Difference between revisions of "Rosh Pinah Jewish Primary School"

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(Add JC archive cite: Rosh Pinah second in JNF schools quiz (May 1983))
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== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
* [[Jewish Schools in the UK]]
 
* [[Jewish Schools in the UK]]
 +
* [[Zionist Federation and Jewish schools]]
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==

Latest revision as of 12:24, 6 November 2026

Rosh Pinah Jewish Primary School is a faith school based in Edgeware, Middlesex. It is one of three schools overseen by The Scopus Jewish Educational Trust, a UK registered charity (Charity number: 313154). It acts to "support and expand Jewish education in Great Britain" and was created on 6 February 1964. [1]

The trust is linked to the Zionist Federation through its previous names: The Friends of the Zionist Federation Educational Trust [2], which descended from Zionist Federation Day Schools Committee. [3]

Relation to Zionism

  • On 20 May 1983 The Jewish Chronicle reported the JNF schools quiz on Israel and Judaism: Rosh Pinah from Edgware (Simone Hoffman and Leah Isaacs) scored 80 points and came second in the final.[4]

According to the School website: 'Rosh Pinah is a modern Orthodox, Zionist school. Judaism and Israel are integral and rich parts of the School’s ethos and life at Rosh Pinah.'[5]

  • The school's welcome page describes it as "a warm, friendly, Modern Orthodox Zionist School" offering "an excellent integrated secular and Modern Orthodox Jewish Zionist Curriculum".[6] Its inclusion policy says it promotes inclusion "according to Zionist, Modern Orthodox Jewish practice".[7]
  • Its history page says it was founded in 1956 by Rev Saul Amias, minister of Edgware United Synagogue, "when it was realised that there was a need for a local Jewish Zionist school". It quotes Amias: "in 1948 with the active support of the Zionist Federation Educational Trust, I started a Jewish nursery".[8]
  • The 2025 Pikuach report described it as "a Modern Orthodox Zionist school". It noted that topic lessons cover subjects including Israel, and cited "the pupils' attitude, understanding and sensitivity towards Israel" as evidence of their spiritual and moral development.[9]
  • The same Jewish Chronicle Independence Day round-up of 26 April 2002 noted "more than 400 people at the Rosh Pinah Primary, Edgware, Yom Ha'atzmaut party."[10]

Beit Halochem UK

Beit Halochem UK raises money for the Beit Halochem rehabilitation centres for disabled Israeli soldiers and victims of attacks in Israel. The charity's report on its "It's A Knockout" fundraiser of 19 June 2022, held at Queens' School in Bushey, listed Rosh Pinah among the schools whose 700 pupils took part. It said the more than £30,000 raised would buy specially adapted wheelchairs for the Tel Aviv Beit Halochem wheelchair basketball team.[11]

Absorbed by the United Synagogue

In 2016 the Scopus Jewish Educational Trust, which acts as the foundation body for Mathilda Marks-Kennedy, Simon Marks and Rosh Pinah, is set to become part of the United Synagogue (The US) family... The trustees of The US have been appointed as trustees of the Scopus Jewish Educational Trust. Peter Ohrenstein, Chairman of the Scopus Jewish Educational Trust, has agreed to stay on as a trustee... The new arrangement will mean that The US, through Tribe, will be offering its range of educational and support services to the three Scopus schools as it currently does to other US foundation schools. Such support is in addition to US provision to schools that operate under the auspices of The Chief Rabbi but which are not associated with The US foundation body.[12]

Overview

Rosh Pinah is a voluntary aided primary school for ages 3 to 11 in Edgware, in the London Borough of Barnet (URN 101340). The school became voluntary aided in 1968.[13][8] Ofsted counted 393 pupils, against a capacity of 480, in December 2025; the headteacher is Jill Howson.[14]

Governance

The school's trust company, Rosh Pinah Jewish Primary School Trust (company number 03952150), has nine directors at Companies House.[15] The 2025 Pikuach report named Dawn Frangi as chair of governors; Ofsted named Andrew Rotenberg as chair in 2021.[9][16]

Name Appointed
Neil Daniel Boonin 13 October 2016
Barbara Hotz 23 June 2009
Sara Ruth Hunt 21 April 2021
Nicholas Martin Kramer 23 June 2009
David Alan Menashy 12 June 2025
Sarah Mordecai 12 June 2025
Allan Paul Michael Myers 23 June 2009
Adam Simble 23 June 2009
Roy Sydney Somerston 12 June 2025

Inspections

Date Inspectorate and type Outcome
2 December 2025 Ofsted, report card Strong standard in all seven evaluation areas; safeguarding met[14]
25–26 May 2021 Ofsted, ungraded inspection Continues to be good[16]
5–6 March 2025 Pikuach (section 48) Quality of Jewish education good (grade 2); Jewish personal and spiritual development, and leadership and management, outstanding (grade 1)[9]

The full inspection history is published by Ofsted.[17]

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".[18] Miller wrote that the Zionist Federation "was involved in founding a number of Jewish schools including three Primary schools with the Scopus Jewish Education Trust as their foundation body (a subsidiary of the ZF)", naming Rosh Pinah among them, and that these schools are "today" under the authority of the United Synagogue.[18]

External links

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Charity commission Scopus Jewish Education Trust -313154 Charity Details
  2. ↑ Mervyn Goodman, The Jewish Community of Liverpool, The Jewish ]oumal of Sociology, vol.38 no.2, December 1996.
  3. ↑ Ivrit in Schools, Jewish Chronicle, 12 June 2009
  4. ↑ The Jewish Chronicle, 20 May 1983, p.25, archive, accessed 6 November 2026.
  5. ↑ https://archive.vn/x4bhv
  6. ↑ About Us, rpps.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
  7. ↑ Inclusion, rpps.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Our History, rpps.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Pikuach, Rosh Pinah Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 5–6 March 2025, pikuach.org.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
  10. ↑ The Jewish Chronicle, 26 April 2002, p.20, "Independence Day crowds", archive, accessed 6 November 2026.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ The US 'Scopus Jewish Educational Trust Joins the Family of United Synagogue Schools' Date Uploaded: Friday 16th December 2016.
  13. ↑ Department for Education, Rosh Pinah Primary School (URN 101340), Get Information about Schools, accessed 1 November 2026.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ofsted, Rosh Pinah Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 2 December 2025, accessed 1 November 2026.
  15. ↑ Companies House, ROSH PINAH JEWISH PRIMARY SCHOOL TRUST (03952150): People, accessed 1 November 2026.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ofsted, Rosh Pinah Primary School: inspection report, inspection of 25–26 May 2021, accessed 1 November 2026.
  17. ↑ Ofsted, Rosh Pinah Primary School (URN 101340), Ofsted reports, accessed 1 November 2026.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 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.
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