Ghana schoolchildren benefit from Noam Primary’s £3.9m new site
More than 200 pupils celebrate the launch of the school's new Burnt Oak building, as it donates items no longer in use to help students in Ghana
More than 200 Jewish primary schoolchildren in London moved into their new purpose-built school building this week and learned about how their old furniture was going to Africa to help schoolchildren there.
The opening of the new £3.9 million single-story facility at Noam Primary School in Burnt Oak heralded an end to two decades of making do, with “mismatched furniture cobbled together through haphazard donations” now on its way to Ghana.
Pupils in the central African country will receive hundreds of chairs, desks, cupboards and printers as a gift from their British Jewish peers, as a new fundraising drive began to kit the new building out with modern equipment.
Headteacher Chaya Posen said the building, which has eight classrooms and interactive screens, had been “designed to match our ethos of maximising potential, right down to the innovative walls of cupboards which double as huge whiteboards”.
She added: “We’re so proud of Noam’s achievements and can only imagine what pupils and teachers can now achieve with a state-of-the-art building.”
The new facility, which welcomed pupils for the first time on Wednesday, also includes break-out rooms, a Beis Hamedrash study, new library, school hall, playground and a dedicated early years’ play area.
It was privately funded by parents and donors after two decades of financial struggle and uncertainty housed in Wembley United Synagogue, and pupil numbers are already swelling, in part because the school topped the SAT tables.
As Noam’s business manager Marilyn Gerson organised for the old furniture and equipment to make its way to Africa, Governors’ chair Mike Levene said the move marks “a dream come true”.
He said: “Opening just two weeks after Chanukah is a fitting time for the culmination of a Maccabean-like struggle benefitting generations of Jewish children. We thank everyone who stuck with us.”
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
