Ofsted has criticised a Jewish school for its controversial policy of redacting sections of textbooks it deemed to be unsuitable for pupils.

The inspectorate has rated the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School in London  as inadequate, warning that: “Pupils’ spiritual development is focused narrowly on their own faith.”

Ofsted has placed the voluntary aided school in special measures and called for an external review of its governance to take place.

Humanists UK have responded to the report by calling for the school to be closed down.

However the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School, which, serves the Orthodox Jewish Charedi community in Stamford Hill, North London has rejected the report’s findings and said the school is the victim of a secularist plot.

Ofsted inspectors highlight how the school has redacted books including Sherlock Holmes and a historical text about Elizabethan England.

It found that the majority of pictures in books on major artists such as Picasso had been blanked out and photographs portraying men and women on the same page, for instance in a crowd had also been redacted.

The report says: “Redaction of texts and information, and a narrow curriculum, restrict pupils’ knowledge and prevent them from learning about themselves, others and the world around them.”

Inspectors found that staff had systematically gone through every book to blank out bare skin on ankles, wrists or necks.

The school, which had been rated good in its last inspection, has been given an overall inadequate judgement, with leadership and management and the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils rated both rated as inadequate.

Teaching and learning and outcomes for pupils are have been judged to require improvement.

The report says: “Leaders tightly control curriculum content and prohibit pupils from learning key information.

“For instance they do not allow pupils to study human or animal reproduction in their science lessons.”

The report found that safeguarding is not effective. It found that the school deliberately restricts pupils access to advice about how to keep safe in the world - including the redaction of helpline numbers from books.

“This prevents pupils protecting themselves, because they are unable to seek independent, confidential advice.”

Ofsted says the school fails to prepare pupils well for modern life.

The report found that by the end of key stage four pupils’ achievement is above average in the subjects they study. Pupil behaviour is said to be good. 

Ofsted says that many pupils say they enjoy “their protective schools environment where they are kept physically safe.”

Theo Bibelman, the chair of governors at Yesodey Satorah said “This report says more about Ofsted than it does about our school. Just a few months ago the Hackney Learning Trust, judged the school to be outstanding and praised us for many of the aspects now deemed by Ofsted to be below standard.

“Even a cursory reading of the report shows that Ofsted has downplayed our successes and academic achievements whilst showing a clear disrespect for the Orthodox Jewish community.”

Humanists UK education campaigns manager Jay Harman said: “The purpose of a school is to educate its pupils, promote their development and wellbeing, and ensure that when they leave the school gates, they are prepared for life in a modern, diverse society.”

He claimed the purpose of the school appeared to be entrenching a “homophibic, misogynistic, intolerant and isolationist ethos designed to limit its pupils rather than allow them to flourish.”

“It is a tragedy that so many children have been and are being subjected to schools of this kind. The Government must start closing them down,” he said.

Earlier this year Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School came under scrutiny over its policies that ban all internet use for pupils and censor photos in textbooks that show women’s legs above the knees.

Humanists UK accused the school of operating a “censorious” approach to education” - but the school said its policies were to “protect our girls from sexualisation”.

Yesodey Hatorah’s code of conduct, which pupils have to follow in and out of school, says “access to the internet is forbidden even for educational purposes” and that leisure activities “not in line with our school ethos” such as ice skating and bowling are not allowed.

It also says that pupils watching DVDs or videos as a group “must have prior permission from school”.