Education Secretary Damian Hinds has paid his first visit to a Jewish school since taking on the role at the beginning of the year..

Mr Hinds said he enjoyed a "fantastic visit" to Etz Chaim Primary in Mill Hill,  the country's first Jewish free school which opened in 2011.

"It is always a pleasure to see great schools, to meet the dedicated teachers that make them and see the incredible benefits the education gives to the pupils," Mr Hinds said of his visit.

"Over a third of the schools in this country are faith schools and they are a hugely important part of our diverse education system. Etz Chaim is a fantastic example of the great education a faith school can provide."

Earlier this month, Mr Hinds announced that he was not going to implement the Conservatives' election pledge to lift the entry cap on faith free schools, whereby tonly half their places can be allocated on the basis of religion.

But he has promised more funding for new faith schools, under the older voluntary-aided model, which allows more control than free schools over admissions.

Etz Chaim is ranked good by Ofsted and has an outstanding Jewish studies department, according to the communal inspection service, Pikuach.

Chair of Governors Adam Dawson said: "It was a huge privilege to welcome the Secretary of State to Etz Chaim and show him some of the fantastic work that we are doing. He was generous with his time meeting staff and children, with whom he had a great rapport.”

Headteacher Yvonne Baron added: "The Secretary of State showed great interest in how we established Etz Chaim and turned that vision into the successful school it is today."

"He was impressed with our recent outstanding Pikuach and excellent Ofsted reports. The children really enjoyed asking him questions."