Our History and Ethos
Our History
Founded in 1945 by Rabbi Margulies, the Premishlaner Rebbe, for the Jewish Community in the area, North West is the school of choice for the local orthodox communities of Brondesbury, Hampstead and St John’s Wood.
Rabbi Maurice Landy, the rabbi of the Cricklewood community, took on the development of the school and was involved as Honorary Principal and Chair of Governors and Trustees for over 40 years until his passing in 1996.
North West combines a strong Jewish education with the National Curriculum. We aim to give children the knowledge, understanding and life skills to help them flourish in the outside world. We believe that there is an essential ABCD of education – Academics, Behaviour, Creativity and Dialogue which produces the ideal learning environment for our children.
Our Ethos
At North West, children are taught to develop a love of Judaism’s laws, teachings and history and to have a thorough understanding and respect for their Jewish Heritage. Through our ethos of Torah with knowledge of the world around them, they are shown how to relate to others and understand differences both within school and in the wider community.
Our vibrant Jewish traditions and culture, both Ashkenazi and Sephardi, are celebrated in school through daily Tefillah, Kabbalat Shabbat and celebration of the Chaggim. During Rosh Chodesh assemblies older boys get the opportunity to read from the Torah and when Succot falls within the school term, children eat in the succah and use the arba minim during Tefillah.
A love of Israel is instilled in our children both through marking special days in its history and by learning Ivrit from the Nursery onwards. In Year 6 children participate in a tailor made Ulpan towards the end of their last term, to help solidify and enhance the Ivrit they have learnt before they leave the school.
Parents are expected to support the orthodox ethos of the school at home, particularly through Kashrut and Shabbat observance, as well as supporting their children in their Jewish learning and living. Parents are invited to attend Kabbalat Shabbat when their children are in the younger years and help their older children write Divrei Torah; parents are expected to support their children as they learn to read and develop fluency, and parents are invited to special events such as the pre Shavuot parent-child learning programme and the popular pre-Chaggim adult education evenings organised by the school.
