Nervy parents were breathing a sigh of relief this week after Yavneh College in Borehamwood said it would open a primary school in September.
It comes after the Department for Education agreed to a funding agreement, which paved the way for the opening with 60 reception places, easing fears of a potential shortage of places at Jewish schools in the capital.
A spokeswoman for the Partnership for Jewish Schools (PaJeS), a division of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “We are delighted that this has come to fruition and we wish the headteacher and team every success. We look forward to working with Yavneh primary over the coming years.”
The Hertfordshire establishment announced an extra 30 secondary school places last month, recognising the growth of the local Jewish population, and the new primary school will eventually cater for more than 400 pupils, which local MP Oliver Dowden said was “great news for the community”.
Under rules governing free schools, Yavneh can only guarantee 50 per cent of places to Jewish children, the other half based on location. It is as yet unclear as to how many Jewish and non-Jewish primary school children will start this September.
Caroline Field has been confirmed as the new headteacher for Yavneh’s new primary school. She joins after three years at Menorah Foundation School.
Chair of Governors Sue Nyman thanked the government for its support, adding: “It is an incredibly exciting development in the educational landscape of Hertfordshire.”
Meanwhile college headteacher Spencer Lewis said: “Our vision of providing first class Jewish and general education to children of 4-19 years is finally coming to fruition. We could not be happier.”
Earlier this year, Yavneh announced that it would drop its feeder system, giving priority status to children of the college’s teachers and preference to applicants with WD or AL postcodes in Hertfordshire.
From September next year, this will mean dropping the priority status of children for whom Yavneh is their nearest Jewish school, including pupils at nearby Hertsmere Jewish Primary School and Clore Shalom Primary School, which led to 400 outraged parents forming a protest group online.
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