Jewish Community Secondary School
| Jewish Community Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Castlewood Road East Barnet , , EN4 9GE | |
| Information | |
| Type | Voluntary aided school |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Judaism |
| Established | 6 September 2010 |
| Local authority | Barnet |
| Department for Education URN | 135747 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| President | Gerald Ronson |
| Chair | Mike Grabiner |
| Head teacher | Patrick Moriarty |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 1360 (target) |
| Website | http://www.jcoss.org/ |
JCoSS (Jewish Community Secondary School) is a state-funded Jewish secondary school in New Barnet, London. Established in 2010, it is the first Jewish cross-denominational secondary school in the UK.[1] It was established after a mother observed that while her son had gone to JFS, a nearby Jewish school, many of his friends had not been able to attend because of oversubscription and halachic requirements, and initiated in 2001 the ultimately successful proposal for a new British faith school.[2][3] Construction of the school began in April 2009.[4]
JCoSS is opening a year at a time, with up to 180 students joining Year 7 each year until 2017, when the school will have about 1360 students. Its sixth form opened in 2012. The school has specialist status in science.[5] The school cost £50 million to build, £36 million of which was funded by the government, and is the most expensive state-funded secondary school to be built in the UK.[2] The Headteacher is Patrick Moriarty. [6] Gerald Ronson, a business tycoon and philanthropist, helped in the fundraising drive and is the president of the JCoSS Trust.[7] The Pears Special Resource Provision (PSRP) at the school has places for up to 50 children (seven places each year) with autistic spectrum disorders. Norwood, a Jewish charity, is providing some of the services at the PSRP.[8]
Before the school opened, several Orthodox rabbis expressed concern over JCoSS's compatibility with their faith.[9] At the construction ceremony, Ed Balls, who at the time was schools secretary, said the school would play an important role in dealing with discrimination and prejudice.[10]
References
- ^ "Our School". JCoSS. Accessed 3 April 2011.
- ^ a b Kessler, Sarah. "A Cross-Denominational Approach to High School in the U.K.". The Forward. 21 January 2009. Accessed 3 April 2011. Archived 2 April 2011.
- ^ "JCoSS timeline". JCoSS. Accessed 3 April 2011.
- ^ Lowe, Rebecca. "Ed Balls kicks off JCoSS construction". times-series.co.uk. 22 April 2009. Accessed 11 April 2011.
- ^ Bradford, Kevin. "Record crowds turn out for open days at JCoSS school in New Barnet". times-series.co.uk. 15 October 2010. Accessed 3 April 2011. Archived 2 April 2011.
- See also: "Science Specialist Status @ JCoSS". JCoSS. 4 March 2011. Accessed 3 April 2011.
- ^ Galbinski, Alex. "‘Outstanding’ head appointed". thisislocallondon.co.uk. Accessed 8 August 2011.
- ^ McSmith, Andy. "Millionaire jailed in fraud scandal leads school fundraising mission". The Independent. 4 January 2008. Accessed 3 April 2011.
- ^ "Pears Special Resource Provision". JCoSS. Accessed 17 April 3011.
- ^ Rocker, Simon. "JCoSS worries Orthodox rabbis". The Jewish Chronicle. 14 May 2946
Accessed 3 April 2011.
- Harvey Belovski writing in The Jewish Chronicle. "JCoSS is non-Orthodox, not ‘cross-communal’". The Jewish Chronicle. 25 June 2009. Accessed 3 April 2011.
- ^ Dysch, Marcus. "Balls praises JCoSS ethos". The Jewish Chronicle. 23 April 2009. Accessed 8 August 2011.
Further reading
- Kummer, Sophie. "£46m funding bid for new Jewish school". times-series.co.uk. 2 June 2005. Accessed 11 April 2011.
- Dutta, Neeta. "First inclusive Jewish secondary school". times-series.co.uk. 9 February 2006. Accessed 11 April 2011.
- Lowe, Rebecca. "JCoSS ground breaking ceremony: speeches in full". times-series.co.uk. 22 April 2009. Accessed 8 August 2011.