A private Jewish girls' school which teaches children aged up to 8 has failed three Ofsted inspections because it does not teach pupils about homosexuality or gender reassignment.

Vishnitz Girls School, an Orthodox school in Hackney, north London, failed its third inspection last month after inspectors found that it does not give pupils "a full understanding of fundamental British values".

The inspection, the third made less than a year, found that pupils "are not taught explicitly about issues such as sexual orientation".

"This restricts pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and does not promote equality of opportunity in ways that take account of differing lifestyles."

The report suggests that the school is aware that its policy does not fulfill equality laws.

It adds that school leaders "recognise the requirement to teach about the protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

"However, they acknowledge that they do not teach pupils about all the protected characteristics, particularly those relating to gender re-assignment and sexual orientation.

"This means that pupils have a limited understanding of the different lifestyles and partnerships that individuals may choose in present-day society."

The school, which has 212 pupils, and charges annual fees of £5,200, was praised in other areas, including teachers' "good subject knowledge and high-quality classroom resources".