Initiative may tackle Jewish secondary school place shortage

Jewish education chiefs may run Jewish programmes in non-Jewish schools in Barnet in September, to deal with a shortage of Jewish secondary school places.

Rabbi David Meyer, the former Hasmonean headteacher who now runs Partnerships for Jewish Schools (PaJeS), a division of the Jewish Leadership Council, said he was “actively exploring” the option.

Up to a dozen Jewish children sat on waiting lists still have no Jewish secondary school place, and Meyer said mainstream schools could take them on with a “Jewish studies provision”.

Meyer’s idea may be just a stop-gap if plans go ahead to open Kedem, a new Jewish secondary school in Barnet from September 2017, but parents of those who are missing out say the situation at present is “stressful” for all concerned.

Last month, a PaJeS report on Jewish secondary school places highlighted “significant overprovision” in Redbridge but “significant underprovision” in north-west London, identifying a gap of about 90 places, or three class sizes.

In a gloomy assessment, the report stated: “We expect this level of under provision to continue for the next five years or so… Due to an increased proportion of children being educated in Jewish primary schools, our projections suggest the possibility of a further increase in demand for Jewish secondary school provision.”