Jewish pupils offered last-minute places at rebranded non-Jewish school

PaJeS said they were “exploring the possibility of establishing dedicated after-school Jewish Studies clubs, as well as enrichment activities embedded into the school curriculum.”

JFS, which informed families on its waiting list about the Clarion option, appeared to distance itself from the offer and said it had “no significant knowledge of Clarion and, by extension, no ability to recommend or otherwise”.

Clarion, which is undergoing a rebrand, has filled 110 of its 120 places available for September. The school (rated by Ofsted as “good”) has ten places across four forms and could add a bulge class if there is demand.

The school was approached by Barnet council this week to help place some of the Jewish pupils still on waiting lists.

Headteacher Chris Hunt – a finalist for TES state headteacher of the year 2025 – met Jewish families on an online call on Thursday evening to discuss the offer.

Hunt said, “Parents that attended the meeting were positive” and some felt the idea “was a really good alternative.”

Hunt and PaJes said there would be an open morning at Clarion for Jewish families in the coming weeks.

But one parent who was sent the offer and did not attend the meeting told the JC the idea of sending Jewish children to a non-Jewish school was “absurd” and called the offer “ridiculous and embarrassing”. 

In a searing complaint sent to the Office of the Chief Rabbi, the parent, who wished to remain anonymous, questioned why families committed to Jewish education from primary school were without a Jewish secondary school, while “plenty of families” who had not sent children to Jewish primary schools had secured spots. “The fact that the three major Jewish schools have not been able to accommodate 50 children is a stain on the Jewish community,” they wrote.

The parent has now secured a place at Immanuel College for their child, which the family will pay for with help from a partial bursary.

The parent told the JC that the Clarion offer “Is not a solution for parents who want a Jewish education for their children [and] who have had a Jewish education up until now.”

Another parent whose child is also at a Jewish primary school and is still waiting for a place at a Jewish secondary school said the offer was “insulting” and questioned: “What guarantees are there that there are other Jewish families who will take up this offer?”

Raisel Freedman, assistant director at PaJeS, said her team had not expected such a large volume of late applications. “Last week alone, there were 20 new applicants,” she said.

These late applications, which are processed through the same system as those from families who applied on time, are understood to be from families that had initially intended to send their children to schools outside the community. Freedman explained, “Rather than going to the back of the list, these new applications get put back into the pool with everyone else.”

When asked why the Jewish schools could not accommodate the children on the waiting list, Freedman said: “We didn’t think there would be enough children to warrant additional places at Jewish schools.”

Freedman said that in recent weeks, PaJeS was holding a waiting list of just ten pupils, with several already placed elsewhere, including at Immanuel College via bursaries. “We were relatively confident that by the chagim, everyone would be placed,” she said, but unprecedented late applications changed that forecast.

The issue has been partly attributed to some families visiting a non-Jewish school open day and encountering pro-Palestinian stickers, as well as increased fear about antisemitism after the Glastonbury chants against Israel broadcast on the BBC.

“We’re colloquially calling it the ‘Glastonbury effect’,” Freedman said. “Nobody had reckoned on the number of late applications from people who do not feel safe in the non-Jewish sector.”

With demand unexpectedly spiking, PaJeS is treating Clarion as a “creative last-minute solution”. Freedman said the school had not experienced incidents such as Palestine stickers or Gaza protests.

In a letter to parents, PaJes said Jewish pupils at the school would have “direct access to the headteacher, who personally teaches Year 7 science, and robust zero-tolerance behaviour and discipline policies which are already well established and working effectively.”

In an interview with the JC, Clarion headteacher Chris Hunt sought to reassure Jewish families, stressing the school’s strong stance against antisemitism. “When we say zero tolerance, we mean zero tolerance,” he said. “We focus on the small things – simple things like a top button or tie being done up properly, so we don’t see the bigger things like online bullying or fighting.”

“There is no antisemitism, no racism at all, which makes the school special,” he added. “But I would hope many schools in the local area that are on it with smaller issues wouldn’t see the bigger issues.”

Hunt said every pupil has a “trusted adult” they can turn to. “Students feel comfortable talking to this member of staff… so if anything comes up, we deal with it immediately.”

The Israel–Palestinian conflict has been addressed in assemblies, and the school partners with education charity Solutions Not Sides to explore the topic with pupils in year nine and above.

Describing Clarion as a school that champions British values and teaches “tolerance and respect,” Hunt said its diverse student body celebrates an annual cultural day. “It is phenomenal to see students’ confidence to wear the attire of their culture,” he said.

He acknowledged that adding pupils at this late stage would create timetable “upheaval” for staff over the summer, but said he was glad to help families in need.

He confirmed that the school kitchen offers vegetarian meals and would try to provide kosher options if requested. Jewish students would be allowed time off for religious holidays.

Rabbi David Meyer, chief executive of PaJeS, said: "We are deeply grateful to Chris Hunt and Clarion School for their commitment to supporting Jewish families during this challenging time.

"The school's track record of maintaining a safe environment free from pro-Palestinian demonstrations, combined with their academic excellence, makes them an ideal partner. Mr Hunt has shown remarkable willingness and dedication in adapting what is already an outstanding educational offer to help meet our community's needs, especially considering this proposal emerged in the very last week of the school term."

He added: “PaJeS is continuing to work directly with the handful of students, who do not have a place in any Jewish secondary school, and for whom a comprehensive Jewish education within a Jewish setting is critical and Clarion would not be a viable alternative.”

Freedman said PaJeS would liaise with CST to ensure security for Jewish children if the plan goes ahead.

“Unfortunately, we’re in a situation where there will not be enough spaces for everyone’s needs [at Jewish schools],” Freedman said. “It’s not right that there should be a non-Jewish alternative — but this is a last-minute creative solution.”

A spokesman for the Office of the Chief Rabbi told the JC: “The Office of the Chief Rabbi plays no role in the allocation of school places. Nonetheless, while the schools themselves, together with PaJeS, are trying to find ways to create greater capacity in the system for this year, given the current unprecedented demand for places, the Chief Rabbi’s Schools Review will be using the coming months to look urgently at how our community can be better prepared in the future to ensure there are places at Jewish schools for all those who want them.

"Our hearts go out to every family who has, as yet, been unable to secure a place at a Jewish school for their child. We know what a stressful and challenging time this has been for them.”