King David Primary School, Birmingham

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King David Primary School (URN: 103444) of Birmingham was founded in 1843 as the Birmingham Hebrew School, an infants and primary Jewish day school. Students learn Hebrew, eat kosher food, recite Jewish prayers, and celebrate Israeli holidays. The children, reportedly 'learn Hebrew, recite Jewish prayers, eat kosher food and wave Israeli flags.'[1][2]

Front page of 'King David News the newsletter of King David Primary School, Birmingham, May 2024.

History

In September 1847 Aris's Birmingham Gazette published a notice from the president and committee of the Birmingham Hebrew National School thanking the public after Jenny Lind's concert in the Town Hall on 9 September 1847 in aid of the school. The notice also thanked the High Bailiff, the Mayor, the Low Bailiff (five guineas) and Superintendent Stephens. It was signed by B. P. Moore, honorary secretary pro tem, from the committee-room of the Hebrew National School, on 10 September 1847.[3]

In October 1889 Jewish World reported a prize distribution of the Birmingham Hebrew Schools at the Bristol Street Board School. The chairman was M. J. Goldsmid and the vice-chairman H. Moses; also present were the Revs G. J. Emanuel and M. Hollander, Henry Davis (president of the congregation), Councillor Michael Davis, and L. B. Abrahams, vice-master of the Jews' Free School in London. The report gave the roll as 141 boys, 124 girls and 150 infants, compared with 146, 119 and 124 the previous year, and examination passes of 218 in reading (97 per cent), 222 in writing (87 per cent) and 215 in arithmetic (80 per cent), with 255 presented and an average of 89 per cent. The government grant had risen from £292 17s 6d to £313 18s 8d. The best children were drafted into the grammar schools, with fees paid by the Educational Society.[4]

In January 1891 Aston Chronicle reported a presentation to M. Berlyn, headmaster for 25 years (since about 1866), of a testimonial by former pupils. The meeting was chaired by J. Jacobs of St Helen's House, Aston Cross. Those present included A. Bremer, the Revs G. J. Emanuel, J. Fink, M. Hollander and B. Woolf, Dr Bernstein, M. Myers, B. H. Joseph, and A. Warren-Baker, proprietor of the Aston Chronicle. Examination results were said to compare favourably with those of Board schools.[5] In April the same year Birmingham Daily Post, under the heading "A Jewish silver wedding", reported a gathering at the Birmingham Hebrew School, Singer's Hill, at which the congregation honoured Berlyn, secretary of the congregation and headmaster of the schools. Henry Davis presided. Religious knowledge passes were given as 94 per cent (91 per cent the previous year), and secular passes as 97 per cent in reading, 91 per cent in writing and 87 per cent in arithmetic. The government grant was 20s per head, against a national average of 17s. Berlyn received an illuminated address from the Birmingham Hebrew Educational Society and a purse of gold. Albert Bremer was treasurer; M. J. Goldsmid was a former president.[6]

In October 1893 Birmingham Daily Post reported a prize day in the Singer's Hill schoolroom, with John Silveston, chairman of the School Committee, presiding. The schools were said to cost about £1,200 a year, and a government grant was described as the largest ever (the printed figure in the report is uncertain). Manual instruction was planned to steer children away from tailoring. Those present included the Rev. G. J. Emanuel, L. Spiers, Henry Davis, A. Bremer, B. H. Joseph, B. Goodman, S. J. Blanckensee of London, C. Harding and S. E. Marks.[7]

Relation to Zionism

It is reported that the pupils sing the national anthem of Israel - Hatikvah - at assemblies.

The school is unusual for its multicultural intake. In the late 1950s, the declining local Jewish population led the school to accept non-Jewish students, most of whom were Muslim due to the changing demographics. As a result, in 2007 about half of the school's 247 students were reportedly Muslim, with less than 40% Jewish. [1][8] By 2018: 'According to parents and community observers, 80 percent of the students are Muslim.'[9]

Times being as they are, King David doesn't advertise its presence in a city where its pioneering multiculturalism could raise all kinds of unwelcome attention. There's a discreet signboard outside that reveals little about the school's unique nature. There are watchful video cameras high up on the walls, plus two electronic gates to pass through. Sadly, it is, to a significant extent, says Laurence Sharman, the (Christian) chairman of the PTA, "an undercover school".[1]
The most important thing, I am told repeatedly, is that the cross-cultural friendships forged at King David last a lifetime. I hear a conversation about how a Rebecca is going to fly over from the States for a Fatima's wedding. I am told about a pair of lads, one Jewish, one Muslim, who became friends the day they started in the nursery, went to senior school together as well as to university and are now living close to one another with their wives and families and are currently on holiday together.[1]
Steve Langford,[the head teacher] a Warwick University economics graduate, is himself a bit of a paradox. He is Church of England on both parental sides and only became interested in Judaism when he worked in a Jewish summer camp in Massachusetts in his gap year. His interest paid off when he got a teaching job a King David. Now he is learning Ivrit at evening classes and goes to Israel for holidays.

The Rabbi of Birmingham's Singers Hill Synagogue, one of the financial backers of King David, is proud of Steve Langford and of the school's extraordinary interfaith record.[1]

On Israel’s Independence Day, which this year fell on April 19, Esther Cohen, King David’s head of religious education, kicked off the ceremony in the school gym with the Modeh Ani morning prayer in Hebrew followed by the Shema Yisrael prayer. The student body, hand-drawn Israeli flags at their feet, dutifully recited the words. Then they closed their eyes for what Cohen called “tefillah to Hashem,” Hebrew for “prayer to God.” Most of the boys were wearing some sort of head cover — some kippahs and others the larger Muslim skullcap called taqiyah. Many girls also wore hijabs, the Muslim head cover for females.
Cohen showed the students two videos celebrating Israeli innovation and invited them to another tefillah, this time to “thank Hashem that he gave us Israel.” She asked the students to stand up to sing “Hatikvah,” which speaks of “being a free People in Zion, Jerusalem” — almost all of them sang the Hebrew-language anthem by heart.
Finally, the students were given permission to wave the flags after having been told not to fidget with them for the ceremony’s duration.
Ruth Jacobs, chairwoman of the Representative Council of Birmingham and West Midlands Jewry, describes the surreal reality on display at King David with typical British understatement.[9]

Intake

King David is a voluntary aided primary school with a Jewish religious character in Moseley, Birmingham.[10] Its Jewish share has fallen steadily:

  • The 2017 Pikuach report gave the intake as "approximately 20% Jewish, 65% Muslim and 15% mixed".[11]
  • In 2020 the US magazine Tablet reported about 250 pupils, of whom about 75% were Muslim, 15% Jewish and 8% Christian.[12]
  • The March 2024 Pikuach report, with 204 pupils on roll, said: "There are currently 18 Jewish children in the school", the others being "Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian and those of no faith". Non-Jewish pupils follow a parallel religious education programme.[13]
  • Ofsted's 2026 report recorded 158 pupils, against a capacity of 220, with 39.33% eligible for free school meals.[14]

Israel (school and press sources)

Tablet reported in 2020 that the school's calendar included "annual visits of groups of former Israeli soldiers on Yom HaZikaron" and weekly Israeli dance classes "which children of all faiths attend". It quoted the headteacher, Steve Langford: "It is made clear at the school open days that we celebrate Israel here, including Yom Ha'Atzmaut—Israel's birthday, as we know it—waving flags and having birthday cake." He added: "We try not to draw attention to the political situation."[12]

The 2024 Pikuach report judged every area outstanding (grade 1). Among points for improvement it noted that "Some anxiety about the situation in Israel was reflected in the parental survey", in the context of heightened security and a police presence at the school.[13]

Governance and funding

Tablet named the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation (Singers Hill) as the school's foundation body and Rabbi Yossi Jacobs of Singers Hill as director of religious education.[12] King David Religious Education Support (charity 1130333, registered 2009) exists "to advance the education of the pupils of the King David Primary School, Birmingham" in Jewish knowledge and practice and classical and modern Hebrew. Its income was £11,086 in the year to 31 August 2025, down from £29,810 in 2021. Its trustees are Erica Hazel Barnett, Dr Barry Henley, Dr Michael Wolffe and Geoffrey Ian Clements.[15][16]

Ofsted named Simone Bryant as chair of governors and Stephen Langford as headteacher in June 2024.[17] By the 2026 inspection the headteacher was Nina Capek, and the report said that "Since her recent appointment, the headteacher has raised ambitions and expectations."[14]

Inspections

Date Inspectorate and type Outcome
9 June 2026 Ofsted, report card Expected standard in all seven areas (achievement; attendance and behaviour; curriculum and teaching; early years; inclusion; leadership and governance; personal development and wellbeing); safeguarding met[14]
5–6 June 2024 Ofsted, full inspection Requires improvement[17]
5–6 March 2024 Pikuach (section 48) Outstanding (grade 1) in all areas[13]
6–7 June 2017 Pikuach (section 48) Overall effectiveness good (grade 2)[11]

The 2024 Ofsted report said that "Over the last 10 months, there have been community tensions, which have had an impact on the harmonious nature of the wider school."[17] The full inspection history is published by Ofsted.[18]

Commentary

In December 2024 David Miller wrote an article for the Islamic Human Rights Commission journal The Long View arguing that British Jewish schools have a "Zionist ethos – as opposed to a simply Jewish faith ethos".[19] Miller wrote that "less than 20%" of pupils were Jewish and cited the Tablet report of soldier visits on Yom HaZikaron, which he described as commemorating "'fallen' members of the occupation forces". Citing the Jewish Chronicle, he put the Jewish share at 18 of 204 pupils (8.8%). He also quoted Langford as saying that some parents "have struggled with Israel's special place in Judaism" and that Yom Ha'atzmaut celebrations "took place, although scaled down". Miller wrote that Ofsted had "noticed that some of the Muslim parents objected to the propagation of the racist ideology of Zionism"; the Ofsted report itself refers only to "community tensions".[19]

In October 2026 the writer Nate Bear published an article on his Substack newsletter ¡Do Not Panic! arguing that more than half of the UK's mainstream Jewish schools say they teach children to "love Israel", and that this was "possibly breaching UK government rules against the promotion of partisan political views in schools".[20] Citing Miller, Bear wrote that the school "welcomes occupation soldiers for annual visits, hosts weekly 'Israeli' dance classes" and celebrates Israel's founding "with Hebrew prayers, flag waving and birthday cake", and that "more than 80% of the children at this Jewish school are Muslims".[20]

Address

Address: Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands, B13 8EY

People

Former pupils

Resources

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jonathan Margolis The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim Independent.co.uk 1 February 2007.
  2. ↑ "Dateline World Jewry", April 2007, World Jewish Congress
  3. ↑ Aris's Birmingham Gazette, 13 September 1847, p. 3, British Newspaper Archive, accessed 11 November 2026.
  4. ↑ Jewish World, 25 October 1889, p. 7, British Newspaper Archive, accessed 11 November 2026.
  5. ↑ Aston Chronicle, 3 January 1891, p. 5, British Newspaper Archive, accessed 11 November 2026.
  6. ↑ Birmingham Daily Post, 13 April 1891, p. 3, British Newspaper Archive, accessed 11 November 2026.
  7. ↑ Birmingham Daily Post, 16 October 1893, p. 4, British Newspaper Archive, accessed 11 November 2026.
  8. ↑ "Keeping Faith", BBC One
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://www.timesofisrael.com/now-majority-muslim-kids-at-uks-king-david-jewish-school-still-pray-in-hebrew/
  10. ↑ Department for Education, King David Primary School (URN 103444), Get Information about Schools, accessed 1 November 2026.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Pikuach, King David Primary School, Birmingham: inspection report, inspection of 6–7 June 2017, pikuach.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Aaron Drapkin, "A Jewish School's Muslim Students", Tablet, 14 May 2020, accessed 1 November 2026.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Pikuach, King David Primary School, Birmingham: inspection report, inspection 5–6 March 2024, published on the school's website, accessed 1 November 2026.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Ofsted, King David Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 9 June 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  15. ↑ Charity Commission, KING DAVID RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SUPPORT - 1130333, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  16. ↑ Charity Commission, KING DAVID RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SUPPORT - 1130333: Trustees, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Ofsted, King David Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 5–6 June 2024, accessed 1 November 2026.
  18. ↑ Ofsted, King David Primary School (URN 103444), Ofsted reports, accessed 1 November 2026.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 David Miller, "How do we De-Zionise British schools?", The Long View vol. 6 no. 4, Islamic Human Rights Commission, 3 December 2024, accessed 1 November 2026.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Nate Bear, "Majority Of Jewish Schools In The UK Teaching Kids To 'Love Israel'", ¡Do Not Panic!, 27 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
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