Sinai Jewish Primary School

From Powerbase
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Voluntary aided Jewish primary school in Kenton, north-west London, with the United Synagogue as its foundation body

Sinai Jewish Primary School

Type Voluntary aided primary school, Jewish religious character
Founded 1981 (as Michael Sobell Sinai School; origins in the Bayswater Jewish School of 1866)
Registration ID URN 101549; Sinai Jewish Primary School Charitable Trust, charity number 1211451
Headquarters Shakespeare Drive, Kenton, Harrow HA3 9UD (London Borough of Brent)
Key people Juliette Lipshaw (headteacher); Adam Goldman (chair of governors)
Website https://sinaischool.com/

Sinai Jewish Primary School is a mixed voluntary aided Jewish primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Kenton, in the London Borough of Brent. The Department for Education records a Jewish religious character, a nursery, a capacity of 690 and 658 pupils on roll; 2.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Its headteacher is Juliette Lipshaw.[1] The school says its foundation body is the United Synagogue.[2] Pikuach describes it as a "Voluntary Aided Modern Orthodox" school.[3]

History

The Jewish Chronicle, 1 July 1977, p.4. Solomon Wolfson School and Yavneh Primary School, Wembley, the two schools that merged to form Sinai four years later, were among the choirs at the JNF Festival of Jewish School Choirs.

Sinai was formed in 1981 from two older Jewish primary schools: Solomon Wolfson School in North Kensington, which traced its history to 1866, and the independent Yavneh Primary School, Wembley, which opened in 1963.[2][4]

Bayswater Jewish School and Solomon Wolfson School

According to the school, its origins lie in the Bayswater Jewish School, founded in 1866 by members of the Bayswater Synagogue for the children of "poorer brethren". It was first based at St James's Terrace, Harrow Road, and opened in 1867 at 1 Westbourne Park Villas as the Paddington Bayswater Jewish School. It moved to a new building in Harrow Road in 1879, and in 1903 it had accommodation for 419 pupils. In 1930 it moved to Lancaster Road and became the Kensington Bayswater Jewish School, "which later became Solomon Wolfson".[2]

The change of name followed a rescue of the school's finances. In its obituary of the Glasgow communal leader Solomon Wolfson JP, headed "He Saved the Bayswater Schools", The Jewish Chronicle reported in December 1941 that "In 1937, when the Bayswater Jewish Schools were threatened with closure for lack of funds and because of their indebtedness to the bank, Mr. Wolfson defrayed the whole of the overdraft, and in recognition of this the Board honoured him by naming the schools the Solomon Wolfson Schools."[5]

Solomon Wolfson School is not the same school as Wolfson Hillel Primary School in Southgate, which opened in 1992.[6] The Wolfson Foundation archive records a grant of £250,000 from the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust to the United Synagogue to establish "Southgate Jewish Primary School, eventually called Wolfson Hillel Primary School".[7]

Yavneh Primary School, Wembley

Yavneh Primary School, Wembley was an independent Jewish primary school that ran from 1963 to 1981 in the classrooms of Wembley United Synagogue on Forty Avenue. According to its former pupils' website, it was set up by local communal figures including Rabbi Myer Berman, Charles Arnold, Alf Silverman and Joe Skovron, who saw "a need and a demand for a state-aided Jewish Day School in what was then the Borough of Wembley". At its peak it had more than 120 children aged 3 to 11 from Harrow, Kenton, Kingsbury, Queensbury and Wembley, and it taught modern Hebrew, religious knowledge and Jewish history alongside the full range of subjects.[4] The school opened in January 1963 with four girls and six boys; Berman was honorary principal, Arnold chaired the governors, and Myrna Glass, appointed senior teacher in its first year, later became head teacher.[8]

The site says the school choir "took part each year in the Festival of Jewish School Choirs organised by the JNF".[4] Its timeline records the choir's first appearance at the JNF Festival of School Choirs at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in June 1973, and lists the festival among the school's last events in July 1981, alongside the final sports day, summer fair and leavers' ceremony.[8] The site says it "took 18 years for a new school to be established".[4]

This Wembley school is not the same as the present Yavneh Primary School in Borehamwood, a free school that opened in September 2016 on the Yavneh College site as part of the Yavneh College Academy Trust.[9] Nor is it connected with the Yavneh Boys and Yavneh Girls units of The King David High School, Manchester.

1977 JNF Festival of Jewish School Choirs

Both predecessor schools sang at the annual JNF Festival of Jewish School Choirs held at the Wembley Conference Centre in 1977. The Jewish Chronicle of 1 July 1977, reporting that it had taken place the previous Sunday, listed the participants as "Herzlia Day School, Westcliff on Sea, Ilford Jewish Primary School, Solomon Wolfson School, Simon Marks Jewish Day School, Yavneh Primary School, Wembley, Morris Silman Middle School, Leeds, Kerem School, Mathilda Marks—Kennedy School, and JFS Comprehensive School". It reported that some 400 children in the massed choirs sang "Od Yishama", conducted by the Rev Reuben Turner, "director of the JNF youth and education department, who organised the event as part of the department's activities".[10] Sinai itself did not yet exist. The other schools named in the report were Herzlia Day School (Westcliff-on-Sea), Ilford Jewish Primary School, Simon Marks Jewish Day School, Kerem School, Mathilda Marks-Kennedy School, Morris Silman Middle School (Leeds) and JFS.

Michael Sobell Sinai School, 1981

In September 1981 the Michael Sobell Sinai School (MSSS), named after the businessman and philanthropist Michael Sobell, opened in Kenton "with the pupils and staff coming from Solomon Wolfson and Yavneh schools to form the new nucleus of the school". Its first headteacher was David Band, who had been head of Solomon Wolfson; its first deputy was Myrna Glass, who had been head of Yavneh; and its second deputy was Jeffrey Leader. The school later described itself as the largest Jewish primary school in Europe.[2] The Yavneh site describes the new school as "less than 10 minutes from Wembley Synagogue".[4]

Governance

The governing board is chaired by Adam Goldman, a foundation governor since January 2022 who was elected chair in September 2026. The school's governance page describes another governor as having joined in 2011 "as a United Synagogue Foundation Governor".[11] Ofsted named Darren Simons as chair in November 2024.[12]

The Sinai Jewish Primary School Charitable Trust (charity number 1211451) is a charitable incorporated organisation registered on 17 December 2024 to support the school. Its trustees are Alan Samuel Tibber, Stanley Harold Davis, Darren Frank Simons and Emma Rebecca Bergen. It reported income of £1,350 in its first period, to 30 June 2025.[13][14]

The Sinai Jewish Primary School Parent Staff Association (charity number 299199) had income of £21,093 in the year to 31 July 2025. Its trustees are the headteacher Juliette Lipshaw and Natasha Collins.[15]

Israel

  • Before Sinai opened, both of its predecessor schools, Solomon Wolfson School and Yavneh Primary School, Wembley, sang at the JNF Festival of Jewish School Choirs, which The Jewish Chronicle reported on 1 July 1977 (see History above).[10]
  • On 20 May 1983 The Jewish Chronicle reported that "Michael Sobell Sinai School from Kenton" (as the school was then called) took part in the JNF schools quiz on Israel and Judaism.[16]
  • The school's values and vision statement says: "Together we share pride in our Jewish heritage, a commitment to our modern Orthodox Judaism and a love of the State of Israel." It adds that the school "prepares our Jewish pupils for vibrant Jewish lives based on Torah ideals and practices, reflecting an appreciation of our shared heritage and a love of Israel".[17]
  • Its Jewish Studies curriculum aims "to cherish a connection to Israel". Hebrew is taught "using modern Israeli pronunciation", and in Key Stage 2 pupils develop "their love and connection to Israel by reading a children's newspaper brought from Israel".[18]
  • A school news post for Yom Yerushalayim on 5 June 2024 said: "All the year groups sang hallel and the hatikva and enjoyed a range of crafts."[19] A school photo gallery is titled "Israel 75 Art Project".[20]
  • In December 2023 the school said it had collected "hundreds of toys to bring a smile to displaced Israeli children this Chanukah".[21]
  • The 2022 Pikuach report said communal areas displayed "flags, achievements and scenes of pupils celebrating Jewish living", and that assemblies included "a teacher reporting on good news from Israel". It quoted the headteacher on events such as "the Ohel Sarah walk on Yom Ha'atzmaut". It also reported that "Ninety Year 6 pupils participated in The Yehudi Leadership Initiative, led by Mizrachi", and that JFS students came "to teach the children in creative and exciting ways about Israel and leadership".[3] Mizrachi is the religious Zionist movement.
  • On 19 April 2018 @SinaiSchool posted that the school was “awash with blue & white” for Yom Ha’atzmaut / Israel 70, with pupils taken on “a learning tour of Israel from the Galil in the north to the Negev in the south,” including Israeli dance, culture, history, food and art.[22]

Beit Halochem UK

Beit Halochem UK raises money for the Beit Halochem rehabilitation centres for disabled Israeli soldiers and victims of attacks in Israel.[23] The charity's report on its "It's A Knockout" fundraiser of 19 June 2022, held at Queens' School in Bushey, listed Sinai among the schools whose 700 pupils took part. It said the more than £30,000 raised would buy wheelchairs for the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem basketball team.[24]

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".[25] Miller wrote that in November 2022 the Sinai School Choir sang Hatikvah at JFS when the Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely dedicated a memorial garden there.[25]

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".[26] Bear listed Sinai among the schools he described in this way. He wrote that its vision statement says teachers and pupils "share a love of the state of Israel", but his link for the quotation pointed to the website of Beit Shvidler Primary School.[26] The wording he quoted appears on Sinai's own values page.[17]

Inspections

Date Inspectorate and type Outcome
19–20 November 2024 Ofsted, full inspection Outstanding in all areas[12]
23 January 2019 Ofsted, short inspection Continues to be good[27]
21–22 June 2022 Pikuach (section 48) Overall effectiveness outstanding (grade 1)[3]

The 2024 Ofsted report said that "pupils show great respect for different faiths".[12] The full inspection history is published by Ofsted.[28]

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Department for Education, Sinai Jewish Primary School (URN 101549), Get Information about Schools, accessed 1 November 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The History of Sinai School, sinaischool.com, accessed 1 November 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pikuach, Sinai Jewish Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 21–22 June 2022, pikuach.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 About Yavneh, Yavneh – Wembley (former pupils' website), accessed 6 November 2026.
  5. ↑ "Mr. Solomon Wolfson, J.P.: He Saved the Bayswater Schools", The Jewish Chronicle, 12 December 1941, scan at the Internet Archive, accessed 6 November 2026.
  6. ↑ Pikuach, Wolfson Hillel Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 28–29 June 2023, pikuach.org.uk, accessed 6 November 2026.
  7. ↑ Wolfson Foundation archive, WF/10600: Grant application from the United Synagogue to the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust, October 1991 – June 1995, Royal Society catalogue, accessed 6 November 2026.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Milestones, Yavneh – Wembley (former pupils' website), accessed 6 November 2026.
  9. ↑ Department for Education, Yavneh Primary School (URN 142862), Get Information about Schools, accessed 6 November 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Jewish Chronicle, 1 July 1977, p.4, archive, accessed 6 November 2026.
  11. ↑ Governance & Finance, sinaischool.com, accessed 1 November 2026.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ofsted, Sinai Jewish Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 19–20 November 2024, accessed 1 November 2026.
  13. ↑ Charity Commission, SINAI JEWISH PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARITABLE TRUST - 1211451, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  14. ↑ Charity Commission, SINAI JEWISH PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARITABLE TRUST - 1211451: Trustees, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  15. ↑ Charity Commission, SINAI JEWISH PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT STAFF ASSOCIATION - 299199, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  16. ↑ The Jewish Chronicle, 20 May 1983, p.25, archive, accessed 6 November 2026.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Our Values and Visions, sinaischool.com, accessed 1 November 2026.
  18. ↑ Jewish Studies, sinaischool.com, accessed 1 November 2026.
  19. ↑ Skyline chalk art, sinaischool.com, 5 June 2024, accessed 1 November 2026.
  20. ↑ Israel 75 Art Project, sinaischool.com, accessed 1 November 2026.
  21. ↑ Sinai Day of Giving, sinaischool.com, 8 December 2023, accessed 1 November 2026.
  22. ↑ Sinai Jewish Primary (@SinaiSchool), post, 19 April 2018, accessed 6 November 2026.
  23. ↑ Charity Commission, BEIT HALOCHEM UK - 1146950, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  24. ↑ Beit Halochem UK, It's A Knockout 2022, bhuk.org, 19 June 2022, archived by the Wayback Machine on 2 October 2023, accessed 1 November 2026.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 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.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Nate Bear, "Majority Of Jewish Schools In The UK Teaching Kids To 'Love Israel'", ¡Do Not Panic!, 27 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
  27. ↑ Ofsted, Sinai Jewish Primary School: short inspection report, inspection of 23 January 2019, accessed 1 November 2026.
  28. ↑ Ofsted, Sinai Jewish Primary School (URN 101549), Ofsted reports, accessed 1 November 2026.
Retrieved from "https://powerbase.info/index.php?title=Sinai_Jewish_Primary_School&oldid=302347"