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ritish government demands that Orthodox Jewish schools comply with strict new regulations mandating instruction on alternative lifestyles may spell doom for traditional chinuch in the United Kingdom.

It is difficult to understate the danger posed to continued frum life in Britain by these actions, promulgated by the Department for Education (DfE). The government just closed the period of public consultation on the proposed new policies, and received thousands of submissions from across the country — many of them from an energized Jewish community.

“These proposals represent the greatest threat to chareidi education that Britain has seen in recent history,” said Rav Shraga Feivel Zimmerman, the Gateshead Rav. “If they remain as they are in their final form, they will make chinuch in Britain untenable.”

Schools failing to conform their programs to the new rules could be closed down. Although many of these policies existed on the books for years, looser enforcement mechanisms allowed inspectors to exercise discretion. Frum schools were thus able to continue operating on the pretext that they were in compliance with the spirit of the policies, which are intended to foster tolerance and respect for all human beings. The new proposals effectively close all the old loopholes, subject chareidi mosdos to a much more unforgiving eye, and expedite the process for closing down a noncompliant institution.

Orthodox schools could also be forced to qualify their teaching of Brias Ha’olam, as the new policies forbid presenting a religious view on the creation of the universe “as having a similar or superior evidence base to scientific theories.” Schools will need to demonstrate that they prepare the children for engagement with mixed-gender groups and with members of other faiths. If a school focuses more heavily on one particular faith — for example, its own — the proposals state that it is likely to fail that requirement, which could contribute to a full inspection failure.

Perhaps most chilling is the government’s own bland, matter-of-fact admission that these new proposals will have a “disproportionate impact on pupils of the ultra-Orthodox faith.” However, the DfE justifies such policy, maintaining that “even though children may have to go to a different school, and this might not be the school of the families’ choice, the enforcement action would ultimately be to the benefit of children with the specified characteristics [i.e., ultra-Orthodox] because they are entitled to attend a school which offers a satisfactory education. Places are available in the state sector for any child of compulsory school age living in England... As there will be positive impact for some children straight away, and for others in the longer term even if there is short-term disruption, we believe we should continue.”

In other words, the Department for Education is stating outright that it believes chareidi institutions of chinuch do not act in the best interests of their students, and those students would best be served by secular state-run schools. Statements like these have led to many to question whether the policies have been drafted to primarily target chareidi institutions. Many of the points made in the documents appear to pertain directly to Orthodox Jewish issues, and to respond to arguments typically put forward by frum schools. For example, the proposals state, schools must teach pupils about the dangers of cyber-bullying and offensive texting, “even if pupils in a particular faith community are not meant to use mobile phones, or have limited access to the Internet.”

The widespread alarm triggered by this policy direction ignited a determined response from the frum centers of London, Manchester, and Gateshead. Spearheaded by Interlink, an advocacy organization, activists pulled together an unprecedented show of communal cohesion, launching awareness evenings and holding sessions to help people understand the jargon so they could formulate articulate responses.

The proposals, partly triggered by widespread concerns about growing Muslim extremism, are part of a broader government strategy called Integrated Communities. The government appears to seek the blurring of distinctions between different faith groups, creating instead a single monocultural British community. All children must be taught “fundamental British values,” to prepare them to take their place in wider British society. While some of these values — such as democracy and adherence to the law — are laudable, others fly in the face of all that Torah communities hold dear.

All independent schools — including most chareidi schools — have long had to adhere to the Independent School Standards (ISS). While these allowed some room for interpretation, the latest guidance has effectively narrowed any potential wiggle room. Previously, for example, schools could explain that they promoted general tolerance and respect for all people, without teaching children specifically about each of the “protected characteristics,” such as alternative lifestyles, which are antithetical to a Torah lifestyle.

However, the new proposals state explicitly that schools must “ensure that principles are actively promoted which encourage respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. It is not sufficient for a school to say that it meets this standard because its curriculum encourages respect for all people in a general way; that is not paying particular regard to the protected characteristics.”

These newest plans are the latest and most serious stage of a strategy to escalate pressure on independent schools. The introduction of new ISS in 2014 narrowed the gap between the requirements for state schools, which are essentially run at the whim of DfE bureaucrats, and for independent schools — which until then had enjoyed greater freedom in setting their own curricula and policies. Concerns increased in 2017 with plans to compel schools to teach about reproduction and relationships, including alternative lifestyles.

Additionally, over the last few years, Ofsted — the schools inspection watchdog — seems to have targeted chareidi schools, significantly increasing inspections and taking a much less sympathetic approach. The result? Inspections have felled school after chareidi school — many previously judged “good” — like so many dominoes.

Although in the past a failed inspection didn’t amount to much besides administrative inconvenience for the affected school, the latest proposals have a lot more teeth. The DfE wants to speed up enforcement action for schools that fail, either preventing them from accepting any new pupils, or forcing them to close immediately. Until now, schools failing Ofsted inspections were given the chance to submit action plans for addressing the issues raised, and they were then subjected to frequent additional inspections until they showed improvement. Now, however, the DfE intends to shorten the whole process, warning schools that they may be served with an enforcement notice after only one failed inspection.

“The proposals represent a potential death threat to the existence of frum schools in the UK,” says one concerned headteacher in Gateshead. “It seems that Ofsted inspectors have collated all the justifications given by schools over the last few years for avoiding the teaching of areas that are anathema to our mesorah, and have then formulated the new guidance in a way that deliberately excludes and indeed invalidates all those ‘get-outs.’ Chinuch in the UK is looking increasingly bleak.” (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 713)