Pikuach, the Board of Deputies-run inspection service for Jewish studies, is to extend the suspension of inspections until the summer.

After the suspension of inspections with lockdown in March, school visits had been due to resume in early 2021 but Pikuach has now followed Ofsted in delaying the return further.

Jeffrey Leader, director of Pikuach, said, “We have shared the latest news with all the relevant schools and will be updating them with any developments.

“In the meantime, Pikuach has started the process of training inspectors on the new framework that was launched in September and will be setting up training sessions in the spring for school leaders, Jewish Studies teachers and chairpersons.”

Although the delay means that some schools will not have been inspected until after the statutory five-year period, Pikuach says the Department for Education has confirmed they will not be penalised in the present, exceptional circumstances.