A strictly Orthodox girls primary school in Hendon requires improvement because teaching is not consistently good, Ofsted said.

Peninim met independent school standards and had made improvements since the last inspection in 2017.

But girls in year two were still not able to read fluently and write at length, Ofsted said after its latest inspection.

Personal development and early years provision at the school were both ranked good.

It ensured that “people learn the importance of treating people fairly, whatever their background, including those with protected characteristics”.

Protected characteristics in equality law include same-sex orientation and gender reassignment - although Ofsted did not say whether these specifically had been covered.

Meanwhile, a strictly Orthodox boys school in Gateshead planning to expand its age range is not yet meeting all the independent school standards, Ofsted said.

The Gateshead Cheder Primary School, which was rated good by Ofsted last year, teaches boys from three to 14 but wants to raise that to 16.

Inspectors were satisfied with arrangements to teach GCSE science, English and maths courses but found that work schemes in other curriculum areas fell short.