Edgware school's bid to cut entry intake rejected

The Office of Schools Adjudicator has rejected a request by Menorah Foundation School in Edgware to cut its entry from 50 to 30 next September. Governors had argued that a lower intake was necessary to reduce the financial burden on the state-aided primary. But the OSA, which regulates admissions, said the move would be unfair on potential applicants. The school previously cut its published admissions number (PAN) from 60 to 56 for reception in 2021 and then to 50 in 2022; and from 52 to 26 for the nursery for 2022. It took 27 in the nursery and 50 in reception this September. The smaller number in nursery was one of the reasons the governors have sought to lower the PAN for reception, according to the report of adjudicator, Ann Talboys. A survey of parents to determine future sibling applicants also suggested “evidence of a decline in the birth rate in the community”, she said. The school had been disappointed “at the small number of parents” at its open day and also believed Brexit and economic uncertainty may have led some people to reconsider moving to London and applying for places. As a result, the governing board had had to “explore staff redundancies,” the adjudicator said. “This is said to have impacted on the overall quality of the teaching support provision.” Apart from the nursery, there are 50 or more children in all but two years — with 41 in year taught in two classes. Barnet, the local authority, has forecast admissions of 50 for 2023 and 2024. According to the adjudicator, Barnet explained that there were surplus places in other local Jewish faith schools and while cutting Menorah’s PAN “may help to reduce surplus Jewish place capacity in the wider area, families may find it harder to secure a place at a school that teaches their preferred form of Judaism and this may lead to lower parental satisfaction”. She took the view that “if the PAN is reduced to 30, then up to 40 families in the next two years may be prevented from making successful applications to the school. I do not believe that this is fair to those families.” If the school wanted to save money, it could consider reducing the current six classes for the first three years to five, Ms Talboys suggested. If it wanted to cut the PAN to 30 for 2024, it would need to hold a consultation with local parents before next February, she said.

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