The cross-communal Jewish free school due to open in Finchley in September has chosen its name as well as its site for the first two years.

Alma Primary School will take over the premises of the existing Orthodox Morasha Primary in West Finchley, which is moving to a new home.

Explaining the choice of name, co-chairman of governors Natalie Grazin said: “In Aramaic, the language of the Gemara, alma means ‘world’. Alma Primary brings together children from across the Jewish community and from the wider local community. In Spanish, alma is ‘soul’ and in Latin, it means ‘nurturing’. The word really captures the essence of our school.”

The plan is for the one-form entry school to move to a permanent base in Finchley or Woodside Park in 2015.