King Solomon High School
Modern Orthodox Jewish state secondary school in Barkingside, Redbridge
| King Solomon High School (formerly Kantor King Solomon High School)
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Voluntary aided Jewish secondary school with sixth form (mixed, ages 11–18) |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Registration ID | URN 102861 (Department for Education); foundation charity 1016868 (Charity Commission); company 02784298 (Companies House) |
| Headquarters | Forest Road, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex, IG6 3HB |
| Location | London Borough of Redbridge |
| Registration | England and Wales |
| Key people | Jonathan Harris (interim headteacher, 2026); Michele Phillips (headteacher, 2024); Brian Westbury (chair of governors, 2024) |
| Website | kshsonline.uk |
King Solomon High School (formerly Kantor King Solomon High School, and before that King Solomon High School) is a state-funded, voluntary aided Jewish secondary school with a sixth form in Barkingside, in the London Borough of Redbridge.[1] Ofsted describes it as having "a modern orthodox Jewish character".[2] It opened in 1993 with 85 Year 7 students.[3] Its foundation charity, Redbridge Jewish School Charity, has the object of furthering the education of its pupils "having regard to the religious guidance of the Chief Rabbi".[4] By November 2026 the school's website used the name King Solomon High School, without "Kantor".[5] As of November 2026 its governing body was consulting on a proposal to close the school on 31 August 2027.[6]
The school's website marked Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut, ran an Israel trip for students in 2022, and after the 7 October 2023 attacks posted "Our hearts are with all those affected by the tragic events in Israel. Am Yisrael Chai!"[7][8][9]
History
In 2003 Ofsted reported that "the school opened in 1993 with 85 Year 7 students and now has 946 students on its roll, representing 70 per cent of the potential Jewish population in Redbridge". The headteacher at the time of that inspection was Mr A Falk; inspectors noted that "the founding headteacher was about to leave the school".[3] In 2006 it was "a mixed Jewish secondary school" in which "almost all pupils are from white backgrounds".[10] By 2013 Ofsted described it as "a smaller-than-average-sized Jewish secondary school, although the school does admit and welcome students from other faiths".[11] In 2016, when the headteacher was Matthew Slater and Stephanie Sollosi and Richard Burack chaired the governors, Ofsted recorded that "the majority of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds".[12]
The 2021 inspection was the first held under the name Kantor King Solomon High School. The headteacher was Hannele Reece, the chair of governors was Doreen Samuels, and there were 1,043 pupils on the roll.[13] In 2024 the headteacher was Michele Phillips, the chair was Brian Westbury, and there were 1,003 pupils.[2] The school's website said in 2026 that its headteacher had been "newly appointed … (since September 2023)".[14] By November 2026 the school's website named Jonathan Harris as interim headteacher.[15][16] The Department for Education register recorded 636 pupils, against a capacity of 1,160, in October 2026.[1]
Proposed closure
On 22 September 2026 the governing body began a pre-publication consultation on a proposal to close the school on 31 August 2027, which ran until 11.59pm on 3 November 2026.[6][17] The governors said the proposal arose from "the sustained fall in pupil numbers and the resulting financial position": the school had 515 pupils in Years 7 to 11 against 900 places, and in September 2026 it admitted 55 pupils through the admissions process against 180 Year 7 places.[6] The consultation document said the school was "not considered financially sustainable in the medium term at its current size", and stated that "No final decision has been made".[18] If the governors proceed, a statutory proposal would be published, followed by a four-week representation period, before Redbridge Council decides.[6] As of November 2026 no final decision had been announced.[17]
Religious character
Ofsted has described the school as having "a Modern Orthodox Jewish religious character" (2016) and "a modern orthodox Jewish character" (2021 and 2024).[12][13][2] The school's website states: "We are proud to be a modern Orthodox Jewish secondary school in the London Borough of Redbridge."[14] The articles of Redbridge Jewish School Charity refer to "the religious guidance of the Chief Rabbi" and to "emphasizing Jewish beliefs, values and traditions".[4]
Relation to Israel and Zionism
The welcome page of interim headteacher Jonathan Harris states: "Our students learn about the central role Israel holds within Jewish history, culture and religious life, whilst also developing the knowledge, understanding and critical thinking skills needed to engage thoughtfully with the wider world."[16]
In 2003 Ofsted reported that students of Ivrit (modern Hebrew) "show sound awareness of the culture and the geography of Israel", and that both Ivrit teachers were "native Ivrit speakers".[3]
Between 2005 and 2007 the school took part in the Bar-Ilan University Lookstein Centre for Diaspora Education distance-learning programme. British Friends of Bar-Ilan University reported in 2005 that lectures "were presented by video conferencing to some 300 6th form students" at Hasmonean High School, Immanuel College, King David High School, Manchester and King Solomon High School.[19][20] In 2007 it said the "Gradel Video Conferencing programmes" at these schools would continue, "putting Bar Ilan University in the leading position as a provider of international distance learning".[21]
The school's website has carried these posts about Israel:
- September 2022: "Wishing our staff and students on the KS Israel trip a wonderful and meaningful experience in Eretz Yisrael."[8]
- May 2023: for Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut, students were reminded "to please wear blue and white tomorrow and bring £1 in for Haven House Children's Hospice".[7]
- October 2023, after the Hamas attacks: "Our hearts are with all those affected by the tragic events in Israel. Am Yisrael Chai!"[9]
- May 2024: a post on a belated Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration, which included a candle and prayer for Yom HaZikaron and ended "Am Yisrael Chai."[22]
A Pikuach inspection on 7–8 November 2023 (overall effectiveness grade 3) reported that a morning service "had a focus on Israeli soldiers involved in the war against Hamas". The rabbi told the boys that his nephew was in the Israeli Defence Forces, and "The Year 7 boys were writing personal letters to the soldiers in the nephew's unit, and one Year 7 boy explained he was writing to thank the soldier for protecting Israel." Older boys said they were putting on tefillin "to remember the Israeli Defence Forces".[23]
- On 20 April 2018 The Jewish Chronicle reported that JFS, Kantor King Solomon and Yavneh College showed the film When the Smoke Clears for Yom HaZikaron.[24]
Ofsted inspections
| Inspection date | Type | Outcome | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 and 15 May 2024 | School inspection | Requires Improvement | 4 July 2024 |
| 10 and 11 November 2021 | School inspection | Requires Improvement | 14 January 2022 |
| 17–18 May 2016 | Full inspection | Good | 13 June 2016 |
| 2 December 2014 | Monitoring visit | – | 5 January 2015 |
| 4 April 2014 | Monitoring visit | – | 2 May 2014 |
| 11–12 December 2013 | Full inspection | Requires Improvement | 22 January 2014 |
| Letter of 9 November 2011 (music survey) | Curriculum and development visit | – | 16 November 2011 |
| – | Full inspection | Good | 18 January 2010 |
| Letter of 6 February 2009 (survey) | Curriculum and development visit | – | 13 March 2009 |
| 6–7 December 2006 | Full inspection | Satisfactory | 10 January 2007 |
| 24–28 March 2003 | Full inspection | – | 16 July 2003 |
Source: Ofsted.[25]
Redbridge Jewish School Charity
Redbridge Jewish School Charity was incorporated on 22 January 1993 (company number 02784298) and registered as a charity on 29 January 1993 (charity number 1016868). Its registered office is King Solomon High School, Forest Road, Ilford, Essex, England, IG6 3HB.[26][27] The register describes the school as "a voluntary-aided secondary school", whose objects are "to further the education … of children attending the school under the religious direction of the Chief Rabbi".[27]
Trustees
| Name | Role | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Saltman | Trustee | 1 July 2020 |
| David Collins | Trustee | 12 July 2022 |
| Jacqueline Malca Zinkin | Trustee | 12 July 2022 |
| Jason Elliot Levy | Trustee | 26 April 2023 |
| Michael Howard Goldstein | Chair | 27 November 2024 |
Source: Charity Commission.[28]
Company officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Collins | Director | 12 July 2022 | – |
| Michael Howard Goldstein | Director | 13 November 2024 | – |
| Jason Elliot Levy | Director | 26 April 2023 | – |
| Benjamin Phillip Saltman | Director | 20 July 2020 | – |
| Jacqueline Malca Zinkin | Director | 12 July 2022 | – |
| David Russel Lerner | Secretary | 22 January 1993 | 20 April 2007 |
| Mark John Roberts | Secretary | 20 April 2007 | 31 May 2018 |
| David Alan Bajer | Director | 26 September 2005 | 29 May 2007 |
| Brenda Anita Bean | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 September 1999 |
| Gregory James Brandon | Director | 31 August 2010 | 31 December 2012 |
| Irvin Broder | Director | 9 February 1993 | 15 October 1996 |
| Richard Jonathan Burack | Director | 28 October 2008 | 20 July 2020 |
| Michael Burns | Director | 9 November 2015 | 8 July 2016 |
| Daniel Marc Carmel-Brown | Director | 1 July 2013 | 20 July 2020 |
| Daniel Marc Carmel-Brown | Director | 1 July 2012 | 1 April 2013 |
| Samuel Chaplain | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 October 1996 |
| Rochelle Chernoff | Director | 20 July 2020 | 12 July 2022 |
| Howard Lawrence Cohen | Director | 4 June 2007 | 13 November 2015 |
| Yair Cohen | Director | 9 November 2015 | 20 July 2020 |
| Andrea Sarah Cole | Director | 3 October 2012 | 20 July 2020 |
| Sarah Victoria Conway | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 September 1999 |
| Morton Creeger | Director | 22 January 1993 | 15 September 1999 |
| Charles Elliman | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 September 1999 |
| Freda Shirley Fineberg | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 September 1999 |
| Gary Alan Freedman | Director | 9 February 1993 | 13 October 1994 |
| Martin Freedman | Director | 30 May 2008 | 18 September 2014 |
| Jack Hesketh Godfrey | Director | 9 February 1993 | 13 October 1994 |
| Shelley Goldman | Director | 31 August 2010 | 1 January 2015 |
| Michael Howard Goldstein | Director | 22 January 1993 | 27 February 2004 |
| Sarah Danielle Gonshaw | Director | 20 July 2020 | 12 July 2022 |
| Kevan Green | Director | 20 July 2020 | 15 March 2023 |
| Morris Hickey | Director | 9 February 1993 | 13 October 1994 |
| Gerald Jospe | Director | 22 January 1993 | 15 October 1996 |
| Ashley Stephen Kissin | Director | 1 July 2013 | 1 January 2015 |
| Diana Lazarus | Director | 1 September 2006 | 31 December 2012 |
| Jeffrey Harvey Leader | Director | 18 September 2007 | 11 April 2016 |
| Anthony Howard Lewis | Director | 13 October 1994 | 31 May 2002 |
| Spencer Lewis | Director | 1 September 1996 | 1 August 2013 |
| Alexander David Macneill | Director | 6 November 2014 | 24 December 2014 |
| Anne Judith Mallach | Director | 13 October 1994 | 30 September 2001 |
| Paul Steven Mehlman | Director | 20 September 2014 | 20 July 2020 |
| Michelle Mervish | Director | 14 November 2006 | 1 January 2013 |
| Sikhu Ngwenya | Director | 1 September 2008 | 1 January 2015 |
| Edmund Brian Niman | Director | 6 January 2015 | 27 November 2019 |
| Edmund Brian Niman | Director | 10 March 2010 | 31 December 2012 |
| Kemi Oloyede | Director | 21 March 2016 | 31 August 2016 |
| Beverley Perrin | Director | 30 June 2015 | 31 August 2017 |
| Martin Keith Redfern | Director | 4 November 2014 | 22 February 2016 |
| Mark John Robert | Director | 17 August 2005 | 3 October 2007 |
| Katie Emma Rose | Director | 20 July 2020 | 12 July 2022 |
| Jef Saltman | Director | 30 May 2008 | 1 January 2015 |
| Doreen Sandra Samuels | Director | 20 July 2020 | 15 March 2023 |
| Leon Schaller | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 September 1999 |
| Melissa Schapira | Director | 14 November 2006 | 1 January 2015 |
| Jonathan Schneider | Director | 24 September 2011 | 1 April 2014 |
| Barry Clive Shine | Director | 30 January 1995 | 15 September 1999 |
| Neil Silver | Director | 3 October 2012 | 3 October 2015 |
| Sheldon Singer | Director | 10 December 2010 | 31 December 2012 |
| Matthew Slater | Director | 13 April 2015 | 20 July 2020 |
| Stephanie Rachel Sollosi | Director | 1 August 2011 | 20 July 2020 |
| Stephanie Rachel Sollosi | Director | 30 May 2008 | 1 October 2009 |
| Stephanie Rachel Sollosi | Director | 30 May 2008 | 29 May 2011 |
| Patricia Beryl Stanton | Director | 9 February 1993 | 1 November 2005 |
| Alan Michael Sugar | Director | 27 January 1993 | 15 September 1999 |
| Kenneth Mark Turner | Director | 1 September 2006 | 1 August 2013 |
| Alan Edward Weinberg | Director | 21 September 2005 | 1 July 2013 |
| Hazel Irene Weinberg | Director | 1 July 2013 | 31 July 2014 |
| Hazel Irene Weinberg | Director | 13 October 1994 | 15 September 1999 |
| Jonathan Simon West | Director | 1 September 2011 | 20 July 2020 |
| Brian Westbury | Director | 26 April 2023 | 13 November 2024 |
Source: Companies House.[29]
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2021 | £89,718 | £74,846 |
| 31 March 2022 | £286,604 | £303,524 |
| 29 March 2023 | £63,034 | £142,471 |
| 29 March 2024 | £295,192 | £139,711 |
| 29 March 2025 | £15,362 | £146,339 |
Source: Charity Commission.[30]
Contact
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Department for Education, Kantor King Solomon High School (URN 102861) Get Information about Schools, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ofsted, Kantor King Solomon High School: section 5 inspection report Ofsted, inspection 14–15 May 2024, published 4 July 2024, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ofsted, King Solomon High School: section 10 inspection report Ofsted, inspection 24–28 March 2003, published 16 July 2003, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charity Commission, Redbridge Jewish School Charity – governing document Register of Charities, charity number 1016868; register data extracts of 13 and 16 October 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ King Solomon High School, King Solomon High School – Learning – Charity – Community King Solomon High School website, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 King Solomon High School Governing Body, Pre-publication consultation on the proposed closure of King Solomon High School King Solomon High School website, 22 September 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kantor King Solomon High School, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut Kantor King Solomon High School website, archived by the Wayback Machine on 31 May 2023, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kantor King Solomon High School, KS Israel trip Kantor King Solomon High School website, archived by the Wayback Machine on 26 September 2022, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kantor King Solomon High School, Am Yisrael Chai Kantor King Solomon High School website, archived by the Wayback Machine on 11 December 2023, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Ofsted, King Solomon High School: section 5 inspection report Ofsted, inspection 6–7 December 2006, published 10 January 2007, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Ofsted, King Solomon High School: section 5 inspection report Ofsted, inspection 11–12 December 2013, published 22 January 2014, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ofsted, King Solomon High School: section 5 inspection report Ofsted, inspection 17–18 May 2016, published 13 June 2016, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ofsted, Kantor King Solomon High School: section 5 inspection report Ofsted, inspection 10–11 November 2021, published 14 January 2022, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kantor King Solomon High School, Home – Headteacher's welcome Kantor King Solomon High School website, archived by the Wayback Machine on 8 February 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ King Solomon High School, Leadership King Solomon High School website, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 King Solomon High School, Welcome from the Interim Headteacher King Solomon High School website, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 King Solomon High School, Consultation King Solomon High School website, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ King Solomon High School, Pre-publication consultation: proposed closure of King Solomon High School King Solomon High School website, September 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ British Friends of Bar-Ilan University, Report and accounts for the year ended 30 September 2005 Charity Commission accounts, archived by the UK Government Web Archive, charity number 314139, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ British Friends of Bar-Ilan University, Report and accounts for the year ended 30 September 2006 Charity Commission accounts, archived by the UK Government Web Archive, charity number 314139, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ British Friends of Bar-Ilan University, Report and accounts for the year ended 30 September 2007 Charity Commission accounts, archived by the UK Government Web Archive, charity number 314139, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Kantor King Solomon High School, Yom Ha'atzmaut Kantor King Solomon High School website, archived by the Wayback Machine on 1 June 2024, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Pikuach, King Solomon High School: Inspection Report, inspection 7–8 November 2023, p. 5, pikuach.org.uk, accessed 5 November 2026.
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle, 20 April 2018, p.18, archive, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ Ofsted, Kantor King Solomon High School – inspection reports Ofsted reports, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, Redbridge Jewish School Charity – company overview (company number 02784298) Find and update company information, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Charity Commission, Redbridge Jewish School Charity – charity overview Register of Charities, charity number 1016868; register data extracts of 13 and 16 October 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Redbridge Jewish School Charity – trustees Register of Charities, charity number 1016868; register data extracts of 13 and 16 October 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, Redbridge Jewish School Charity – officers (company number 02784298) Find and update company information, accessed 29 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Redbridge Jewish School Charity – financial history Register of Charities, charity number 1016868; register data extracts of 13 and 16 October 2026, accessed 29 October 2026.