A-level Jewish studies is too much influenced by non-Orthodox or Christian perspectives, the Board of Deputies has told the government.

Some Orthodox schools also remain strongly opposed to changes that would make it compulsory to teach at least two faiths for religious studies at GCSE.

Whereas faith schools could previously concentrate exclusively on their own religion for GCSE, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan wants them in future to devote at least a quarter of the syllabus to a second faith.

In response to a national consultation by the Department for Education, the Board said that the two-faith GCSE proposal “severely reduces the limited curriculum time available to study the core faith and therefore the rigour and the integrity of the subject as a whole”.

For some of the more Orthodox schools, “this would seriously compromise the possibility of offering religious studies as a public qualification,” the Board said.

It also warned that the changes in syllabus would focus too much on theory, while leaving too little time for understanding the practical aspects of religion.

Exam boards should also be more aware of the different streams within Judaism in order to avoid setting questions that might disadvantage some pupils.

“It is important that the examining boards seek input from all sections of the Jewish community when preparing syllabuses,” the Board stated in its submission, “as different denominations within Judaism have different attitudes to, for example, the interpretation of texts and the importance of ritual.”

Board senior vice-president Laura Marks commented this week, “There is concern in many, but not all parts of our community that, by teaching a second religion, Jewish children will not be able to learn as much about Judaism, in as much depth and with as much rigour. Some schools may even choose not to take the GCSE at all.”

While schools will remain free to teach just one religion at A-level, the Board’s submission to the DFE said parts of the Judaism syllabus had become “reliant on non-Orthodox perspectives.”

In particular, four of five theologians specified for study of the Holocaust were Reform, with just one Orthodox.

Including Orthodox thinkers such as Lord Sacks or Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik would provide more balance, the Board argued.