Jewish Studies

The Jewish ethos underpins all aspects of school life at Bury and Whitefield. Children have a Jewish Studies lesson every day and subjects covered include: Hebrew reading and writing, Chumash, Jewish History, Jewish general knowledge, the Jewish year, Jewish laws and customs and morals and ethics. Under the guidance of the Head of Jewish Studies, our team of Jewish Studies teachers are highly committed to providing a programme of creative and innovative learning.

There is an integrated policy where the secular teaching department and the Jewish Studies department work closely together on planning and delivering the curriculum, especially in art, music and cross curricular topics (e.g. moral, historical and environmental themes). In KS2 the children have the opportunity to learn some Ivrit and are given an insight into Israeli life and culture.

Morning prayers take place at the beginning of each day. There is a full school assembly on Monday, and during the rest of the week there are graded prayers according to the age of the children. In Year 2, pupils are presented with their own siddur. Each Friday morning there is a special Shabbos assembly.

Every festival throughout the Jewish calendar has its own celebration. We have special assemblies, events, competitions and other specific activities which bring the festivals to life for the children and which enhance the Jewish ethos and community spirit of the school.

For more information regarding the Hebrew curriculum, please see our curriculum overview or read our curriculum intent document.