Pupils in Jewish schools have a stronger attachment and understanding of Israel than Jewish children who attend non-Jewish schools, according to research which has tracked more than 1,000 families across their children’s secondary school career.
While children in Jewish schools enjoy a Jewish education, they also increase their sense of British identity.
The research, presented at Limmud, looked at children in mainstream Jewish secondary schools and a number in non-Jewish schools over seven years from their first to final, sixth-form year.
Students showed tolerance and appreciation of others, and looked outward as well as inwards," said project director Helena Miller. “They have a very healthy interest in the world around them, and feel comfortable and well-integrated into the wider world around them.”
Ninety per cent said they planned to vote at the next election – a higher than national average.
“We found that in the seven years since we started visiting these young people, in every school, Jewish identity remains secure and British identity has increased,” she said.
“The vast majority of our Jewish high school students have recognised the importance of learning about the wider community around them, and learning about other faiths.”
Mainstream Jewish schools were “not places of isolation – they are places where young people are encouraged to think for themselves, engage with the Jewish community and take their place in the wider world around them.”
Most parents were pleased with their children’s Jewish schooling and felt the school delivered what they wanted - an excellent sense of Jewish community and Jewish identity and strong social networks.
Parents were largely unconcerned that their children receive an intensive Jewish education, the research found. “They were more interested in ensuring that their children gained a launching pad towards a decent university education and a foundation of Jewish knowledge and tradition.”
But the greatest educational success be “may be in the area of Israel education. In contrast to those members of our sample who have only attended non-Jewish schools, the students at Jewish schools are graduating with greater understanding of Israel and a greater intensity of feeling towards the state, even while they exhibit widely varying relationships with it.”
There was, however, a “dramatic difference” between the observant Orthodox pupils and the rest of those surveyed in the readiness to opt for a gap year in Israel before university.
“While financial concerns account to some extent for this situation, far more prevalent is the worry about losing momentum and not wanting to interrupt their education,” Dr Miller reported.
A great many pupils are concerned about their financial prospects and job opportunities after university.
The research, sponsored by the Pears Foundation, was carried out in partnership with Alex Pomson, the British-born managing director of international education consultants Rosov.
The plan is follow the experience of the students through and after university over the course of the next six years.
