United Kingdom

A faith school is censoring science and geography lessons on religious grounds, Ofsted has found.

In a report published this month, Ofsted said Beis Ruchel D'Satmar, an independent Orthodox Jewish school for girls in London, does not allow pupils to study "certain concepts, read content, or complete tasks" that are "not in line with the school's religious beliefs".

This includes science and geography, where Ofsted found "key content" is "removed and omitted".

Despite it being a legal duty, Ofsted said the school does not "actively promote and encourage respect for other people" in relation to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Ofsted said the school also fails to teach "statutory content" in relationships and sex education (RSE), including concepts such as "sexual consent, sexual exploitation, grooming and abuse". This approach means pupils are left "unprepared for life in modern Britain", Ofsted said.

In 2021, a report from Jewish counter-extremism group Nahamu highlighted how a lack of RSE contributes to forced marriage in strictly-Orthodox Jewish communities.

During a previous inspection, school leaders told Ofsted that "no aspect" of sex education is taught in the school, not even "reproduction in the context of an academic subject like science".

The school has been rated "inadequate" since 2016.

During conversations between inspectors and pupils, Ofsted was prevented by school leaders from asking questions relating to "the protected characteristics, other faiths and beliefs or sex education". In some cases, the headteacher remained "close to the classroom door".

Despite being banned from admitting new pupils in 2019, and currently being in breach of its registration agreement due to exceeding the maximum number of pupils, Ofsted said the school "continues to admit pupils below and above the registered age range".