Jewish primary school smashes target in first fundraising campaign

A primary school has raised over £150,000 in its first ever fundraising campaign.

Celebrating its Bnei Mitzvah (13th) year, Eden Primary – which is the only Jewish school in the London Borough of Haringey – launched the campaign to raise funds for better SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) provision, outdoor education and play equipment. The funds will also be used to renew Eden’s building.

Powered by Fundnation, the school smashed its original fundraising goal of £100,000, raising £152,714, thanks to the efforts of volunteers, families, alumni and the wider community.

A one-form entry school with just over 200 pupils, Eden offers a Jewish environment, but is open to everyone, regardless of their background.

Head teacher Helen Graff said: “I am absolutely blown away by everyone's generosity, and the incredible efforts of the campaign organisers. To set a target of £100,000 and then exceed it by over half as much again is outstanding. The money raised will help the children in so many ways and has set us up for the next 13 years and beyond.”

Eden Primary School head teacher Helen Graff[Missing Credit]

Graff added: “Eden is a truly special place to learn and to work, very much driven by our values of excellence, community, creativity, responsibility and respect. We achieve highly, teaching Jewish studies alongside other subjects through exciting, cross-curricular, creative projects, very often outdoors.”

The Bnei Mitzvah campaign was run by the three co-chairs of the Eden Parents Group, Pejman Ellis, Vicky Levy and Moosh Ben-Ari.

While these campaigns are typically run by governors of the school, Eden’s was unique in that it was spearheaded by parents, said Levy. They had explored recent campaigns by other similarly sized schools and observed that a couple did not reach their target.

“So, we really didn't know what to expect – we didn't know whether we would struggle to raise £50,000,” said Levy. “But we definitely exceeded our expectations.”

They initially hoped to achieve their original goal of £100,000, including £50,000 from individual donations and the other half from match funding. When they saw it taking off early on in the two-day campaign, they decided to increase the goal to £120,000 on a match-funding basis. They then added the bonus to reach £150,000.

“It was amazing to see the enthusiasm and the joy and the support from the community,” said Levy. “I'm just really proud of what we've done, and I can't wait for the school to start spending the money, because at the end of the day, it is there to be spent on the things that the school is in desperate need of.”

Those things include renewing and expanding the outdoor classrooms, especially for reception and year one, enhancing the play areas, and building a sensory room where children with special needs can go outside of the classroom.

The EPG co-chairs added, “We are very grateful and humbled by the huge numbers of vital donations from incredibly generous people – it’s a great feeling knowing that not only will our kids benefit from the changes we can now make but also younger children in the community when they join Eden in future years.”

Chair of trustees of the Eden Primary Trust Steve Miller said: “I'd like to pay tribute to the parents who have driven this campaign and enabled Eden to face the future with a strong financial base, solidifying its place as a bedrock institution of Muswell Hill's diverse Jewish community. The funds will be used to enhance our special needs provision and renew the school environment.”

For information on how to support Eden please click here or visit: fundnation.org/edenschool