Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls)

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Chabad girls’ secondary school in Stamford Hill; academy in The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust

Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls)
Lubavitch Senior Girls School logo.png
Motto
Established 1962 (independent); voluntary aided 2012; academy 2018
Type Academy converter (from 1 April 2018)
Religious affiliation(s) Jewish (Chabad-Lubavitch)
Headteacher Mrs Helen Freeman (GIAS); co-heads Mrs R. Gruber and Ms V. Funtong (school site)
Address Lubavitch House, 107–115 Stamford Hill,
City London
County Hackney
Postcode N16 5RP
Country
Enrolment 100
Gender Girls
Age range 11–18
Website https://www.lubavitchseniorgirls.com


Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls) (also Lubavitch Senior Girls' School; URN 145609) is a state-funded Orthodox Jewish secondary school and sixth form for girls at Lubavitch House, 107–115 Stamford Hill, Hackney. It is one of three academies in The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust (The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust, company 11211005). Religious character is Jewish; the trust names Chabad Lubavitch UK as religious authority.[1][2][3][4]

There are three legal iterations of the same school on the same site:

Iteration URN Status Dates
Independent school 133616 Predecessor From 1962 until conversion to voluntary aided status (GIAS link date 15 May 2012)
Voluntary aided school 138143 Closed Opened 1 June 2012; closed 31 March 2018 (academy converter)
Academy converter 145609 Open Opened 1 April 2018; joined The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust the same day

[5][1][6]

Independent school, 1962–2012

The school opened in 1962 as an independent Chabad-Lubavitch girls’ secondary. Principal Rabbi Shmuel Lew and headteacher Mrs Helen Freeman were already in post when the school sought state aid. Mrs Golda Junik was named with Helen Freeman as senior staff in December 2011. Mrs Freda Sudak, head of the sister Lubavitch Girls Primary School, led the voluntary-aided application after that primary had obtained state aid in 2004.[7][6]

A complete public list of independent-era governors has not been located. The proposer for related Lubavitch voluntary-aided conversions in Hackney was the governing body of the Lubavitch Foundation.[8]

Voluntary aided school, 2012–2018 (URN 138143)

Hackney recognised the senior girls’ school as voluntary aided in December 2011; GIAS records the VA establishment as opening on 1 June 2012. Operational costs then fell largely on the local authority. Enrolment was about 120 in 2011 and 126 at closure.[7][5][9]

Ofsted on the VA school:

Date Type Grade
18 June 2013 Full inspection Requires improvement
11 November 2013 Monitoring visit Leaders “not taking effective action”; governance review agreed
3 February 2015 Monitoring visit —
11 May 2016 Full inspection Good

[10][11][12][13]

The 2013 full inspection found weak English outcomes and a narrow sixth-form offer. The November 2013 monitoring letter said basic systems were still being built after the move into the maintained sector and that an external review of governance had recommended a restructure of roles. By May 2016 inspectors judged the school Good in all graded areas, credited Helen Freeman with “determination and vision”, and noted an “explicit focus on tolerance and respect” for other faiths and cultures. Significant parts of the national curriculum were delivered through Kodesh and mapped by the school.[11][12][14]

Named VA-era leaders in contemporaneous reporting: Mrs Helen Freeman (headteacher), Rabbi Shmuel Lew (principal), Mrs Golda Junik, and the Hackney Learning Trust as the maintaining authority. A full pre-2018 governing-body roll is not on GIAS for the closed file.[7][13]

Conversion to The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust, 2018

The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust was incorporated on 16 February 2018 as a private company limited by guarantee (no share capital; “Limited” exemption), company 11211005, registered office 107–115 Stamford Hill, N16 5RP. SIC codes: 85200 primary education; 85310 general secondary education. GIAS group UID 16975; sponsor UID 16976 opened 28 September 2017.[2][15]

On 1 April 2018 three Hackney Lubavitch schools joined the trust:

School URN Type on joining Address
Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls) 145609 Academy converter 107–115 Stamford Hill, N16 5RP
Lubavitch Girls Primary School 145610 Academy converter 107–115 Stamford Hill, N16 5RP
Lubavitch Boys' Primary School 145730 Academy sponsor-led 135 Clapton Common, E5 9AE

[15]

The VA senior girls’ school (138143) closed on 31 March 2018; the academy (145609) opened the next day. Ofsted issued an academy conversion letter dated 5 April 2018. Last accounts filed to 31 August 2025 (full).[5][16][2]

Founding directors appointed 16 February 2018 included Rabbi Daniel Duboy, David Spencer Arden, Fiona Louise Bulmer, Samantha Deloris Coleman, Gary Paul Inglis, Lada Sullivan and Stuart Polak (Lord Polak).[17]

Academy school, from 2018 (URN 145609)

GIAS still lists Mrs Helen Freeman as headteacher / principal. The school website (2025–26) lists Interim CEO Mrs J. Waters (Julia Waters), Principal Rabbi Shmuel Lew, and co-headteachers Mrs R. Gruber and Ms V. Funtong. SEND: Ms L. Lee; also Mrs T. Erlanger. Enquiries: Miss M. Vogel. The same site still prints “LSGS Proprietors: Lubavitch UK” alongside the MAT company number.[1][18][19]

Capacity 180; about 100 pupils on the current GIAS extract (about 124 at the 2022 inspection). Age 11–18, girls, sixth form, non-selective, no boarders. Religious character Jewish. Website lubavitchseniorgirls.com.[1][16]

Ofsted inspected the academy on 13 September 2022 and graded it Good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. Inspectors wrote that pupils described the school as “like being part of a family”, that leaders prepared pupils for life in modern Britain including “different types of relationships”, and that sixth-form choice had widened since 2018. Music and design technology were named as weaker subjects. Safeguarding was effective on that report card.[16][20]

The curriculum is split between Chol (secular, including Modern Hebrew) and Kodesh (including Yiddish and Jewish history). The school states that its values follow the teachings of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 1902–1994). Many pupils go on to seminary.[21][6][9]

Local governors (academy)

GIAS local-governor extract for 145609 (dates as published; some historic rows overlap):

Name Role From To
Chai Cohen Local governor (elected by parents) 4 September 2023 4 September 2026
Rochel Dubrawsky Chair of local governing body 4 June 2023 / 6 September 2023 4 June 2026 / 5 September 2025
Helen Freeman Local governor 6 September 2023 6 September 2025
Levi Yitzchak Raskin Local governor 6 September 2023 6 September 2025
Devorah Lea Davidoff Local governor 6 September 2023 5 September 2025
Esther Lewin Local governor 6 September 2023 5 September 2025

[1]

Earlier aggregator snapshots also listed Rabbi Sholom Ber Sudak, Rabbi Daniel Duboy, Mrs Hadasa Korer, Joel David Berman, Matthew Nyman, Jo Franklin and Kevin Mark Hogarth as local governors at various dates between 2018 and 2027.[22]

The Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust directors, 2018–

Company officers from Companies House (11211005), current first then resigned. Trust website and GIAS use some different appointment dates and include Michele Benton, who does not appear on the Companies House officer file extracted here.[17][3][15]

Current (Companies House)

Name Appointed Notes
Rabbi Daniel Duboy 16 February 2018 Founding director; MAT site says reappointed 1 April 2022
Rabbi Sholom Ber Sudak (Sholem Sudak) 2 December 2019 Chair of trustees (GIAS chair from 12 January 2026)
Joanna Katherine Franklin (Jo Franklin) 6 February 2022 Education committee chair; GIAS reappointment to 9 February 2030
Alexandra Earle 26 September 2024 American nationality on CH; GIAS from 26 November 2024
Menachem Mendel Jacobs (Rabbi Mendy Jacobs) 26 September 2024 Dutch nationality on CH; finance committee
Tsvi Lewis (Tsvi Harry Lewis) 12 February 2026 Finance and audit
Daniel Alexander Saunders 12 February 2026 Vice-chair on MAT site
Aleksey Boruch Josef Vilensky (Josef Vilensky) 12 February 2026 German nationality on CH; finance and audit chair

Former (Companies House)

Name Appointed Resigned Notes
David Spencer Arden 16 February 2018 23 November 2018 Civil servant (aggregator occupation)
Lada Sullivan 16 February 2018 17 September 2019
Stuart Polak (Lord Polak) 16 February 2018 8 November 2019 Founding director; peer
Samantha Deloris Coleman 16 February 2018 2 December 2019
Gary Paul Inglis 16 February 2018 2 December 2019 Accountant
Devorah Leah Jacobs 22 January 2020 5 May 2020
Ashley Charles Reid 18 January 2020 25 February 2020 Finance manager
Fiona Louise Bulmer 16 February 2018 22 October 2021 Communications consultant
John Michael Wemms 21 January 2020 22 October 2021 Retired
William James Holledge (Bill Holledge) 17 January 2020 21 December 2021 Remains a member on GIAS / MAT site
Jan Tallis 21 January 2020 9 January 2023 Remains a member on GIAS / MAT site
Kevin Mark Hogarth 29 April 2020 31 March 2024
Joel David Berman 13 December 2021 13 December 2025
Hadasa Korer 29 April 2020 10 January 2026 Belgian nationality
Matthew Joel Nyman 25 January 2022 26 January 2026

Michele Benton is listed as a trustee and safeguarding trustee on the MAT site and on GIAS (from 26 November 2024) but was not on the Companies House officer list retrieved for this profile.[3][15]

Members

GIAS / MAT site members (not all are company directors):

Name From
Rabbi Pesach Efune 1 April 2018
Rabbi Yirmiyahu Angyalfi (Yeremyia Angyalfi) 1 April 2018
Jan Tallis 13 January 2020
William James Holledge 17 January 2020

[15][3]

Trust staff named on the MAT site

Name Role
Mrs Julia Waters (J. Waters) Interim CEO and accounting officer
Mr C. Sosnovsky Chief financial officer
Mrs R. Gruber and Ms V. Funtong Interim co-heads, girls’ 3–18
Rabbi Y. L. Kohn Head, primary boys’ school
Ms Nandarane Parmar (Clerk Associates) Clerk to trustees
Chaya Mills Education committee (not a CH director)

[3][18]

Religious authority

Chabad Lubavitch UK is the registered religious authority. The Hanholo of Chabad Lubavitch UK appointed a Va’ad Hachinuch to guide hashkafa and hadracha across the taught curriculum: Dayan L. Y. Raskin (Rov / head of the religious authority), Rabbi Moshe Zavdi and Rabbi Yehuda Pink. Dayan Levi Yitzchak Raskin also appears as a local governor on the senior girls’ GIAS file.[4][1]

Sister schools at the same postcode

Lubavitch Boys' Primary School (URN 145730) is in the same MAT at 135 Clapton Common. Latest published mix: senior girls Good (2022); girls’ primary Good (2024); boys’ primary Requires improvement (2022).[15][16]

Contact

Lubavitch House
107–115 Stamford Hill
London N16 5RP
Tel: 020 8049 1899
admin.seniorgirls@lubavitchmat.uk
lubavitchseniorgirls.com
MAT governance: admin.governance@lubavitchmat.uk

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls), Get Information about Schools, URN 145609.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 THE LUBAVITCH MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, Companies House, 11211005.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Meet our Trustees, Lubavitch Multi Academy Trust.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vaad HaChinuch, Lubavitch Senior Girls' School.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls), Get Information about Schools, URN 138143 (closed).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lubavitch Senior Girls' School, Wikipedia.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 London Lubavitch Senior Girls School Wins State Aid, VIN News, 9 December 2011.
  8. ↑ Schools Adjudicator determination STP/000571, proposal by the governing body of the Lubavitch Foundation to establish Lubavitch House School (Junior Boys) as a voluntary aided school, 31 May 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lubavitch Senior Girls’ School, PaJeS.
  10. ↑ Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls) Closed, Ofsted, URN 138143.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ofsted, monitoring inspection letter to Mrs Helen Freeman, 12 November 2013 (visit 11 November 2013).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Stephen Oryszczuk, Orthodox school graded ‘good’ by Ofsted after poor run, Jewish News, 3 June 2016.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lubavitch Senior Girls’ School rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, Hackney Citizen, 3 June 2016.
  14. ↑ Simon Rocker, Lubavitch girls earn plaudits from Ofsted, Jewish Chronicle, 1 June 2016.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 THE LUBAVITCH MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, Get Information about Schools, UID 16975.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls), Ofsted, URN 145609.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 THE LUBAVITCH MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST officers, Companies House, 11211005.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Contact Us, Lubavitch Senior Girls' School.
  19. ↑ Welcome, Lubavitch Senior Girls' School.
  20. ↑ Simon Rocker, Calm and curiosity of Lubavitch girls praised by Ofsted, Jewish Chronicle, 31 October 2022.
  21. ↑ Vision, Aims and Values, Lubavitch Senior Girls' School.
  22. ↑ Lubavitch House School (Senior Girls), Be Local / Hackney schools listing.
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