Hundreds of Charedi men gathered in a Stamford Hill hall on Sunday to protest against the compulsory teaching of LGBT-related issues in schools.

Most of the Strictly Orthodox community have been at odds for a number of years with the education authorities over equality requirements, reinforced in the new relationships and sex education curriculum.

The resumption of Ofsted inspections, following their suspension during the pandemic, has reignited passions.

According to local sources, close to 1,000 men attended – representing a section of the community fiercely opposed to any negotiation over what they consider fundamental Torah principles.

Rabbi Asher Gratt, a spokesman for the group, said, “It is sadly the compromise approach and the willingness to find a meeting-point that strengthens Ofsted resolve in imposing an alien value system on children.”

The aim of the meeting was to call on schools to be “more strident and assertive” in resisting attempts to introduce “depravity and moral corruption” into the Jewish education system, he said.

It was addressed by the centenarian local yeshivah head, Rabbi Elyakim Schlesinger, and several other rabbis.

A number of Charedi schools have been marked down by inspectors over the past month for refusing to discuss subjects such as sexual orientation or gender reassignment.

Rabbi Gratt said that the situation was “going from bad to worse and parents have lost patience”.

According to the RSE guidelines, children should be taught about same-sex relationships before the end of secondary school. In primary schools, the topic is encouraged but not mandatory.

While concern about RSE was across the board, another Stamford Hill source said, some schools also had problems with teaching about other religions and pressure to encourage children to attend secular higher education. Ofsted was "tightening its grip," he said.

Rabbi Gratt said the meeting was “the beginning of something very dramatic in the community”.

Stamford Hill protest meeting