ranked it outstanding in all areas.

Its pupils were “enthusiastic learners” who enjoyed “memorable experiences”, the Board of Deputies-run inspection service said in its first report this year.  
Around 20 per cent of Brodetsky pupils are not Jewish.

Reading standards in Hebrew were good and inspectors were impressed with “the tenacity of those who found certain words challenging”. 

Teaching of modern Hebrew, promoted as the national language of the Jewish people, contributed to the school’s Jewish life.

One class on Jewish laws, for example, opened with questions in Ivrit. “There followed a joyous explosion of songs sung in Ivrit, followed by the main teaching point, dealing with laws of the mezuzah,” Pikuach said.

Pikuach reported that 90 per cent of those entering year one were achieving academic levels in Ivrit appropriate to or above their age and 100 per cent in study of both the weekly Torah portion and Jewish laws.

While year-six results for the subjects were lower, they still ranged from an “impressive” 73 to 76 per cent. 

Outstanding prayer experiences were enhanced by use of Partnerships for Jewish Schools’ Mesillot Lashem (“Pathways to God”) curriculum.

Brodetsky was praised for its encouragement of extra-curricular activities such as Israeli dancing or the choir, whose performances included an interfaith concert.

For one project, children have been collecting 1,500,000 buttons to create a sculpture by an oak tree in the grounds that had been brought as a sapling from Auschwitz.

The school invested “much effort into educating pupils’ parents… Artefacts, with accompanying instructions, are sent home to empower families to engage with their living Judaism at home.” Its Jewish studies programme was having a positive impact on parents. One commented, “A number are now practising more Judaism as a result of their children’s learning.”