When it comes to secular and Kodesh studies, mainstream Jewish schools are considered first-rate, ensuring their pupils leave at the age of 18 intellectually primed for the outside world.
But who out there ensures that today's pupils are ready to face the pressures of modern life that seldom crop up in the classroom - that is, who teaches them about sex and relationships, internet safety, peer pressure, bullying and antisemitism, among other fundamental life lessons. In short, who shows them how to be street-smart?
For the past 10 years, that duty has fallen to Streetwise, a youth educational group created by a partnership between the Community Security Trust and Maccabi GB.
The goal? To provide, through regular engagement and a wide remit that addresses the specific needs of each and every pupil, extra pastoral support that can all too often be overlooked in an academic environment.
Launched in 2005, the group has been on the front line of informal education inside the community. Every week, it reaches somewhere between 100 and 2,000 children, delivering tailored programmes based on its target audience's age range and religious denomination.
Last year, it delivered 860 individual sessions to 22,000 young people - more than any other Jewish organisation in the UK.
"Every young person in the community knows us," says Nathan Servi, Streetwise's manager. "They trust us. Everything we discuss with them is confidential, allowing them to express themselves freely."
Throughout the year, Streetwise educators visit up to 50 Jewish schools across the UK. They deliver four main programmes to more than 35 primary schools, encompassing anti-bullying, healthy living, the transition from year six into secondary education, and internet safety. They also visit every Jewish mainstream secondary, with ad hoc sessions depending on individual needs.
Along the way, the group visits non-Jewish schools and partners with national organisations and campaigns, which, according to Mr Servi, enables facilitators "to get excellent training, be credible and be very upfront with schools over what we can cover". Partnerships include National Anti-Bullying Week and the government-led Change4Life initiative.
Keeping on top of trends is essential.
"We continuously update our programmes," Mr Servi explains. "For example, with internet safety, we look at what is current today, from Facebook to Twitter to Snapchat. Sexting [sending sexually-explicit text messages] was not a trend three years ago; now it happens on a mass scale.
"We come in and provide a safe, open space to talk about these issues, looking at the moral implications, the dangers and the guidelines. We aim to develop our programmes in a very sensitive, Jewish way, while still maintaining the expertise of our partner organisations.
"Basically, we have realised that we are the only organisation that delivers certain topics to the community."
Sex and relationship teaching is one such topic - and is one that Streetwise's educators have taken very seriously ever since they took over the educational work of Jewish Action and Training for sexual health (JAT) in 2012.
The organisation prides itself on delivering content geared to the demands of each school. In junior schools, for example, sex education is delivered to varying degrees in a religious framework, while secondary schools also opt for different sessions depending on their ethos.
"We amend content depending on the religiosity of the schools and produce different leaflets," Mr Servi explains. "In JCoSS, we will talk freely about contraception with years nine and up, while in Hasmonean, for example, we will be more sensitive and careful."
According to Mr Servi, working closely with each school is the driving force behind Streetwise's success.
"As well as our student sessions, we offer teacher and parental training to help them broach current issues," he says. "It is all about maintaining our relationships with schools and continuously pushing for the work we do."
But, he adds, finding the time to deliver their programmes carries its challenges: "Unfortunately, securing the time to go into secondary schools can be more difficult than it was five years ago. Schools are very busy, but we resolve the problem by adapting ourselves as much as we can.
"Some schools are very receptive; with others, it can still be a struggle."
While working with Jewish schools remains Streetwise's primary concern, educators also ensure they reach Jewish children in non-faith schools. This is done through their work with UJIA's Jams programme, which helps to run Jewish societies in mainstream schools.
Meanwhile, a newly launched project aiming to wipe out antisemitism among young people in the UK is also making waves.
Working with Tell Mama, a Muslim group tackling Islamophobia, Streetwise hopes to raise awareness of discrimination from both Muslim and Jewish perspectives. They are currently applying for government funding to launch the project nationally.
"Although there are a number of organisations that offer Holocaust education, nobody talks about antisemitism," Mr Servi says. "The hope is to launch it as a national campaign within the next five years."
Having recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, Streetwise's work remains as crucial as ever, ensuring that, while students continue to expand their minds in academia, their social and mental welfare does not get left behind.
As Mr Servi stresses, its educators aim to leave a lasting impression that will stand pupils in good stead for the rest of their lives.
"Every week, we have something going on in one school or another in the UK," he says. "As far as we are concerned, young people need support on a variety of topics, because they don't get support elsewhere.
"Even if it is just signposting them to a healthy living campaign or an anti-bullying organisation, we offer a sensitive approach to what young people need. The whole point of what we do is engaging them in dialogue.
"What we find is that, when you give them the space and the security, they will always talk."
