Every child, their own school.

Haskel is the only Jewish school in North East of England catering exclusively for children with disabilities.

A school as unique as its students

Not every child can manage in mainstream education. Nor does every child with a disability belong in a special-needs school. But every child deserves success, no matter their level of ability.

Haskel’s bespoke model bridges the gap between mainstream and special needs. We work innovatively to benefit the widest range of children aged 5-19, from our low-functioning registered users to those with lesser special educational needs who attend mainstream schools.

Haskel is more than just a school. It’s multiple schools within a school. One for every child.

A school as unique as its students

Not every child can manage in mainstream education. Nor does every child with a disability belong in a special-needs school. But every child deserves success, no matter their level of ability.

“Haskel means intelligence. We believe in the unlimited intelligence of every single child — and we put no limits on how far they can go.”

Rabbi Avrohom Sugarman MBE, founder of Haskel School.

Pictured here receiving his MBE award for Services to Education and Children with Special Educational Needs.

November 2021

“Haskel means intelligence. We believe in the unlimited intelligence of every single child — and we put no limits on how far they can go.”

Rabbi Avrohom Sugarman MBE, founder of Haskel School.

Pictured here receiving his MBE award for Services to Education and Children with Special Educational Needs.

November 2021

A two-fold operation

Full time
programme

Registered pupils attend a 9:00-4:00 school day at Haskel’s state-of-the-art, fully-equipped facilities, going into local mainstream schools daily, for assemblies and extra-curricular sessions. The full, structured day in a nurturing environment educates and enriches, whilst the time spent in local schools fosters social inclusion, raises self-esteem and offers a rare sense of belonging.

“Haskel serves a unique and vital need within the Gateshead community. They have a vision for the future, thinking out of the box and delivering five-star services to their users, to ensure every child achieves their best.”

Mr BC Dunner
Long Standing Supporter

Session-based
‘Parachute’ programme

Mainstream pupils from local schools or colleges who require extra support attend Haskel to supplement their needs in a therapeutic learning environment. This add-on support takes the strain off mainstream schools, while keeping the burden on the special-education system to a minimum — all whilst ensuring pupils remain fully integrated.

“Every school has pupils with serious educational or emotional difficulties. The school can’t practically provide them with the targeted learning or hand-holding they crave. Haskel’s parachute system ensures these boys have a place to go, to feel the support and warmth from a bespoke program lovingly crafted by a staff dedicated to champion their cause. They are still welcome for all parts of a mainstream education – and more importantly, the social inclusion – but their education, support and fulfillment is being satisfied in Haskel’s most capable hands.”

Rabbi N. Wolinsky
Principal, Gateshead Jewish Boarding School

Our invincible vision

Approximately 80% of our budget comes from local authorities, through each child’s Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). However, we are still left with an annual shortfall.

Besides, the local authorities’ process for procuring an EHCP and placement in a special school is challenging.

Without a statement, government funding and therapy provisions are minimal. Standard coverage is a six-week block of therapy.

Short of a miracle, that won’t take a child far.

Our vision is that every pupil who can benefit from support is able to access top-tier specialist provision, to enable them to achieve their maximum potential.

We do not allow budgets to dictate how many words a child will read or how easily they can buy themselves a treat of chocolate on their own.

Haskel will never refuse a child therapy, activity or intervention simply because the child’s EHCP doesn’t cover it. The bulk of our therapy provision is brought in privately.

We aim to push the child further, supporting them all the way, with bespoke input over and above what would normally be provided by statutory services. Because we see their potential.

Haskel hits home

Barry Speker OBE Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear

“Haskel is innovative. On my visit, I was very impressed with the whole setup and what has been achieved by Rabbi Sugarman, his wife and all the staff. I noted the individual care given to a boy preparing for his bar mitzvah, which clearly needed much more time, attention and empathy. Haskel is meeting an identified need, with dedication and true loving kindness and is addressing significant challenges. I encourage others to join me in supporting this very valuable establishment.”

Haskel hits home

Barry Speker OBE Deputy Lieutenant

“Haskel is innovative. On my visit, I was very impressed with the whole setup and what has been achieved by Rabbi Sugarman, his wife and all the staff. I noted the individual care given to a boy preparing for his bar mitzvah, which clearly needed much more time, attention and empathy. Haskel is meeting an identified need, with dedication and true loving kindness and is addressing significant challenges. I encourage others to join me in supporting this very valuable establishment.”

No. of current full-time Haskel pupils with mild to severe disabilities achieving meaningful learning outcomes everyday

No. of exceptionally dedicated staff at the beck and call of our full- and part-time pupils

No. of local Jewish schools/colleges using our parachute programme to help their pupils achieve social and academic success

No. of schoolchildren enrolled locally who know they can benefit from supplementary academic or therapeutic support if needed

Local school.
National impact.

Students with an EHCP from other parts of the country, who wish to study in one of the many colleges in Gateshead, can do so thanks to Haskel’s existence.

Our nationally-approved school enables them to embrace the next phase of their mainstream education whilst having their extra needs fully supported, in an affordable, streamlined way.

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Happy pupils, happy parents

“We wanted our daughter to be able to gain independence and maximise her potential — as every parent does. A mainstream school was not an option. We chose Haskel mainly because of the Jewish environment, but we’ve been very impressed with the professionalism. In Haskel, she went from being unable to read, despite us trying lots of intervention previously, to being well on her way to read. She’s also generally much calmer.”

“Our son needed a special needs school. Haskel was the most professional and caring combination. There’s so much patience and heart in their work. For example, if our son has a meltdown after school on their doorstep, they won’t simply deposit him into our hands. They’ll take him back inside to calm him first. They care like family. Through Haskel, our son went from being non-verbal to learning how to talk. They practically give each child their own school!”

“We were trying to create an environment within an environment in our daughter’s mainstream school, but it wasn’t working. She just wasn’t achieving anything, despite us paying out of pocket. After we moved her to Haskel, not only did it take off our burden, but she started making real progress. Her English and maths improved, she learned life skills and she can do things she couldn’t do previously, like buying herself a snack. They’re very caring and upbeat and they really give pupils tools to cope in life.”

Collaborative effort

Subject leaders work alongside all teaching teams to create a curriculum appropriate to the needs of our pupils and ensure that we fulfil the requirements of a child’s Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).

Personalised teaching

Most core subjects are delivered 1:1, depending on pupils’ abilities and needs. Small class sizes enable teachers to support all children academically and emotionally.

Individualised plans

Every student has their own behavioural plan, with regular parent updates, meetings and personal weekly newsletters home.

Core skills

We reinforce core skills in English and Maths across the curriculum to empower pupils for everyday situations.

Extracurricular activities

We offer a range of activities and experiences, from candle making to petting farm, broadening pupils’ knowledge of the wider world.

Life skills

We promote life skills from an early age to help pupils towards independence and prepare them for a life beyond school.

An education worth emulating

“Rabbi Sugarman’s way of working is through partnership, collaboration and learning. Haskel is being looked at by organisations and authorities in other parts of the country, and it inspires other schools through its excellence. It is a great privilege to be working with him to overcome some of the challenges affecting independent special schools serving minority communities.”

“I run a SEN department in London and wanted to gain ideas for good practice, so I went to see Haskel. It’s called a school, but when I walked in it felt more like a home with family than a school. There was a sense of camaraderie and joy. Haskel takes into account all the nuances of their development and offers every type of support you can imagine. They’re extremely knowledgeable in special education, are very professionally run and they have excellent management. This is no regular school. It’s truly unique.”

“I went to visit Haskel to see how we might bring their brilliant model to London. As soon as you enter, you can sense that you’ve come into a place where everything has been thought out to the last detail. There’s a friendly environment, all the children look happy, even the severely-disabled. Every child has their needs met — it’s extremely well-equipped. Clearly, so much effort has gone into Haskel.”

“Rabbi Sugarman is probably the most eminent person when it comes to special education. He has created this unique school that offers a custom programme for pupils across the spectrum of learning needs, yet everything runs so smoothly. During my visit from London, I saw a child building a model on a 3D-printer, a skill Rabbi Sugarman must’ve noted he’d excel in. Such resources come at a price, but he’s passionate about giving his pupils life skills to be able to succeed, with no limitations.”

Meet Chaim Shaul

When Chaim Shaul was born, something was amiss.

The extent of it wasn’t fully diagnosed until he was five, but at 18 months, he required surgery for craniosynostosis, a head condition. In the ensuing years, he endured intense physical therapy, locally and in Europe, for his very low muscle tone, to help him reach standard developmental milestones. And it worked wonders.

Still, when kindergarten came to a close, Chaim Shaul was very delayed. It was obvious that he’d need a full-time special school.

At Haskel, he developed beyond all expectations for his prognosis.

He has mastered all 3 stages of CVS vocabulary system, he is slowly but steadily learning through Chumash and he recently made a siyum on Parshas Mishpatim. He has completed Sefer Tehillim twice. He can read, write and communicate well and he has developed a broad range of life skills with support, including cooking, shopping, gardening. He has a budding social life, thanks to his daily inclusion in a mainstream school. And the highlight of his week is going to shul on Shabbos where he trills heartily with the Chazan.

His bar mitzvah was a culmination of Haskel’s unique approach and tireless efforts, especially his community of friends he considers himself tightly part of, who were there to celebrate his childhood of achievement. His success is due to the nurturing, empowering environment of Haskel and the total dedication of the team around him.

Haskel’s specialist support enables children to defy a disability diagnosis.

The social inclusion at Haskel is real. Experience it at Chaim Shaul’s Bar Mitzvah

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Every child, their own school. Haskel is the only Jewish school in North East of England catering exclusively for children with disabilities. Donate Visit our

Every child, their own school.

A school as unique as its students

A school as unique as its students

“Haskel means intelligence. We believe in the unlimited intelligence of every single child — and we put no limits on how far they can go.”

“Haskel means intelligence. We believe in the unlimited intelligence of every single child — and we put no limits on how far they can go.”