Jewish parents of primary school pupils without a confirmed place at a Jewish secondary school are becoming increasingly anxious as the end of the school year looms.
Despite the final official round of lottery allocations having already taken place at Jewish state schools, a number of children remain without a place at one for September.
Raisel Freedman, assistant director of Jewish schools network PaJeS, acknowledged the strain in a recent email to parents recognising "how difficult and distressing this period must be”.
But she urged families to be patient. “From our experience, movement does continue throughout the admissions cycle, and places can open up as families make final decisions, sometimes as late as the start of term in September or even beyond... Unfortunately, the admissions process often takes time to unfold.”
PaJeS, which has no formal role in admissions, initially tracked 60 families on their waiting list still seeking places in a London Jewish state school after the first round of admissions, but Freedman said that number was “dropping week by week”.
However, that is not enough to assuage the concern of waiting parents. Despite circulating rumours of over 100 children on the waiting list for a place, Freedman insisted the number was “significantly lower”.
The high demand for places at a Jewish secondary has been driven by a perfect storm: the impact of October 7, growing concerns about antisemitism in mainstream educational settings and the government’s introduction of VAT on private school fees.
In response to the “unprecedented demand for places at Jewish schools”, Immanuel College in Bushey, whose fees are over £28,000 a year, has expanded its bursary provision, offering means-tested support, including full fee remittance. Daniel Levy, chair of the Immanuel board, said: “No child who would thrive in our environment is turned away due to financial constraints.”
While an additional 130 places have been created via bulge classes at JFS, Yavneh and Hasmonean, these were allocated at the beginning of the process, meaning there has not been major movement since the first round of allocations. Freedman added that schools did not receive extra funding for these places until the class was at least one year old.
Despite the squeeze, the PaJeS assistant director said this year was “almost bang on” the projections for a high-demand year – the only difference was that this year, fewer families were giving up their places.
“We have had at least one other year, possibly two, where the number of applications has been higher than this. In those years, eventually it settled; everyone got a place,” Freedman said, encouraging those with a place but not intending to take it up to let the school know as soon as possible. Freedman assured parents that spaces were quickly reallocated.
But for families still waiting, her words offered little comfort.
Esther*, a single mother with Israeli heritage, described how the uncertainty was affecting her daughter. “She’s anxious... All of her peers are talking about where they’re going in September, but she can’t join in.”
Her daughter has been offered a place at a local comprehensive, where most pupils are not Jewish. “I could not send her there, with everything going on in the world,” she said, citing the rise of antisemitism since October 7. Unable to afford private fees, Esther may be forced to home-school if no place opens up.
She is frustrated by the lack of preference for pupils already attending Jewish primaries. “If you send a child to a Jewish primary, they should get priority... but they’re in the lottery with everyone else.”
This week, JFS emailed Esther to say her daughter had not been offered a place, though the school would review the situation again in a fortnight. She wants a fixed date for parents to accept or decline offers. “There should be a deadline... I don’t know how many parents are holding spaces they might not need.”
Mother of two, Leah*, has been offered a place at a Christian school for her daughter. “They pray before every lesson. We keep Shabbat. She would be the only person there from our community,” Leah said. “She already suffers from anxiety. The thought of her going there…”
Leah has long been worried about getting her eldest into a Jewish secondary. “Once 20 per cent VAT was on the cards, we knew this would be a problem. And JFS’s performance improved, so people who would have gone private applied there instead.”
Though she is considering private education for her eldest, it would not be feasible for both of her children. “And as we earn more than the bursary cut-off, it won’t be viable. We didn’t ever want to go private. We chose a Jewish primary for a reason.”
Yet, she believes parents are being left with no choice but private – “It feels like we’re being allocated private... It’s incredibly stressful; the uncertainty is really difficult.”
For Leah’s daughter, whose “entire life revolves around the Jewish community”, including her school and clubs, a place outside that environment would be devastating, her mum said. “To not be with anyone from her community is really isolating... She is really upset. Her friends are going to settling-in days. I’m panicked.”
She fears for her younger child too. “I was always worried about this year, but I thought, once I got a place for my eldest, the other would follow. But if she doesn’t get in, I don’t know what we will do.”
Freedman hopes those on the list will still be placed. “We know it is a difficult process for parents, and we ask that they be patient and be assured that schools are doing their best to accommodate their children.”
The JC approached JFS and JCoSS for comment.
* Names have been changed
Image: Oversubscribed: JCoSS, one of the London Jewish schools with a waiting list (photo:Simon Harvey Photography)
