Parents contemplating Jewish primary school education for their children in Hertfordshire are being urged to complete an online survey assessing the demand for further Jewish school places.

The survey has been commissioned by Yavneh College in Borehamwood, which last year announced plans for a two-form entry primary section on the site of the existing secondary school.

While parents have responded enthusiastically, governors' chair Sue Nyman said Herts County Council had requested formal evidence of demand.

"Although we have already collated some information, we need to get as much evidence as possible," she explained. "The survey should provide this additional data. It is part of the planning process in its widest sense, one of the pieces of the jigsaw - transport issues, planning permission, and so on - which must be resolved before we can take this project forward."

The six-page, 10-question survey asks parents to provide information such as the number of their children born after September 1, 2007, and rate a series of educational options.

It is being promoted in synagogues in the potential catchment area, which includes Edgware and Stanmore.

Mrs Nyman was "amazed at the high level of response in just a few days. Within five days of the survey going online, nearly 400 replies have been received, with the vast majority coming from the WD postcode.This suggests that there are a large number of children who will be looking for places within the next few years. We suspect that the figure will become even larger as the Borehamwood Jewish community expands."

With the intitial optimistic prediction of a September 2011 opening dashed, Yavneh is now targeting a 2012 start for the primary.