London – Stamford Hill Charedi School Ordered Shut Down For Failing To Meet ‘Minimum’ DOE Standards

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    FILE - Police officers patrol in a Jewish neighbourhood in north London January 17, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth  London – The Department of Education (DOE) has ordered that the Charedi Talmud Torah Tashbar school in Stamford Hill must close its doors after three separate Ofsted reports gave it a failing grade in meeting the “minimum” teaching standards required by law.

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    INDEPENDENT.co.uk (http://ind.pn/1TZA8P9) reports that the school, which has been operating illegally for 40 years, teaches its students no English at all and its Hebrew-only curriculum has been designated by Ofsted inspectors as encouraging “cultural and ethnic insularity because it is so narrow and almost exclusively rooted in the study of the Torah.”

    Despite a statement last month by Chief Inspector Schools, Sir Michael Winslow, that the government was considering prosecuting illegal “faith” school that “promote intolerance,” no official action has been taken and the school remains open.

    A DOE spokes man said, “It is a criminal offence to operate an unregistered independent school. This school’s application for registration has been rejected and on 30 December it was informed of this decision. It has been told to close by 12 February.”


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    30 Comments
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    8 years ago

    Lets hope the USA does the same to bith the yeshivish and chasidsh schools that have adopted the same stupidity.

    And for all the naysayers, please answer the following, what are our bouchrim doing in lieu of secular studies? How are they occupying their time? Is a 9th grader really cut out to learn gemara a whole day? Are our high school boys really shtieging or are they just growing up to be a bunch of hockers and batlanim??

    8 years ago

    Kok hakovod to the Brits for having the courage to shut down “schools” that consistently crank out dysfunctional students with no job skills or basic ability to function in modern society. Halevei that public officials in EY an the U.S. would have the same courage since the same problems existing among some but not all chareidi schools everywhere. There is no reason that a Chareidi school cannot provide minimal instruction in reading schools, math, science and civic affairs. There are many schools that already do so while training some of the best kollel yungerliet and young rabbunim who will be gadolei hador in the next several decades.

    yonasonw
    Member
    yonasonw
    8 years ago

    If that happened to one or to yeshivas in the Monsey/Brooklyn/Lakewood/Baltimore corridor…the others might be motivated to get their acts together, Hip hip hurray for the Brits.

    ALTERG1
    ALTERG1
    8 years ago

    #1 & #2 shame on you for speaking against Jews, btw in Brooklyn they are more rich people from Jewish schools then public schools,

    Dare-to-Disagree
    Dare-to-Disagree
    8 years ago

    There is actually something phenomenal and commendable about these Chadorim that should be celebrated rather than cause for persecution.

    The reality is that with all of the secular worlds advancements, there is most often no coherent center that the knowledge they disseminate engenders. That is to say that as Jews we recognize that all of reality is a manifestation of the divine, to be used for a divine purpose. The problem is that those who study secular knowledge are very often tempted to divorce G-d from our reality. Empirical evidence is regarded as supreme, and the word of G-d is secondary. Science states that “Man is the measure of all things,” which means that the human, not G-d, gets to determine fact, and ultimately morality and values.

    By providing young children with the opportunity to completely immerse themselves in Torah study until they are halachically required to seek out a living, these children are being provided with an unadulterated G-dly perspective of reality which they will later utilize during their lifetime to accomplish the divine purpose of creation, rather than a life focused on selfish achievements with little regard for G-d and His Torah.

    8 years ago

    “faith” school that “promote intolerance,” – this bothers me. How, in teaching our religion, does that promote intolerance? All this PC stuff is nonsense.

    I would suggest these pathetic schools call in my sister (who was given her first job at Yesodei Hatorah school many years ago, based on who our zaidie was!) She is now retired but consults for schools and Yeshivot as she is an amazing educator and administrator. If anyone can drag this school into the 21st century, she could. But they will just go to another location & carry on in the same manner.

    mordche
    mordche
    8 years ago

    I actually learned in this cheder tashbar and I still have enough money (I’m not the type of guy who likes to talk like this but I earn way more then a lot of writers here) and I definitely think you can see a difference on the kids from this school to other kids that they have a bigger hasoge in Yiddishkeit and there more understanding to what’s Yiddishkeit

    Micka
    Micka
    8 years ago

    Oh my, they will shutter Hogwarts! They have no English Education and teach “intolerance” (by focusing on what they believe is necessary to their students, namely magic).
    YA fiction aside, this shouldn’t be a discussion of wether secular studies and to what extend are necessary. Each parent could have his or her opinion on this and they should send their child to the school that best matches their outlook. What boggles my mind is the government interference in this issue. A parent should have full discretion to decide on what is an ‘important education’ for ones child.
    If a parent decides that all his/her child should know is art – well you may disagree, but that is a parents right to choose. You could argue that it is crucial that a child should receive an education as much as food, but it is not the governments place to decide what consists as ‘education’ that should be left to the parent.

    jason1974
    jason1974
    8 years ago

    #10 makes some good points. With that said I don’t like when any government dictates private education let alone closes a school. It’s clear community members realize there is an issue. Any positive solution won’t come from the government but within the community. I hope the community can work toward a sustainable solution.

    The_Truth
    Noble Member
    The_Truth
    8 years ago

    If they are really learning Torah all day from 8.30 am until 4pm (or later), from age 11(?) until 18/20/30(?), then why dont we see huge Gedolei Hador come from these chadorim (in the UK, US, or EY)?
    Yes you can not create illuyim, but it doesnt add up to me how there can be 1000s of bochrim all over, who are learning only Torah all day, go to yeshiva and sit in kollel for years, and yet we dont see the Torah giants coming out of these institutions. Something is definitely lacking in this system.

    Who are the best Rabbeim? Which Rabbonim lead successful shuls and communities? Who are the great Torah lecturers & orators of our generation? Who are the ones who are in demand and who people will pay high fees for them to speak to audiences around the globe?
    The best ones are those who can give over what they have learnt. Who are inspiring and have powerful and meaningful drosho.
    99% of these people have a secular education (some more, some less). Who have a full breadth of Shas and Chazal, but have ability to apply it to the world around us and give it over to the masses.

    The system also needs to be sustainable. It cant just be money in, Torah out, or visa versa.