What should children experience from their Jewish education at school, and what should they carry with them when they leave?
Those questions sit at the heart of Pikuach’s 2026 Inspection Framework, launching this autumn. The Inspection evaluates standards, but that is not its only purpose. We want it to help schools improve Jewish education and, through that, improve outcomes for every child.
When children learn, participate, question, reflect, grow and belong, they gain knowledge, skills and understanding, while developing a connection to their identity. What they learn has the potential to give them something they can draw upon in their next school, in a synagogue, within the community and in wider society.
The Pikuach Framework considers four key areas: Jewish curriculum and teaching, achievement, Jewish personal and spiritual development, and leadership and governance. Just as a young tree requires strong roots, fertile soil, water, sunlight and air to grow and flourish, each area has a different role to play, but all are needed for strong growth to continue.
What pupils are taught matters, as does what they know, understand and can do with their learning. Equally important is how that learning shapes their Jewish identity, values, connections and day-to-day lives.
Jewish personal and spiritual development is where learning can move from the head to the heart: where knowledge connects with identity, belonging, reflection, responsibility and Jewish life. Good Jewish education needs both, enabling children “to be, as well as to know”.
Inclusion is now woven through all four areas. We will consider whether every pupil can access, participate in and benefit from their Jewish education, including pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged pupils and others who may face barriers to learning. Our focus is on ensuring that every child is supported and challenged appropriately so that they can participate, progress and reach their own potential.
No two Jewish schools are the same, and Pikuach is not trying to make them the same. Each has its own traditions, community and aspirations. We want each school to be the best version of the Jewish education it has chosen to provide.
Our inspections are collaborative and involve the school’s senior leadership. Collaborative does not mean less rigorous. We will challenge, test evidence, observe and make clear judgements. Parents, pupils and staff contribute through surveys and other forms of feedback. This sits alongside the other evidence we gather, helping us to understand what Jewish education is really like for children every day. We want inspection to be of real value to the school, its parents and its pupils.
A Pikuach inspection should also help schools move forward. We want to recognise and celebrate what is working well, so that schools, staff and pupils can take pride in their strengths and understand the positive impact those strengths are having. At the same time, the outcomes of an inspection should give leaders greater clarity about where improvement is needed, helping them to focus their next steps and use the inspection as a practical tool for future development.
Pikuach also has a statutory responsibility to consider daily collective worship. We will establish whether the requirement is met and whether worship is meaningful, inclusive and contributes positively to pupils’ Jewish personal and spiritual development.
For me, the real measure of this framework will not simply be the grades on a Pikuach report. It will be what children experience each day, how they grow and what becomes part of them over time. It will also be whether the inspection leaves the school with greater clarity about what it does well and where it should go next.
That is what meaningful Jewish education should achieve. Pikuach’s role, through collaborative, rigorous and constructive inspection, is to help every school provide it for every child.
Janine Rose is executive director of the Board of Deputies-run inspection service Pikuach
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