JFS is to add a bulge class of 30 extra places in September, bringing relief to parents who are still waiting to get their children into a Jewish school.

The decision to expand intake from 300 first-year places to 330 was announced by the school on Friday morning.

Deborah Lipkin, JFS executive headteacher, said, “We have offered additional places in the light of the demand which we had anticipated. While the offers made have been accepted in record time, there will still be a small number of places offered in the coming weeks as we finalise our roll. We look forward to welcoming our new and enlarged cohort in September.”

Mrs  Lipkin added: “We have been inundated with applications this year and, as promised, have kept a close eye on the number of Jewish students without a place at a Jewish school. The communication with our partner schools has been unprecedented.

 “With the support and encouragement of Brent Local Authority, we have been able speed up the offer process in an effort to alleviate the stress for students and parents who did not have a place.”

 Places will be allocated according to the school’s entry policy. That means children without a place at any Jewish school do not automatically get priority, but the extra places may open up spaces at other Jewish secondary schools in north-west London.

 JCoSS, in East Barnet, already increased its intake from 180 to 210 this year following the experience of the past couple of years when some children were unable in north-west London were unable to secure a place at a Jewish school.