School which blanked out any textbook reference to homosexuality has been rated inadequate
The Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School in London was slammed for not promoting diversity
By Steve Brown
A Jewish school which censored textbooks which mentioned homosexuality has been rated “inadequate” by education watchdog Ofsted.
The Orthodox Jewish School, Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School, in London came under fire after it redacted sections of its textbooks to remove any mention homosexuality and used a black marker pen to exclude references to them in a list of victims of the Holocaust.
The school was exposed by Humanists UK, a group which campaigns for LGBT-inclusive education in all schools, earlier this year.
The textbook stated: “many minority groups such as Gypsies, [blacked out] and mentally handicapped people.
“They persecuted any group that they thought challenged Nazi ideas: [blacked out] were a threat to Nazi ideas on traditional family life.”
The school also censored pictures of women socialising with men and images showing women’s shoulders and legs.
After inspecting the school, Ofsted rated it ‘inadequate’ – the lowest possible rating – and said the school didn’t promote “equality of opportunity or diversity”.
The report wrote: “The principal and governors do not adequately promote equality of opportunity or diversity.
“They do not encourage pupils’ respect for all other people, because they do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths, experiences, cultures or perspectives.”
Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Jay Harman said: “This is what happens when religion is given almost untrammelled influence over the education of children.
“The purpose of a school is to educate its pupils, promote their development and wellbeing, and ensure that when they leave the school gates, they are prepared for life in a modern, diverse society.
“The purpose of this school – and there are others like it – appears to be the entrenchment of a homophobic, misogynistic, intolerant, and isolationist ethos, designed to limit its pupils rather than allow them to flourish.
“It is a tragedy that so many children have been and are being subjected to schools of this kind. The Government must start closing them down.”