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Orthodox school in Stamford Hill set to close on orders of Department for Education

Getters Talmud Torah has withdrawn its appeal against deregistration

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Chasidic boys’ school in Stamford Hill looks set to close at the end of this term after it withdrew an appeal against a deregistration order from the Department for Education.

Getters Talmud Torah, which teaches 224 boys aged three to 14, had been due to make its case to remain as an independent school at a four-day hearing at Care Standards Tribunal due to begin next Tuesday.

But the DfE confirmed on Friday that the school - which was rated inadequate in its most recent Ofsted inspection – has abandoned its appeal.

Independent schools have to be formally registered with the education authorities.

An unregistered Chasidic school in Stamford Hill, Talmud Torah Tashbar, where only Yiddish was spoken, was ordered to close in February 2016.

The deregistration order against Getters was revealed in a letter from Lord Agnew,  the minister responsible for faith schools, in February, which expressed concern at the number of Charedi schools in Stamford Hill failing Ofsted inspections.

After visiting the school again in March, Ofsted reported it had stopped teaching secular subjects apart from English and maths since January 2017.

Getters parents had signed a document accepting responsibility for educating their children in other secular areas themselves.

Boys learned little “about the contribution women have made to shaping modern British society” and were not taught about the lifestyle and cultures of others.

The school also had 24 more pupils than the 200 limit for which it was officially registered in 2000, Ofsted said.

Getters declined to comment.

 

 

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