Immanuel College, Bushey
Immanuel College is an independent co-educational Jewish day school, located in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on an eleven-acre site dominated by Caldecote Towers, a Grade II listed 19th-century mansion. The College is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
The Immanuel College Preparatory School opened in the Autumn of 2011 with a Reception class.
Ethos and Character
Immanuel College was founded in 1990 by the late Chief Rabbi, Lord Jakobovits, to fulfil his vision of an educational establishment that affirms Orthodox Jewish values and practice in the context of rigorous secular studies. Immanuel College's declared objective is to create in pupils 'an integrated personality whose Jewish identity is knowledgeable, secure and proud, as a spur to achievement and responsibility, and as a challenge to exemplary citizenship in a pluralist society'.Since its foundation, the school has acquired a reputation for academic excellence and outstanding pastoral care. A recent report by The Sutton Trust placed Immanuel College in the top 2% of schools nationally in terms of its students' success in gaining admission to the thirteen most competitive research universities. The college enjoys a tradition of excellence in the visual arts and drama. There has also been musicals, including Oliver! and My fair Lady. There is a yearly Music and Drama Festival and the calendar includes a number of concerts and recitals involving soloists, ensembles and orchestra, with the yearly Chanukah Concert being a highlight. There is also a wide variety of extra curriculum music activities, including choirs and many bands too.
The school is an increasingly competitive force in sport, the teams in tennis, football, basketball, and cricket often winning fixtures with other schools, and over twenty sports clubs meet weekly. The school is also an accredited centre for Sports and Dance Leadership Awards. The many other enrichment activities include opportunities for pupils to participate in public-speaking and debating contests. There are also clubs in philosophy, chess, art, science and modern European languages, as well as a History and Politis Society, World Affairs Society, Debating society and Socratic Society.
The school has a wide-ranging programme of educational journeys, a charity committee, which organises fundraising activities, for instance in 2017 primarily raising money for ACE Save a Child's Heart, and Hatzalah, and a social-action programme that enjoins upon pupils a commitment to service in the community. In January 2018, a trip has been organised for the first time for students to visit the tikva orphanage in Odessa Ukraine. Shevet Achim yearly elects three charities to raise money for, through the highly successful tuck shop run by year 10 and 11 students, the Chanukah fair, as well as other fundraising events such as an Open Mic Night.
Grounds, Buildings and Facilities
The school is situated on the 11-acre grounds of Caldecote Towers, adjacent to a Dominican convent, and on the former site of the Rosary Priory Catholic girls' school. Caldecote Towers primarily serves as a sixth-form and staff building, accommodating the Head Master's and Deputy Head Master's studies, the bursary, the senior combination room and the art and music departments. More recent additions include the Joyce King Theatre, a suite of science laboratories, a fitness suite, a large all-weather surface for tennis and netball, cricket and football pitches, and facilities for field events and athletics.Built around 1870, Caldecote Towers was for a time home of Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth, MP for Caithness. It became a convent in the early 20th century before becoming a girls' school. The exterior of the Towers was used in many film and television productions from the 1960s onwards, chiefly due to its relative proximity to Elstree Studios. It featured in the 1960s TV series The Avengers, The Baron and Randall and Hopkirk amongst others, and as the mansion of Dr Phibes' in the movie The Abominable Dr Phibes. It also was used in the Tom Selleck movie High Road to China.
Professor the Lord Winston opened a new 8-classroom building in September 2010. The building has been designed with multi-functional technological applications and the classrooms can be reconfigured to give small or large teaching areas and an examination hall. In 2014, A new science block was opened, with 2 laboratories, computing classrooms, a sixth form common room, an LRC and general teaching classrooms. Attached is a new Beit Knesset and Beit Midrash, with the Atar-Zwillenberg Beit Knesset the centre of the school Jewish life, run by the 'Beit' team. In 2017, a new, larger dining room has been built to accommodate the increased number of students.
Curriculum
The school offers a wide range of secular subjects, including English, Mathematics and the Science subjects, as well as Art and Design, Drama, Geography, Modern and Biblical Hebrew, History, ICT, Computing, French, Spanish, Music, Personal, Social and Health Education, Photography, Music and Physical Education. At A Level, additional subjects are offered, including Economics, Further Mathematics, Government & Politics and Psychology. There is a wide choice of subjects available in Jewish Studies and a broad and stimulating informal Jewish education programme centred around the 'beit'.The school offers public examinations in Years 10 and 11 and in the Sixth Form. The EPQ qualification is also commonly done in sixth form, and increasingly by those in the lower years too.
The Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection noted that 'the pupils’ results at GCSE are high in comparison with all maintained schools; at A level they are high in comparison with maintained selective schools'.
Jewish life
The Immanuel school calendar echoes the rhythms of the Jewish year, and the school commemorates and celebrates landmarks in the Jewish calendar such as Purim, Chanukah, Succoth and Yom Ha'atzmaut. Each January, on Holocaust Memorial Day, Lower Sixth Form students share the knowledge and insights that they have gained on their trip to Poland with pupils in the first five years of the school. The school also commemorates Yom Hazikaron. Pupils attend morning and afternoon prayers on a daily basis, and all members of the Immanuel community have informal and formal opportunities to undertake Jewish textual learning, or more generally to deepen their understanding of Jewish faith and practice, with members of the school's Jewish study centre, the Beit HaMidrash.Admission and Entrance Examinations
Admission to the Senior School of Immanuel College is by competitive examination. All senior-school candidates sit entrance examinations in English and Mathematics; Immanuel Jakobovits Scholarship candidates have the option of sitting a Jewish Studies examination of an hour's duration. All senior-school candidates are subsequently called for interview. The school offers academic scholarships and exhibitions in music and art. Admission into Reception and Year 1 is on the basis of informal assessment consisting of a play session and a focus activity.ISI Inspection 2010
Immanuel College underwent an inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in March 2010. The inspectors noted that 'standards are excellent' and that pupils' results at GCSE 'are high in comparison with all maintained schools; at A level they are high in comparison with maintained selective schools'. They also observed that throughout the school 'pupils make excellent progress in relation to their above average ability, showing an exceptional grasp of Jewish language, culture, faith and practice, in addition to achieving success in examinations across the secular curriculum.' The inspectors added that pupils 'bring their love of learning and considerable perseverance to a curriculum that has an exceptional range of study'.The report states that 'a high proportion of excellent teaching was seen' and highlights the 'excellent quality of pastoral care', where 'each individual is cared for and valued equally'. The inspection team comments on how 'the outstanding support and guidance that the pupils receive is rooted in the excellent relationships between all at the school', and states that 'the school is quietly but outstandingly led'. The report recommends that the school continues to develop its computing facilities and its monitoring of pupils.
ISI Inspection 2006
The Independent Schools Inspectorate inspected Immanuel College in May 2006 and the key findings of its report are:- 'The standard of pupils' learning is high for both boys and girls throughout the ability range.'
- 'Throughout the school pupils develop an excellent level of spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.'
- 'The quality of teaching is good and much of it is outstanding.'
- 'The overall quality of pastoral care and the welfare, health and safety of pupils are outstanding' and members of staff 'care devotedly for pupils' well-being and development.'
- 'The quality of leadership and management is outstanding.'
Immanuel College Friday Lecture Series
The Immanuel College Friday Lecture series, at which distinguished men and women from all walks of life address the Sixth Form, has included the following speakers:- Lord Jakobovits.
- Ian Amdur, Esq. ;
- Pinhas Alpert ;
- Nick Bailey, Esq. ;
- Y. Barak, Esq. ;
- Professor Harold Baum ;
- Professor Ehud Behar ;
- Martin Benedyk, Esq. ;
- Professor Nelly Ben-Or ;
- Rosalind Bluestone ;
- Rabbi Shmuel Boteach ;
- Cllr Morris Bright ;
- Professor Burland ;
- Professor Wayne Caplan ;
- Kate Clanchy ;
- Judge Myrella Cohen QC ;
- Janine Collins ;
- Oscar Craig, Esq. ;
- Sister Ann Cunningham ;
- B. Fiddaman, Esq. ;
- Clive Freedman, QC ;
- Liz Futter ;
- Anthony Giddens, Esq. ;
- Dr Raannan Gissin ;
- N. Glass, Esq. ;
- Malcolm Green, Esq. ;
- Mrs Yvonne Green ;
- Jeffrey Greenwood, Esq. ;
- The Rt Hon. Sir Edward Heath, KG, MBE, MP ;
- Sister Marie-Henry ;
- Andrew Herxheimer, Esq. ;
- Eva Hoffman ;
- Charles Ingham, Esq. ;
- Rabbi Irving Jacobs ;
- Lord Janner of Braunstone, QC ;
- Dr David Karp ;
- Simone Katzenberg ;
- Henrietta Kelly ;
- Dr David Kennard ;
- Katherine Klinger ;
- Dr Philip Koch ;
- Talya Lador-Fresher ;
- Richard Leigh, Esq. ;
- Dr Sara Levene ;
- Lord Levene of Portsoken ;
- Rabbi Dr Abraham Levy ;
- Dr Gill Livingston ;
- Michael Mail, Esq. ;
- Lea Mallul ;
- Clive Marks, Esq. ;
- Laudie Marks, Esq. ;
- Dr Louis Marks ;
- Lord McNally ;
- Jonathan Mendelsohn, Esq. ;
- Ian Milne, Esq. ;
- Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis ;
- Gloria Mound ;
- Mehri Niknam ;
- Professor Marie Parker-Jenkins ;
- Howard Palmer, Esq. ;
- Cllr Sandra Parnell ;
- Dr David Pyle ;
- Dr Robert Rabinowitz ;
- Peter Raeburn, Esq. ;
- Dr Daniel Reisel ;
- Barbara Roche, MP ;
- Dr Ruth Rosenfelder ;
- Joshua Rozenberg, Esq. ;
- Dr Daniel Rynhold ;
- Danielle Sanderson ;
- Richard Segal, Esq. ;
- Dr Denise Sheer ;
- Anthony Slinn, Esq. ;
- Professor Michael Sternberg ;
- James Smith, Esq. ;
- Leslie Sutton, Esq. ;
- Rabbi G. Sylvester ;
- Mrs Beverley Taylor ;
- Professor Anthony Warrens ;
- Andrew White, Esq. ;
- Michael Wilcockson, Esq. ;
- David Winnick, MP ;
- Professor the Lord Winston ;
- Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg ;
- Simon Wolfson ;
- Dr Abigail Wood ;
- Dr Wolgroch-Zolty.
Heads of Immanuel College
- Denis Felsenstein, Head Master
- Myrna Jacobs, Head Mistress
- Philip Skelker, Head Master
- Charles Dormer, Head Master
- Garry Griffin, Head Master
Footnotes