Gateshead Jewish Boarding School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 September 2025

Pupils at this school benefit from a warm, inclusive and increasingly aspirational environment, rooted in deep community connections. Pupils are happy. They appreciate the positive relationships that they have built with staff. Staff know the pupils and their families very well. This helps to ensure that pupils are safe. Leaders are ambitious for their pupils and their determination to provide the very best is evident. Likewise, staff have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. A focus on transferable skills, particularly between the Kodesh and secular curriculums, helps pupils build confidence and deepen understanding. Leaders have carefully nurtured links with local Jewish schools. This supports curriculum refinement and is raising aspirations and achievement. Pupils behave very positively during lessons and at breaktimes. The school has recently reviewed the behaviour system, which has had a positive impact on pupils' motivation, attitudes to learning and conduct around the school. The school has designed a personal development programme that supports pupils to be tolerant of and respect people with different beliefs and values. However, the school does not ensure that pupils have a depth of understanding of all aspects of life in modern Britain. The school has a renowned choir, where pupils receive expert tuition in solo and choral singing.

What the school should improve

• The school is at the early stages of developing a systematic approach to support pupils who may struggle with reading. At present, a small number of pupils find that reading is a barrier to them achieving as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that weaker readers benefit from additional, targeted support to improve their accuracy, fluency and confidence, while also nurturing a love of reading.
• At present, too few pupils are actively offered the chance to explore wider opportunities to broaden their horizons. The school should ensure that its offer is ambitious, accessible and inclusive so that all pupils benefit and thrive.
• The school does not currently teach pupils about how to manage the physical and emotional changes associated with growing up, including the processes of physical, neurological and psychological development that leads to sexual maturity and reproductive capability, or about the protected characteristics of sexual orientation and gender reassignment. This is not in line with DfE statutory guidance. Leaders should ensure that these aspects are taught so that pupils are properly prepared for life in modern Britain.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)