Yavneh College gets permission to build primary school for next year

Yavneh College in Borehamwood has finally been given the go-ahead to build a primary school on-site in time for next year, after leaders complained that demand for places in the area was outstripping supply.

Governors at the nine-year old Orthodox school in Hertfordshire said they were “thrilled” at the news, as the government announced 18 new free schools across the country, funding for which will be provided by the Department for Education.

The state-of-the-art two-form entry school will now be built at Yavneh College and open by September 2016, ultimately providing up to 60 places every year, with the initial set of pupils housed in temporary accommodation.

It will ease the heavy over-subscribing at the one-form entry Clore Shalom, which is pluralist, and at the two-form entry Hertsmere Jewish Day School, which is Modern Orthodox.

“I’m thrilled at this news,” said Sue Nyman, Chair of Governors. “We will work hard to establish the school in the image of college.”

Malcolm Gordon, joint-chair of Yavneh Foundation Trust, said: “It is nine years since we opened and since day one we have been looking into the possibility of a primary school on the site… We are now able to realise this dream.”

Yavneh now becomes the eighth Jewish free school since they were introduced by the last government in 2010. They are independent from local authorities but they are state-funded, so offer only half their places to Jewish pupils – a stipulation which does not apply to voluntary-aided faith schools.