Immanuel College is a selective, co-educational day school founded in 1990 by the late Chief Rabbi, Lord Jakobovits, to fulfil his vision of a school affirming modern orthodox Jewish values and practice in the context of rigorous secular studies. The College aims at giving its pupils a first-class education that encourages them to connect Jewish and secular wisdom, to think independently and to exercise responsibility. Its ethos is characterised by attentiveness to individual pupils’ progress, high academic achievement and the integration of Jewish and secular learning. Immanuel College inspires confident, creative and curious minds. There are both Jewish and non-Jewish teachers at the school, the common element being enthusiasm for their work and concern for their pupils. Its results at GCSE and A level have been increasingly impressive in recent years. In 2024, 26% of A level entries scored A*, with over 80% A*–B and 70% of GCSE entries achieved top grades (9–7). The majority of Immanuel College students have proceeded to their first choice of university to include numerous Russell Group settings and Top 20 universities. For the second consecutive year, an Immanuel College pupil achieved a top national mark in Art (Photography).
Age range. 4–11 and 11–18. The Preparatory School opened in September 2011 and now includes Reception to Year 6 classes.
School roll. There are 463 pupils on roll. There are 87 pupils in the Sixth Form.
Buildings and grounds. The College is situated in a tranquil 11-acre site dominated by Caldecote Towers, a Grade II-listed 19th-century mansion. Facilities include the Joyce King Theatre, two suites of science laboratories, a fitness suite, a large all-weather surface for tennis and netball, cricket and football pitches, and grounds for field events and athletics. Professor Lord Winston opened a new multifunctional 8-classroom building in September 2010, and a further building incorporating an enhanced Jewish Learning facility (Atar-Zwillenberg Beit K’nesset), additional classrooms and state-of-the-art laboratories was opened in November 2014 by Chief Rabbi Ephram Mervis. Dining room facilities were upgraded in 2017, along with a new Sixth Form Art Studio and an expanded library. In 2019, a completely refurbished computing suite was installed, along with a new music technology facility, and there have been further improvements to playgrounds and security features.
Admissions (Senior School). Most boys and girls enter in September, though pupils are accepted in all three terms. Admission into the Senior School is on the basis of performance in the College’s entrance examination and interview. The principal entry is at 11+, but the School considers pupils for admission at any point. A growing number of boys and girls join the College in the Sixth Form; offers of places are gained by entrance examinations and interview and are conditional upon GCSE results and suitability for A level courses.
Admissions (Preparatory School). Admission into Reception and Year 1 is on the basis of informal assessment consisting of a play session and a focus activity. For Year 2 there is a short Mathematics activity and a reading/writing task.
Fees per annum (2024-2025). Senior School: £23,859; Lunch £360 per term. Preparatory School: £13,632; Lunch £244 per term.
Scholarships and bursaries. Academic and Jewish Life & Learning Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to outstanding 11+ entrants. Exhibitions to the value of £2,000 per annum are awarded to pupils who show exceptional promise in Art and Music. Means-tested bursaries are awarded to a number of boys and girls from less affluent families who are academically and personally suited to the education the College provides.
Curriculum. The articles of the College’s faith are that Jewish and secular learning shed light on one another, that the appreciation of each is deepened by study of the other, and that the life of the mind and spirit should not be compartmentalised but holistic. As such, the school offers a wide range of secular subjects, including English, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Computing, Sciences, as well as Art and Design, Photography, Drama, Geography, History, French, Spanish, Modern Hebrew, Religious Studies, Music, Personal Development Education, Physical Education and Relationship and Sex Education. At A level, additional subjects include Economics, Politics, Media Studies, Sociology, Business and Psychology. Throughout a pupil’s time at Immanuel, Jewish Studies forms part of the core curriculum. Jewish ethics, philosophy, history and religion and Israel Education are studied by way of close textual learning and through guest speakers and seminars, developing Chochma (wisdom) and well-founded Jewish identities. All members of the College have informal and formal opportunities to deepen their understanding of Jewish faith and practice with team members from the School’s Jewish Life & Learning Centre, the Beit.
Pastoral care. The College prides itself on attentiveness to the needs of individual pupils. The Pastoral Team includes Form Tutors and Heads and Assistant Heads of Sections, the Director of Pastoral Care and Standards, the Deputy Heads and Head Master. The Head of Pupil Wellbeing and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is available to all pupils during the school day in addition to School Counsellors. The Director of Sixth Form is in charge of a team of Sixth Form Tutors. Parental consultation evenings take place regularly, through a hybrid model of online and in-person appointments. The Pastoral Hub, staffed by people outside the teaching faculty, provides important individual support. The Student Council, which meets frequently, gives pupils the opportunity to express their views and make suggestions about further improving school life.
Religious life. The College commemorates and celebrates landmarks in the Jewish and Israel calendar such as Purim, Chanukah, Succot 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 Senior School. The College also commemorates Yom Hazikaron. Pupils attend morning and afternoon prayers on a daily basis.
Inclusion and Learning Support. The Inclusion and Learning Support Department supports teachers to help pupils become independent and successful learners. In addition to the programme followed by all pupils, the Department provides a range of tailored programmes to pupils whose learning needs are more specific. Pupils with a variety of learning profiles are thereby helped to develop confidence and to exceed their predictions and reach their potential.
Art, Music and Drama. The College enjoys a tradition of excellence in the visual arts (the annual Gottlieb Art Show being the highlight of the artistic year) and drama (recent school productions have included Beauty and the Beast, Anastasia, Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, The Happiest Days of Your Life, Pygmalion, The Trojan Women, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, The Crucible, Rumours, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, Annie Jr, Fiddler On The Roof and The Sound of Music). There is a yearly Music Festival and the calendar includes a number of concerts and recitals involving soloists, ensembles and orchestra.
Games. The PE and Games staff involve pupils in activities that range from aerobics, golf, and trampolining to athletics, cricket, football, Futsal, hockey, table tennis, netball, rounders, pickleball, golf, basketball, badminton, trampolining, fitness and tennis. Over 20 sports clubs meet weekly. Physical Education may be studied for GCSE and A level. Sports facilities include an all-weather surface and a fitness suite. The College has won trophies in many sporting competitions in recent years.
Enrichment activities. The many co-curricular activities on offer include opportunities for pupils to participate in leadership programmes, volunteering schemes, charity fundraising (Shevet Achim), The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, public speaking, debating competitions and The Alan Sennit Programme. There are also clubs in areas such as philosophy, medicine, law, chess, art, STEM, military history, Jewish life and learning, world affairs, modern European languages and Model United Nations.
Educational trips. In Year 8, pupils visit an outward-bound centre in Spain; in Year 9, they spend three weeks in Israel; in Year 10, they visit Strasbourg and Madrid; in Year 11, they have the opportunity to take part in a cultural trip to Berlin, and in the Lower Sixth, they spend a week in Poland. In Years 9 and 10, pupils visit the Etihad Stadium and Manchester Funder and 2025 will see pupils in various years embarking on a ski trip. These experiences encourage pupils to understand themselves, bond with one another and comprehend the forces that have shaped contemporary Jewry. Photography students benefit from trips to foreign locations of great natural beauty.
Careers. The guidance provided by the College supports pupils in their research about choices beyond Immanuel. Through assemblies, the lower years are encouraged to start thinking about their own strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes which lead to discussions about future pathways. Even at this stage, any experience in the labour market is encouraged and supported. By the time GCSE subject choices need to be made, pupils are aware of the wider world around them and are closely monitored throughout the process. During Year 10 and Year 11, pupils make use of the weekly Careers Clinic, where they may collect information about relevant courses, one-day events and other opportunities to engage directly with people from specific areas of work. Year 11 pupils may also undertake testing by My Future Choice (formerly known as Cambridge Occupational Analysts) and this, along with a personal interview after mock examinations, helps pupils and their parents to feel confident about making the right A level choices. Pupils continue to enrol in career-specific courses and events throughout the Sixth Form, and all are welcomed to our Careers Fair.
Charitable status. Immanuel College is a Registered Charity, number 803179. It exists to combine academic excellence and Jewish tradition in a contemporary society.
Governors & Staff:
The Board of Governors:
Mr Daniel Levy (Chairman)
Mrs Hannah Boyden (Vice Chair)
Mrs Mandy Berkman
Rabbi Jacob Ebrahimoff
Mr Neal Menashe
Dr Nina Robinson
Mr Jamie Peston
Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt
Mrs Jodi Schajer
Mr David Sheinman
Mr David M Smith
Mr Daniel Tannenbaum
Mrs Lisa Zimmerman
Clerk to the Governors: Mrs Isabel Arbisman
Acting Head Master: Mr Daniel Endlar, MChem
Deputy Heads:
Mrs Sharron Shackell, BA Hons, MEd, CMgr, FCMI (Pastoral)
Rabbi Yoni Golker, BSc, MA (Jewish Life & Learning)
Senior Leadership Team:
Acting Head Master: Mr Daniel Endlar, MChem
Deputy Head (Pastoral) & Designated Safeguarding Leader – Safeguarding and Child Protection: Mrs Sharron Shackell, BA, MEd, CMgr, FCMI
Deputy Head Master (Jewish Life & Learning): Rabbi Yoni Golker, BSc, MA
Head of Preparatory School & Designated Safeguarding Leader – Safeguarding and Child Protection for Preparatory School including EYFS: Mrs Alexis Gaffin, BEd Cantab
Assistant Head, Director of Studies: Mrs Jo Fleet, BA
Head Director of Teaching and Learning: Mrs Danielle Kestenbaum, BA Hons
Assistant Head, Director of Sixth Form: Mrs Nicola Fahidi, BA
Head of Inclusion and Learning Support: TBC
Director of Finance & Operations: Mr Nicholas Brann, MA Oxon
Director of Human Resources: Ms Rachelle Hackenbroch, BA
Director of Strategic Communication & Development: Ms Mary Beer, FRSA, BA cum laude