Hasmonean Boys to accomodate pupils in Catholic primary school
Year 7 students on waiting list to be housed in leased Catholic Diocese of Westminster site in Belsize Park
Anxious students on the waiting list for Year 7 at Hasmonean Boys’ School this September have been offered a surprising life line by the Catholic Diocese of Westminster.
The district, under the pastoral care of the Christian Church, has stepped in at the 11th hour to ensure pupils who meet the admissions criteria will be offered a place in a leased school property for the next academic year.
In an email to parents seen by Jewish News, Gary Swabel, Chair of Trustees, Yossi Halberstadt, Chair of Governors at Hasmonean High School for Boys and Andrew McClusky, CEO at Hasmonean MAT wrote:
“Thanks to the wonderful support of Barnet’s officers and councillors and the very generous support from the community, we are poised to sign a contract with the Catholic Diocese of Westminster to lease a primary school a short walk away from Belsize Park Tube which will allow us to accommodate all of Year 7 there from September.
“Especial thanks go to Councillor Peter Zinkin, Councillor Dean Cohen and Leader of the Council, Councillor Barry Rawlings, who have been remarkable in their efforts to help us find a solution and funding.
“Executive Director of Children’s Services Chris Munday, Alison Dawes, Director- School Access, Skills & Corporate Services (BELS), Chief Executive of Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) Neil Marlow together with the Schools’ Forum could not have been more supportive of our endeavours and we are truly grateful to them for the time and energy that they have dedicated to helping us find a way to accommodate students on our waiting list. We are also tremendously grateful to the Catholic Diocese of Westminster for the way in which they have sensitively responded to our needs.
“Last but by no means least, we are incredibly grateful to our own staff (both teaching and non-teaching), governors and trustees who have supported our endeavours to accommodate all of the Year 7s, especially Mrs Goldblatt who has worked wonders with the timetabling.”
“The funds secured will enable us to offer specialist teaching, pastoral, standards and safeguarding support on a secure site from September.
Hasmonean Boys’ school in Hendon has been trying to find a workable solution for the families on the waiting list for some time. Today’s announcement comes after plans for students at the Orthodox Jewish secondary boys’ and girls’ schools to study in portakabins on the same premises were blocked by strict Green Belt environmental regulations for the second time.
Those plans came amid growing concerns that the boys’ campus was becoming over-stretched, with twice as many students as it was originally designed for.
In an offer of help and as reported by Jewish News last week, JFS headteacher Dr David Moody said the Kenton school was prepared to welcome up to 35 pupils.
Further information from Hasmonean Boys’ School will be announced in due course.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
