Education
for our children and young people

NNLS provides a full range of educational programmes for our children and young people. There is a weekly cheder on Sundays, a midweek cheder, and our special HaDerech programme for children approaching barmitzvah or batmitzvah (and beyond). Our Director of Education is Barbara Stern.

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Sunday morning cheder

Around 230 children aged between four and eleven attend our Sunday morning cheder. 

We have a Gan (Reception) class and two classes for all other year groups up to and including year 6.  At cheder we teach traditional Judaism using a modern Masorti approach.  Children are encouraged to study from text, both Biblical and Rabbinic, and to question as well as to interpret for themselves. 

Our aim is to give the children the building blocks of Jewish learning - synagogue skills and Hebrew reading - in a fun and informal manner. Much of our curriculum (for example, preparing for festivals) is taught with parents and children learning together, facilitated by our staff. 

We also have an annual 'cheder holiday' for years 5 and 6, as well as sleepovers from year 4, and many Shabbat events for children and families.  Our teachers are a dedicated group of adults mainly from the NNLS community and we also have volunteer Hebrew teachers and sixth form classroom assistants.

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Midweek Cheder

Thursday evening is our midweek cheder for children in years 3,4 and 5. 

A large proportion of our children take advantage of this programme.  We spend the first lesson studying Jewish history.  Children choose a project each term and through writing, art, drama, enquiry, video and music learn about such topics as the Shoah, the Jews of Spain, life in the shtetl, Masada, and much more.  The children then continue their Hebrew language course for the next lesson (generally remaining with the same small groups as on Sundays, and often with the same teachers). 

The atmosphere is relaxed and less formal than Sunday and the breaktime tuck shop is very popular!

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HaDerech

This pre-teen and teenage programme takes place on Wednesday evenings during term time.  It lasts four years, beginning in school year 6 (aged 10), and includes preparation for barmitzvah and batmitzvah as well as the development of a range of synagogue skills and a post-barmitzvah and batmitzvah programme.  

For the first three years a modular programme familiarises students with the skills necessary for prayer, text-based study, synagogue practice, and leading a Jewish life.  Young people then have the opportunity to study Talmud with Rabbi Wittenberg in year 9 as well as to train to be mentors to younger pupils learning for their own barmitzvah and batmitzvah ceremonies. We have an annual graduation to honour the commitment of these young people to the programme.