UJIA's first conference on research in Jewish education proved so popular that organisers had to find an alternative venue.

"I thought it would be a small seminar for 20 people," said UJIA research and evaluation director Helena Miller. "In the end, we had 100." The event was due to be held at UJIA's Kentish Town headquarters but had to be moved to Avenue House in East Finchley.

Believed to be the first conference devoted to the subject in the community, it drew educators from secular to strictly Orthodox.

"Generally, research in Jewish education has been focused on America and Israel," Dr Miller said. "I wanted to stimulate a conversation to raise its profile here."

Presenters ranged from Keith Kahn-Harris, co-author of a new book, Turbulent Times; the British Jewish Community Today, to Ruth Ann Lenga, of the Institute of Eudcation's Holocaust education development programme, which recently published a major study of Holocaust teaching in UK schools.

Dr Miller is also involved in a pioneering research project with Alex Pomson of the Hebrew University funded by the Pears Foundation. "It is going to trace the first cohort of students at JCoSS [the Jewish Community Secondary School] through the school to look at the impact of Jewish schooling on the students and their families."