SCHOOL PLAN SPLIT
Y AV NE H COLLEGE’ S decision to end its feeder school system has set parents at odds, with one group backing the move, and another threatening to take their protest against it to the government.
The Jewish secondary school, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, announced it would be dropping feeder schools in its new admissions criteria after spending the last month analysing responses to its six-week consultation.
The feeder status of Hertsmere Jewish Primary School and Clore Shalom Primary School will be removed from September 2017.
A parents’ action group made up of more than 400 parents whose children attend Hertsmere and Clore Shalom responded to the announcement with calls to report Yavneh to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.
But parents whose children do not belong to the feeder schools welcomed the change. A Facebook group supporting the move boasts 500 members.
“To have that secure knowledge that you automatically have a senior school in place is unfair,” said Tracy Sontag, from Bushey, whose sons attend Rosh Pinah primary and who are now more likely to secure a place at Yavneh.
“I understand how the affected families feel, but this has created a much fairer system for everyone.”
She added that the parents against the move “don’t give a stuff about us”.
Her view was shared by James Cotsen, from Borehamwood, whose daughters also attend Rosh Pinah.
“We are probably one of the families who live closest to Yavneh, so this should guarantee us a place at the school,” he said. “I understand parents are aggrieved, but I honestly feel that there is an element of selfishness in their argument.”
But the group opposing the change said the next step would be to report the school to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, a government body that investigates complaints against schools’ admissions policies.
A group spokesperson, who declined to be named, said: “It did always have the air of a sham consultation, and Yavneh’s comments both in the press and personally led us to believe that their minds were made up long before the end of the consultation period.”
The school, she said, “didn’t want to engage with anyone, especially not the rabbonim who took the trouble to write to them and were unceremoni- ously disinvited to a meeting at Yavneh, and subsequently ignored”.
Sheadded:“Theschoolpaidnoheedto theplightof numerousfamilies,particularly those with children in year five who had received reassurances from Yavneh representatives that the feeder status would remain. I know that numerous outraged families are applying to the OSA and have solid grounds to do so.”
Yavneh’s governing body revealed last week that they had passed three out of the four proposals that were put forward at the beginning of the school’s admissions consultation.
As well as removing feeder schools, they also gave priority status to the children of Yavneh staff, and ruled that priority will no longer be given to children for whom Yavneh is their nearest Jewish school. Instead, preference will be given to applicants living in Hertfordshire with a WD or AL postode.
A statement released by the school, which has over 1,000 pupils, said: “Our starting point was to recognise that we simply cannot offer every applicant a place and that those who ultimately miss out will often instinctively feel that the system is unfair.
“Nevertheless, we have a responsibility to create the most objectively reasonable set of criteria for admissions.”