Pikuach postpones further inspections until the summer term 2021

Pikuach, the Board of Deputies body responsible for inspecting Jewish education in maintained Jewish schools, has announced that it is further suspending its section 48 inspections due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Inspections had previously been delayed until the start of 2020 due to the pandemic, but this period of suspension has been extended until the start of the summer term 2021. The suspension of inspections means that there will be some schools whose next inspection will come after the statutorily-required five year period, but discussions held with the Department for Education have confirmed that no schools will be penalised for this due to the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic.

The announcement comes shortly after the news that Ofsted has announced that it has also delayed a return to full inspections.

Director of Pikuach Jeffrey Leader said “With the announcement that Ofsted has suspended a return to full inspections for a further term, we can also announce that Pikuach inspections will also be delayed until the summer term 2021. We have shared the latest news with all the relevant schools and will be updating them with any developments. In the meantime, Pikuach has started the process of training inspectors on the new framework that was launched in September and will be setting up training sessions in the spring for school leaders, Jewish Studies teachers and chairpersons.”