Herts schools enjoy soaring applications

RISING APPLICATIONS to Jewish state primary schools in Hertfordshire this year make the case for another Jewish school in the area.

Applicants for the 60 places at Yavneh Primary, which opened in 2016, rose from 170 in 2017 to 191 this autumn; for the 60 places at the second Orthodox school, Hertsmere Jewish Day, from 153 to 184; and for the 30 places at the crosscommunal Clore Shalom, from 38 to 73.

The total number of those who put one of the three schools as first choice rose from 149 to 196 this year — 46 more than the number of places available.

Spencer Lewis, executive head of Yavneh Schools, said, “We’ve had an extraordinary number of applications to the primary school this year. Word has spread quickly about the quality of the teaching and the nurturing atmosphere at YPS and of course, with the construction of our state-of-the-art building now well under way, these are very exciting times for us. It’s no surprise that so many families want to be a part of that.”

Yavneh and Hertsmere are among the most oversubscribed Jewish primaries with more than three applicants per place. Cross-communal Alma and Orthodox Etz Chaim in Barnet, which are both one-form entry schools, attracted more than four applicants per place this year. Orthodox Rimon and Mathilda Marks-Kennedy and Progressive Akiva in Barnet also had three or more applicants per place.

It was a positive year, too, for the largest Jewish primary, Sinai in Brent; while there were only 52 offers for 90 places at this stage last year, it was almost a full house with 88 offers made this year.

There are no figures on the number of children left without a primary Jewish school place this year. For a second consecutive year, a majority of Barnet Jewish primaries recorded fewer applications than the previous year.