A state funded Jewish girls' faith school in Greater Manchester has been criticised for restricting its curriculum and failing to prepare its pupils fully for life in modern Britain.

Beis Yaakov High School in Salford, which has 340 children aged from 11 to 16 on roll, was rated 'requires improvement' by Ofsted inspectors after a visit in September.

Inspectors said pupils were "not fully prepared for life in modern Britain" because they were not taught about some characteristics which are protected under equalities legislation, such as sexual orientation.

Inspectors also criticised the school because:

• Pupils had "very limited knowledge" in some subjects and "very little time" to study them.
• Pupils did not learn music, spent "too little time" learning PE and did not have the chance to study modern foreign languages other than Hebrew.
• Pupils stopped learning subjects that they did not opt to continue studying at the end of Year 8, leaving them with "very limited knowledge" in some subjects.
• Pupils were not given "impartial careers advice".
• The school's curriculum in years 7 to 9 was not "as ambitious as the national curriculum".
• There were "very few extra-curricular clubs and activities on offer".

The school is a converter academy designed for Charedi Jewish children from Salford, Bury and Manchester.

In response to the report No More Faith Schools campaigner Alastair Lichten said: "Taxpayers shouldn't fund schools which restrict pupils' opportunities and ability to interact with British society. But schools based on narrow religious worldviews will do this.

"Preventing them from doing so means moving towards a secular education system."

The school was rated 'good' in its previous inspection in 2015, but 'inadequate' in a 2014 inspection.