Geraldine Fainer, chair of governors of JFS, has stepped down after two years in the role to prepare for making aliyah.

In an email to parents, she said in order to plan for her intended move, “I shall be spending increasing amounts of time in Israel.”

Ms Fainer had been on the governing body for close to five years, becoming acting chair in summer 2017 before being elected chair the following term.

Andrew Moss, one of her two vice-chairs, will become acting chair until fresh elections are held in the autumn.

The demands of the role are such that her predecessor resigned after only two terms.

Ms Fainer took over during a period of rapid change at Europe’s largest Jewish school, overseeing the appointment of current headteacher Rachel Fink, who arrived last summer.