The King David High School

The King David High School is founded on traditional Jewish values with a belief in respect, courtesy, self-discipline, diligence and the pursuit of excellence.Our mission is to encourage each and every child to reach the highest levels of academic achievement, creativity and personal development. Equally, our aim is to create a generation who will be knowledgeable, committed to their faith and values and who will become outstanding citizens within the Jewish and wider community.

The King David High School has an enviable reputation. Over the past two decades , the school has undergone a massive transformation and has now become the school of choice for many of the brightest and the best in the Greater Manchester region and beyond. Its achievements place it among the top schools in the country. Indeed, the results of Yavneh and Solomon rank them alongside the very best schools in the independent sector. Its ethos is aptly summarized in the school's mission statement: "...Excellence... the pursuit of excellence in every area of the curriculum is our primary aim, so as to ensure that each and every child achieves their maximum potential and beyond, combined with a warm and caring environment and with the teaching and practice of Judaism and its values."

longside the ethos of excellence, academic achievement and personal development, great emphasis is placed on achieving the kind of atmosphere where learning becomes a pleasure and the school an experience to enjoy. The creation of a warm and caring environment is a founding principle of the school. The school goes to great lengths in its care for pupils. "...this is a happy school with a sense of purpose, a positive ethos, moral code and conduct... pupils are courteous, friendly, well motivated and enthusiastic.. relationships are excellent..." (Ofsted) Not every child has the same natural academic ability, but every child has great potential. The school's role is to inspire and ignite the flame of interest and ambition and to cultivate talent in order that each child can realize their full potential.

History has shown that Jewish continuity has always been predicated on Jewish education and knowledge. Without knowledge there is no pride, without pride there is no commitment and without commitment, there are no Jews. Research also shows that Jewish communities, which do not have their own strong secondary schools, simply decline. If there is to be a vibrant Jewish community in Manchester fifty years from now, it is vital that Jewish children attend a Jewish school. Strong Jewish education is an imperative, so as to imbue children with the knowledge of and pride in their heritage and identity. This gift will enable them to face the world with confidence, in the firm knowledge of who they are and where they stand. And there is more. We are living in a world which is hostile to many of the fundamental Jewish values; family life, respect for parents, teachers, elders and fellow men. There is also a lack of respect for standards, discipline, morality, faith and tradition. Today, more than ever, we need to reinforce the value system and moral compass our religion gives us. The school promotes the values, standards and discipline of the faith and this will help ensure that our graduates will retain their faith and will become model citizens and leaders within the community and beyond.

The King David High School Sixth Form combines academic excellence with a warm and supportive Jewish atmosphere. This enables students to maximise their potential and prepares them to face the demands of life after the Sixth Form with confidence.The Sixth Form offers students a wide choice of subjects, which are taught in small tuition groups. In addition, students benefit from the individual attention, support and guidance provided by a dedicated team of Sixth Form tutors and mentors.

The vast majority of our students go on to the higher education institution of their choice, including several to top universities including Oxford and Cambridge every year. This is in large part due to the academic excellence and hard work of the students that we are privileged to have in the Sixth Form, but is also the result of careful monitoring of students and their work and the setting of the very highest standards. Students are encouraged to develop independence and take responsibility for their own learning at Sixth Form level with a new state-of-the-art Sixth Form library dedicated to private study.

In addition to reports and parents’ evenings effort grades are collected from subject teachers and communicated to parents every half term in order to monitor progress. Students also review the grades with their form tutor who will act as their guide and first point of contact for the two years of sixth form. Students are encouraged to have an adult-to-adult dialogue with teachers and are placed at the heart of the self-review and target-setting process.

Partnership with parents and carers is key to ensuring that children maximise their potential at school. Research has shown that where parents and carers are engaged with the work of the school, their child is more likely to achieve successful outcomes.