Family & Education
Jewish families reject offer at non-Jewish state school
More than 100 children remain on JCoSS waiting list as efforts to integrate Jewish pupils into mainstream school fall short
October 1, 2025 11:39
More than 100 children remain on JCoSS waiting list as efforts to integrate Jewish pupils into mainstream school fall short
October 1, 2025 11:39An offer to create a bulge class for Jewish pupils at a mainstream state school near Brent Cross has been firmly rejected by families holding out for places at London’s Jewish state schools.
Clarion School, formerly known as Whitefield School, proposed accommodating up to 50 Jewish pupils to ease pressure from long waiting lists at Jewish schools.
The initiative, coordinated with the Jewish schools network PaJeS, was announced in the final days of the summer term following an unprecedented surge in late applications to Jewish schools, which were unable to meet the demand.
Clarion, which said it had a “zero tolerance” approach to antisemitism, worked with PaJeS to develop plans for after-school Jewish Studies lessons and committed to ensuring its kitchen could prepare kosher food.
However, Jewish parents told the JC they were not considering Clarion, and expressed a strong preference for their children to remain within the Jewish school system. Several parents whose children attended Jewish primary schools were concerned about the prospect of transitioning to a non-Jewish environment.
The JC can now confirm that not a single family accepted Clarion’s offer this year.
In response to the surging demand for places – driven by the imposition of VAT on private schools and a rise in antisemitism – more than 130 additional places were created across Hasmonean, JFS, JCoSS and Yavneh College, equivalent to five extra forms of entry.
Despite these efforts, waiting lists remain. JCoSS told the JC that it has a waiting list of 130 Jewish children still hoping for a place, while JFS said it had 15 to 20 on its list.
Some of the children on the waiting lists are believed to be at non-Jewish schools or a Jewish school which wasn’t their first choice and are hoping to switch. Others might have secured places at specially created bursary spots at Immanuel College, a private Jewish school.
Meanwhile, Jewish leaders are planning for admissions in September 2026, when numbers of applicants are again expected to be high.
Rabbi David Meyer, the chief executive of PaJeS, wrote in the JC in July that meeting the increase in demand for Jewish education was a “hurdle” and the surge in applications “may well be mirrored in coming years”.
“Meeting this need requires proactive planning, which may include changes in admissions arrangements to prioritise children from Jewish primary schools. The urgent need for a new wing at Yavneh College remains a priority that will require significant community investment,” Meyer said.
Clarion headteacher Chris Hunt said that while the offer was not taken up by Jewish families this year, the school will continue to work with PaJeS. “Clarion is committed to helping the Jewish community and has continued to work with PaJeS to offer future places at Clarion.”
“This time around, there will be more time to make a considered choice of where their child will attend secondary school. The best way to see our fantastic inclusive school environment is to visit us in action on one of our upcoming open morning tours,” Hunt said.
Details about these tours are available on the Clarion website.
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