An unregistered strictly Orthodox primary school has been ordered to close by the Department for Education in a further sign of a crackdown by the authorities on religious institutions operating outside the law.
Talmud Torah Tashbar in Stamford Hill, Hackney, has been told to shut down in a month.
A DFE spokesman said that it “ is a criminal offence to operate an unregistered independent school. This school’s application for registration has been rejected and on December 30 it was informed of this decision. It has been told to close by February 12.”
The head of the inspection service Ofsted Sir Michael Wilshaw has been leading the charge against illegal schools, urging tougher action from the DFE in recent weeks after three unregistered Muslims schools were discovered in Birmingham in recent months.
