Wolfson Hillel Primary School
Overview
Wolfson Hillel Primary School is a Jewish primary school for ages 3 to 11 at 154 Chase Road, Southgate, in the London Borough of Enfield. It opened in 1992 and became an academy on 1 March 2019 (URN 146663), in the Jewish Community Academy Trust.[1][2] The 2023 Pikuach report said that the school "identifies as a Modern Orthodox Jewish school in line with its Foundation Body, The United Synagogue", and that it "was established by the local Southgate Jewish community, although due to movement in the geography of the Jewish community, most pupils now live out of borough".[2] Ofsted counted 465 pupils, against a capacity of 480, in June 2026.[3]
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"; the application was considered at a meeting on 13 December 1991.[4] The school is not the same as the earlier Solomon Wolfson School, formerly the Bayswater Jewish School, in North Kensington, which was renamed after the Glasgow benefactor Solomon Wolfson in 1937 and whose pupils and staff moved in September 1981 to the new Michael Sobell Sinai School in Kenton, now Sinai Jewish Primary School.[5]
Israel and Zionism
In its Jewish Studies programme the school openly admits to encouraging children to identify with 'Israel':
- Hebrew Language Skills: developing a familiarity with the Modern Hebrew language and gaining the skills to speak, listen and read in Ivrit in order to connect with the people and land of Israel.
- ...
- Israel and the Jewish People: imbuing our children with a positive sense of identification with the Jewish community at home, in Israel and worldwide; an awareness of the concepts of Klal Yisrael and the centrality of Israel to Judaism; fostering personal connections with the State of Israel and its people;[6]
The school's current website says: "Our pupils have many opportunities to learn about Israel and their religion and much of this is done experientially."[7] Other Israel-related activity it describes includes:
- Ivrit taught for 1.5 hours a week across Key Stage 2 using "the Ivrit BeClick programme (Matach, Israel)", with "Learning about Israeli life, traditions, and festivals".[8]
- "Each year, we represent our school at the Israeli Dance Festival"; Israeli dancing is also an after-school club.[9][10]
- The PTA helps with Yom Ha'atzmaut activities.[11]
- The 2023 Pikuach report said that "different themes linked to Israeli life and culture are chosen each year on Yom Ha'atzmaut", and that the part-time Head of Jewish Studies "works remotely and also commutes from Israel twice a term for a week".[2]
- In December 2024 The Jewish Chronicle reported that Years 5 and 6 at Wolfson Hillel welcomed visiting peers from the King Solomon School, Ramat Hasharon, under a twinning programme; Ivrit head Galia Sher was quoted saying “Our love for Israel is never-ending,” with plans for digital exchanges on Tu Bishvat and Yom Ha’atzmaut.[12]
Donors
Governance
The school is run by the Jewish Community Academy Trust (company number 07643890), which has eleven directors at Companies House. Companies House records Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis among former persons with significant control, with an entry notified and ceased on 1 March 2019.[13][14]
| Name | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Rosemary Elise Barlow | 25 June 2025 |
| Michelle Bauernfreund | 1 September 2024 |
| Jennifer Leona Brodkin | 29 March 2023 |
| Michael Simon Bronstein | 2 February 2022 |
| Michael Howard Goldstein | 1 January 2021 |
| Claudia Joanne Kitsberg | 10 June 2024 |
| Claire Lemur | 1 March 2019 |
| Alice Martineau | 1 September 2024 |
| Dan Mindel | 10 June 2024 |
| Maurice Moses | 14 July 2021 |
| Russell Paul Tenzer | 5 January 2021 |
The Wolfson Hillel Primary School Charitable Trust (1191242), registered in 2020, had an income of £459,635 and spent £502,328 in the year to 31 August 2025. Its trustees are Rachelle Rodney, Robin Michael Harrison Scher and Michael Jonathan Singer.[15] The Wolfson Hillel Primary School PTA (1015308) had an income of £117,545 in the year to 31 August 2025.[16]
Inspections
| Date | Inspectorate and type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 23 June 2026 | Ofsted, report card | Exceptional for leadership and governance and for personal development and wellbeing; strong standard in the other five areas; safeguarding met[3] |
| 29–30 June 2022 | Ofsted, ungraded inspection | Continues to be outstanding[17] |
| 7–9 March 2017 | Ofsted, full inspection | Outstanding[18] |
| 28–29 June 2023 | Pikuach (section 48) | Outstanding (grade 1) in all areas[2] |
The full inspection history is published by Ofsted.[19]
External links
See also
Notes
- ↑ Department for Education, Wolfson Hillel Primary School (URN 146663), Get Information about Schools, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pikuach, Wolfson Hillel Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 28–29 June 2023, pikuach.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ofsted, Wolfson Hillel Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 23 June 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ The History of Sinai School, sinaischool.com, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ Wolfson Hillel Primary School Jewish Studies. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 29 November 2022.
- ↑ Wolfson Hillel Primary School, wolfsonhillel.co.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ivrit, wolfsonhillel.co.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Facilities, wolfsonhillel.co.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Extra-curricular activities, wolfsonhillel.co.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ PTA, wolfsonhillel.co.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Wolfson Hillel gives a warm welcome to some new Israeli friends, The Jewish Chronicle, 5 December 2024, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, JEWISH COMMUNITY ACADEMY TRUST (07643890): People, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, JEWISH COMMUNITY ACADEMY TRUST (07643890): Persons with significant control, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, WOLFSON HILLEL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARITABLE TRUST - 1191242, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, WOLFSON HILLEL PRIMARY SCHOOL PTA - 1015308, Register of Charities, register data extract of 28 October 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ofsted, Wolfson Hillel Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 29–30 June 2022, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ofsted, Wolfson Hillel Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 7–9 March 2017, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ofsted, Wolfson Hillel Primary School (URN 146663), Ofsted reports, accessed 1 November 2026.