Gateshead Jewish Boarding School

Inspection of Gateshead Jewish Boarding School 10 Rydal Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 1HG

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Inspection dates: 16 to 18 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school benefit from a warm, inclusive and increasingly aspirational environment, rooted in deep community connections. Pupils are happy. They appreciate the positive relationships that they have built with staff. Staff know the pupils and their families very well. This helps to ensure that pupils are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for their pupils and their determination to provide the very best is evident. Likewise, staff have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. A focus on transferable skills, particularly between the Kodesh and secular curriculums, helps pupils build confidence and deepen understanding. Leaders have carefully nurtured links with local Jewish schools. This supports curriculum refinement and is raising aspirations and achievement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very positively during lessons and at breaktimes. The school has recently reviewed the behaviour system, which has had a positive impact on pupils’ motivation, attitudes to learning and conduct around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has designed a personal development programme that supports pupils to be tolerant of and respect people with different beliefs and values. However, the school does not ensure that pupils have a depth of understanding of all aspects of life in modern Britain. The school has a renowned choir, where pupils receive expert tuition in solo and choral singing.

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better?

The school has undertaken a significant amount of work to improve the quality of education. Most recently, it has worked with external partners to further develop a considered, progressive curriculum. For example, each subject leader has received helpful training in developing a precise structure for their curriculum. This enables pupils to recall and apply knowledge with increasing security. In each subject, the key concepts that pupils need to understand, and the sequence in which they are taught, has been carefully identified. As a result, the school’s curriculum is ambitious, and pupils enjoy increasing success.

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better?

Reading is a key feature of the school’s ambitious English curriculum. For instance, pupils enjoy debate inspired by well-chosen texts. However, structured support for weaker readers is underdeveloped. Furthermore, the absence of regular library access reduces pupils’ opportunities to read with confidence and enjoyment and be further inspired by literature.

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better?

Since the last inspection, the school has refined its approach to supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school supports pupils with SEND well, ensuring that they receive the support that they need to keep pace with their peers. Pupils who attend regularly and those who receive targeted interventions make discernible progress. 16 to 18 September 2025 Behaviour routines are embedded well and conducive to learning throughout the school. Pupils are respectful and supportive of one another. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are typically strong and they show high levels of motivation.

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better?

Pupils learn a well planned but limited personal, social and health education curriculum. Pupils increase their awareness of social and emotional health and well- being in an age-appropriate manner. Pupils have a strong understanding of fundamental British values and deep knowledge about world religions. However, pupils do not learn about the physical and emotional changes that take place during adolescence and the protected characteristics of sexual orientation and gender reassignment. As a result, their understanding of certain aspects of life in modern British society is not secure.

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better?

Pupils experience a range of educational trips, including a car manufacturing plant in Sunderland and Helvelyn in Cumbria. A number of pupils enjoy choral and solo singing in the school’s renowned choir. For the oldest pupils, a favourite part of the year is the annual Chaveirim Junior week. Here pupils actively support their local community. While pupils, parents and carers value the time-honoured opportunities on offer, such as the choir, chances for pupils to develop and stretch their individual talents are uncommon.

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better?

The school’s careers programme is embedded from Year 7 to Year 10. Pupils see a genuine partnership between themselves, the school and their families in considering next steps.

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better?

Members of the proprietor body know the school well. They have a secure understanding of the current strengths and have identified the right priorities moving forward. For instance, they have been instrumental in brokering professional support from local schools in recent months. Staff take great pride in working at the school. They speak highly of leaders’ clarity and vision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school is at the early stages of developing a systematic approach to support pupils who may struggle with reading. At present, a small number of pupils find that reading is a barrier to them achieving as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that weaker readers benefit from additional, targeted support to improve their accuracy, fluency and confidence, while also nurturing a love of reading. 16 to 18 September 2025  At present, too few pupils are actively offered the chance to explore wider opportunities to broaden their horizons. The school should ensure that its offer is ambitious, accessible and inclusive so that all pupils benefit and thrive.  The school does not currently teach pupils about how to manage the physical and emotional changes associated with growing up, including the processes of physical, neurological and psychological development that leads to sexual maturity and reproductive capability, or about the protected characteristics of

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

sexual orientation and gender reassignment. This is not in line with DfE statutory guidance. Leaders should ensure that these aspects are taught so that pupils are properly prepared for life in modern Britain.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 16 to 18 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 108414 DfE registration number 390/6002

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School details

Inspection number 10391705 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor Gateshead Jewish Boarding School

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) Contribution from parents and the community Telephone number 0191 477 1431

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School details

Website The school does not have a website

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School details

Email address admin@gjbs.gateshead.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 to 23 November 2023 16 to 18 September 2025

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Information about this school

 The school is located at Rydal Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.  The Gateshead Jewish Boarding School is a day school for boys of Orthodox Jewish faith.  The school’s curriculum includes Kodesh (Jewish studies) which pupils study in the morning. Pupils study the secular curriculum in the afternoon.  Pupils study GCSE qualifications in Year 9 and Year 10. They leave the school at the end of Year 10. Most pupils move from this school to study at a Yeshiva.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place in November 2023.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, chair of the proprietor body, curriculum leaders and teachers and administrators. Inspectors met with seven groups of pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into English, mathematics, physics and business studies.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teaching staff and spoke to pupils about their learning. Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Leaders requested that inspectors did not ask pupils any questions relating to the protected characteristics of sexual orientation or gender reassignment. Inspectors were asked not to discuss the concepts of intimate relationships and health

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Information about this inspection

education relating to the processes of physical, neurological and psychological development that leads to sexual maturity and reproductive capability.  Inspectors spoke with leaders and staff about the school’s approach to safeguarding pupils in school. Inspectors checked the single central record and reviewed records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. Checks 16 to 18 September 2025 were made on staff training and safeguarding procedures. Inspectors checked the implementation of risk assessment and health and safety policies, including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for parents, pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Marcus Newby, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Malcolm Kirtley His Majesty’s Inspector 16 to 18 September 2025

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are- – 2(2)(d) personal, social, health and economic education which- – 2(2)(d)(ii) encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act[9]; – 2(2)(i) effective preparation of pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society. – 2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor- – 2A(1)(b) ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with secondary education at the school is provided with relationships and sex education, except in so far as the pupil is excused as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2),

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 2A(1)(d) in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c), has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools,

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

 5 The standard about the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school is met if the proprietor- – 5(b) ensures that principles are actively promoted which- – 5(b)(vi) encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act; and

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils. 16 to 18 September 2025 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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