Beis Yaakov Jewish High School for Girls, Salford

Address:

69 Broom Lane
Salford
M7 4FF

Telephone: 0161 708 8220

Executive Principal: Rabbi N Wilson

School type: Academy

Total number of places for year 7: 55

Total applications received by offer day: 62

Breakdown of offers at offer day (1 March 2024): Please contact the school for details

Total numbers of offers made (including alternative offers): 55

Total vacancies: 0

Admission policy and procedures (2025/2026)

Our admissions authority set the admission arrangements annually. If no changes are made to the admission arrangements, they are consulted on at least once every seven years in accordance with the school's admissions code.

The policy in force at the time that the offer of a place is made will govern your child’s admission to the school.

1. Context and ethos of the school

Beis Yaakov Jewish High School Academy for girls (“the school”) is a school with religious designation which exists to meet the needs of Charedi (strictly orthodox) Jewish families who desire a Charedi Jewish education for their daughters. The school seeks to provide a broad and balanced education based on Torah values combined with the national curriculum.

All Charedi girls will be expected to abide by the principles and ethics of the school. All other pupils will be expected to respect the observance of Charedi principles by Charedi girls while in school or participating in school activities and behave accordingly. The highest possible standards of mutual respect between all pupils are a critical part of the School’s ethos.

2. Definition of a Charedi girl

In these arrangements “Charedi girl” means a girl who is a member of a Charedi family and lives in accordance with Charedi principles and ethics. The definition of Charedi is as follows:

• A distinct group within the Jewish community distinguished by cultural differences and strict adherence to and practice of Orthodox Judaism. Members of this community lead an extremely modest way of life dictated by the highest moral and ethical values. Every aspect of their life is governed by the codes of Torah observance, and is based on the three tenets of Judaism “Torah, Prayer and Acts of loving kindness”.

A “family” in this context may comprise a married couple (mother and father, mother and step-father, father and step-mother) or a single parent (either mother or father).

The Charedi principles and ethics require as follows:

Charedi homes do not have TV or other inappropriate media, and parents will ensure that their children will not have access to the internet and any other media which do not meet the stringent moral criteria of the Charedi community as laid down below.

• School aged children do not own, have access to or use an Internet enabled device. School aged children may not use an internet enabled device for any other purpose unless its internet has been blocked effectively.
• Parents will be required to bring a certificate from TAG Manchester (Technology Awareness Group) that all Internet Enabled Devices they own have been filtered.
• School aged children may not own any type of mobile phone, including one without internet or text capability. This applies even if the internet access has been blocked. On those occasions where parents or guardians feel that for reasons of safety there is a need for their daughter to have access to a mobile [e.g. if their daughter will be away from home for an extended period] then, at their discretion, she may borrow the parent’s / guardian's phone and hand it back on return home. It goes without saying that this phone must likewise have no internet access.
• School aged children do not watch television.
• School aged children never attend theatre or cinema.
• School aged children are not permitted to view unsuitable videos / films. Unsuitable material refers to videos that contain romance, nudity, drugs, discrimination, violence, hate, crime, racism or adult content.
• Parents exercise censorship on all material entering their homes (books, magazines, videos etc.). School aged children are not permitted to view, listen or read material that contain romance, nudity, drugs, discrimination, violence, hate, crime, racism or adult content. As unsuitable material is available in public libraries, school aged children should not go to public libraries unless supervised by an adult.
• Parents should always know where their daughters are, what time they will be coming home, who they are with and what they could be exposed to.

Mothers and girls will dress at all times in accordance with the strictest standards of Tznius (modesty) as outlined below:

1. Dresses and skirts - Dresses and skirts should cover the knees even when walking or sitting. A dress or skirt may not have any slits, even if the slit only starts below the minimum length.
2. Sheitels / Hair - Mother’s hair must be completely covered at all times.
3. Necklines must not be open below the collarbone.
4. Sleeves must cover the elbows at all times.
5. Tights should be worn at all times and it should be apparent that they are being worn. Ankle-length socks are unacceptable even over tights. Leggings may not be worn, even under a skirt.
6. Coloured nail varnish should not be used. School aged girls should not wear makeup.

Fathers must attend a Charedi synagogue and attend for the full duration of all prayers on Shabbos, Yom Tov and the three daily prayers. Likewise attendance in synagogue should be appropriately dressed i.e. with a jacket and hat. Set times for daily Torah sessions are an essential part of a Charedi environment.

Mothers must attend the following services each calendar year on the following occasions and for the durations indicated: Purim (full duration of evening and morning Megilla readings); Simchas Torah (half an hours during either evening or daytime hakofos); Rosh Hashono (full duration of Tekias Shofar).

3. Admission arrangements

The school’s governing body is the admissions authority. The published admissions number for entry into Year 7 in September 2025 is 40. Applications will be considered without reference to ability or aptitude.

The admissions authority will admit any girl whose statement of special education needs or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) names the school. This will be counted against the admissions number.

Provision of false information will result in the reconsideration of the application on the basis of correct information, and consequently any offer of a place may be withdrawn.

Applications to Year 7 must be made via the local authority in which you live by 31 October in the year prior to the anticipated admission. Guidance can be found through the secondary admissions section of your local authority’s website or by contacting their admissions team.

If a parent wishes for their child to be taught outside their usual age group, they should make the school aware of this at the time of application. The school governing body will consider the request taking into account information provided by the parent and previous school and whether the child has previously been taught out of age. The decision of the governing body will be communicated to the parent in writing giving full reasons for the decision. If a place is offered to the child at the school but not in the age group the parents requested there is no right to appeal.

Late applications to Year 7 and applications for places in Years 8 to 11 will be administered by the school. The school will consider in-year applications from girls under the fair access protocol published by the LA as individual pupil circumstances require. All applications for such admissions should be made directly to the school.

4. Oversubscription Criteria

If there are more applications than places available, the governing body will admit pupils in accordance with the faith based oversubscription criteria set out below:

Applicants wishing to be considered for Charedi priority in accordance with these criteria should complete the School Supplementary Information Form (SIF) proving their commitment to Charedi practice as laid out in number 2 above. Siblings of existing pupils applying for a school place at the school will also have to complete a SIF. The Rabbi of the Chareidi synagogue which the parent(s)/guardian(s) attend(s) is required to sign the Supplementary Information Form attesting to the synagogue attendance of the parent(s)/guardian(s). Copies of the form are also available from the local authority and the school office. Completed forms must be returned to the school office by the 31st October, in the year prior to the anticipated admission.

1. A looked after, or previously looked after Jewish girl, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted (see note 1)
2. Charedi girls with siblings currently at the School (see note 2)
3. Charedi girls who have attended Yesoiday Hatorah School (Sedgley Park Road, Prestwich).
4. Charedi girls of staff employed by the school who have been employed for two or more years by the 1 September of the year of entry.
5. Other Charedi girls
6. Other looked after girls or previously looked after girls (see note 1)
7. Other girls

5. Tie breaker

If there is over subscription within any of the categories, the governing body will give priority to those living within the catchment area as defined in note 3. In the event of over subscription within the catchment area, the school will use a random lottery method supervised by someone independent from the school. The same method will be carried out in the event of over subscription from outside the catchment area.

In the case of multiple births, where children have equal priority for a place, it may be necessary to offer places over the published admission number so that they can attend the same school.

Notes

1. Looked after children (LAC) are children in public care. Previously looked after children (PLAC) are children who were looked after, but ceased to be because they were adopted (under the terms of Adoption and Children Act 2002 (see section 46 (Adoption Orders))) or became subject to a child arrangement order (under the terms of the Children Act 1989 (see section 8 which defines “a child arrangement order” is an order settling the arrangements to be made as to the persons with whom the child shall live)), or special guardianship order. Internationally adopted previously looked after children (IAPLAC) are children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
2. For the purpose of admission, a sibling link is defined as a sister, or half or step sister, residing at the same address as the pupil who occupies a place in the School and will be at the School at the time of the applicant’s admission.
3. The catchment area is defined as the area including and contained within: (A map of the catchment area is available in the school office)
   1. From Bury New Road, at the point parallel to where Wellington Street East meets Rigby Street, along Bury New Road to Scholes Lane, then,
   2. Along Scholes Lane to the junction with Bury Old Road, then,
   3. Along Bury Old Road to the junction with Leicester Road, then,
   4. Along Leicester Road until its junction with Wellington Street East.
4. Where a child is the subject of joint custody, and there is a dispute as to the child’s home address, the address to which the child benefit payment is made will be deemed the home address for the purposes of this policy. In the event that no child benefit is paid, the matter will be referred to the Governing Body to decide.

6. Late applications and Waiting list

The school will maintain a waiting list for Year 7 girls until the end of the autumn term and applications will be ranked in the same order as the oversubscription criteria. A girl may move up and down the list as new girls are added to it. Late applications received will be considered, ranked and placed on the waiting list.

Looked after children, previously looked after children and those allocated a place in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol take precedence over pupils on the waiting list.

7. Offer of places and appeals procedure

Parents/ Guardian will be notified in writing on 1 March (of the year of the anticipated admission) with the outcome of their application. If an applicant has been turned down by the governing body, parents may appeal to the School’s admissions appeal panel. Any appeal must be sent in writing, marked for the attention of The Clerk to the Schools Admission Appeal Panel, at the School address within 20 days of notification of refusal.

Parents must give the reasons for appealing in writing, and the decision of the appeals panel is binding on the Governors. Refused candidates have only one chance to appeal within any academic year.

Back to the list of secondary schools