The new Labour government’s educational plans could affect the Strictly Orthodox community beyond its widely-publicised aim of imposing VAT on independent schools.
Proposals set out in the King’s Speech on Wednesday include keeping a register of children being educated in out of school settings, strengthening Ofsted’s powers to investigate unregistered schools and bringing academies into line with other state schools in teaching the national curriculum.
Jewish educational organisations have warned that the Charedi system could be severely hit by the VAT charge because while most Strictly Orthodox children are taught in independent schools, many families cannot afford to pay full or indeed any fees.
The King’s Speech did not specifically mention a second proposal pledged in Labour’s election manifesto, also to remove relief on business rates — which some fear could lead to the closure of some Charedi schools. But the JC understands that the second measure is also due to go ahead.
In a statement on the King’s Speech, the Board of Deputies said, “There will be anxiety in parts of our community, particularly the generally poorer Charedi community, about the detail around the provisions imposing VAT on private education.
“This is particularly true given the maintenance of the two-child cap, which disproportionately impacts larger families, which the Board of Deputies has long opposed.”
(The two-child cap refers to child benefit,which is payable only for the first two children).
The proposal to compile registers for children taught at home or in institutions such as some yeshivot that are not currently classified as schools is likely to prompt protests, since a similar move backed by the last government brought Charedi demonstrators on to the streets of Westminster.
In background briefing material, the government has explained: “These registers are needed for local authorities to better identify these children so that they do not fall through the gaps, particularly when moving between different types of education or across local authority boundaries.”
The plan to give Ofsted extra powers to look into unregistered schools will also be closely scrutinised in Stamford Hill, where an estimated 1,500 teenage boys learn in unregistered yeshivot. However, yeshivot do not fall under the current legal definition of schools — and the government has not yesterday suggested reviving the previous government’s abandoned plan to tighten that definition to include yeshivot.
One Stamford Hill source said the new proposals have “ignited profound alarm among many Strictly Orthodox families”.
Also potentially significant is the proposed requirement for academies to teach the national curriculum as do other state schools and for all teachers in the state system to have qualified teaching status.
The potential impact of the VAT and business rates measures has led some within the Charedi community to consider the option of opening more state-schools — but the proposed requirements on curriculum and teacher status could prove a barrier.
However, David Landau, chairman of Chinuch UK, the advocacy group for Charedi schooling, said, “Our only academies were judged outstanding by Ofsted so we have no current issues with the application of the national curriculum or QTS.”
