ByLeon Symons, Leon Symons
JFS head of English Kate Lightman, whose daughter was refused entry to the school in a row over conversion, has been appointed to a senior post at the new Jewish Community Secondary School, JCoSS.
Mrs Lightman will be assistant head with responsibility for English at JCoSS, which opens in Barnet in September. She has taught at JFS for more than 20 years.
In 2005, she and her husband David applied for a place for their daughter Maya but were turned down because the London Beth Din rejected Mrs Lightman's conversion in Israel.
JCoSS head Jeremy Stowe-Lindner said she brought "extensive experience of running a major department with huge success and she will be a great addition to our team".
The school has also announced the appointment of David Wilson as the first director of the 50-place special resource provision for children with autism, which is sponsored by the Pears Foundation.
Mr Wilson, 48, is joining from Moselle, a special school in Haringey for those with autism and learning difficulties, where he has been assistant head since 2000. He has experience of supporting students with autism at mainstream schools and has helped run a club for young people with autism.
"Working in partnership with Norwood, we will be a beacon of excellence, with close links to other providers of support for individuals with autism and their families, both within the Jewish community and beyond," he said.
● Anthony Wolfson sees his appointment as head of the Rosh Pinah Primary in Edgware as a "fantastic opportunity".
Currently head of the Torah Temimah Primary in Dollis Hill, he observed that "Rosh Pinah is a much bigger school. I have 200 boys and Rosh Pinah is just under 500 pupils. It's a big challenge as the school is a mainstay of the Anglo-Jewish world and has been teaching children for more than 50 years.
"I know there were some problems a short time ago but now there is a new governing body that is fully committed to realising the potential of the school," said Mr Wolfson, who is also chazan at Wembley Synagogue.