Yavneh College in Borehamwood is to take in a group of students from King Solomon High School in Barkingside which is under threat of closure at the end of the academic year.
Yavneh’s executive head Spencer Lewis, a former headteacher of the Essex high school, told parents that “a small group of approximately 15 students mainly in year 9” from King Solomon would be making the journey to Hertfordshire to join the college after half term.
Governors of King Solomon launched a consultation in September on whether to shut the school in July 2027 because of falling pupil numbers. The consultation is due to end early next month with the local authority, Redbridge, expected to make a decision within the following couple of months.
Yavneh’s move follows a special open morning it laid on for King Solomon parents earlier this month.
Mr Lewis said “a group of parents have applied for a place at Yavneh College because keeping their children in a Jewish school is so important to them. It will not surprise you to hear that after 19 years at King Solomon High School including more than six as the headteacher, I am very keen to help this group of parents, many of whom were also students at the school.”
The new arrivals, he added, “would not affect the current pupils as we will ensure we have added staffing where necessary so that all pupils have equal access to high quality education and the Yavneh Way [the school’s ethos code].”
Earlier this year Yavneh had been on the point of launching a fundraising drive in order to accommodate pupils from Immanuel College in Bushey when the private school announced its closure. But the emergency plan was not needed as Immanuel secured substantial funding to continue.
While Yavneh’s official capacity is 150 pupils a year, it opened a bulge class of 30 pupils this September because of the demand for places. It has previously considered moving permanently to an annual intake of 180, dependent on funding.
Mr Lewis told the JC: “I hope that as we move forward, we will be able to accommodate more current and future pupils from the Essex area although this relies on expanded facilities and resources, which will take desperately needed funding Yavneh College does not currently have.”
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