Director Of Gateshead Special Needs School Is Honored By Queen Of England

GATESHEAD (VINnews) — A rabbi who established  a school for children with special needs and disabilities has been granted an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Rabbi Avrohom Sugarman directs the Haskel School, an independent school for children with special educational needs and disabilities serving the Jewish community in Gateshead.

The school caters  to the full spectrum of disabilities including Down Syndrome, ASD and other rare genetic disorders and provides a Chareidi environment which these children would not receive otherwise.

Rabbi Sugarman established the school in 2013 conjunction with Haskel, a charity which provides specialist education in schools, when he did not succeed in finding an equitable provision for his special-needs son, Chaim Shaul. His wife, Sarah , serves as the head teacher in the school.

The school caters to the needs of special-needs children as well as providing a separate framework for children attending mainstream schools who require extra stimuli and specialist attention in order to succeed.

The school has been judged “outstanding” twice by Ofsted, the English office for standards in education.

Rabbi Sugarman has also worked to reduce child poverty in the UK together with Bishop of Durham Paul Butler and other organisations. The two have teamed up to abolish a law which would limit child benefits to the first two children in a family.

Rabbi Sugarman told The Northern Echo: “I am truly honoured to receive this award.

“At Haskel School, we have created something very special and I am so proud that each and every child who comes to us receives a rewarding and enriching school experience.

“What began as a dedicated, bespoke provision for my son is now a thriving and growing school serving many families across our community.

“The success of Haskel School, however, would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our wonderful team who go above and beyond to support our pupils. It is a genuine privilege to lead Haskel School and work with such committed and talented colleagues.

“Receiving an honour such as this is very humbling.

“Whilst I know how valued and appreciated our school is within the community, it is very moving to receive external recognition for what we have achieved.

“Our partnership with Gateshead Council, in particular, has been a key factor in our success and I would like to thank them for their ongoing support.”