Concern over

ALTHOUGH NOAM Primary was last week awarded state aid by Barnet Council, there are concerns that conditions attached to applications could make it harder for other faith schools to follow suit.

Noam, which is due to move from Wembley to Burnt Oak in 2020, will become voluntary-aided in January next term.

Earlier this year, the government promised more support for applications for voluntary-aided status, following the retreat from its previous pledge to lift the faith cap on free schools.

Free schools can still allocate only half their places on the basis of faith, whereas voluntary-aided schools may reserve all their places for children of one faith, as long as there are enough children to fill them.

The greater control over admissions makes voluntary-aided status more appealing to schools on the right of the Orthodox Jewish spectrum than is the free school option.

In recently published guidelines, however, the Department for Education has stated that applicants for voluntary-aided status will still have to demonstrate how they would be “welcoming and address the needs of all pupils — from all faiths and none”.