At the beginning of term, New Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls came to JCoSS and, along with our Trust President Gerald Ronson, talked to the representatives from the JCoSS Student Parliament, including our ministers for education, health, sport and the environment.

They debated issues including recycling, school lunches and whether football is a man’s game!  Mr Balls also offered the group policy advice, suggesting that the health secretary runs a poll about lunch preferences, and urged a PMQs-style panel session for students to air educational concerns. (read more)

Informed of the school’s new drama group, JGLoSS – inspired by the cult TV series, Glee – Mr Balls revealed himself as a Glee fan, albeit preferring Journey’s original version of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ to the one performed by the show’s cast.  He also praised our students for being “much less unruly” than their Commons counterparts.

Mr Balls was Schools Secretary when JCoSS was being set up and was present when the building’s foundation stone was laid. It was great, he said, to return to see it operational.

“For me it’s the end of an exciting period, but for the school this is just the first step. Being here and seeing it makes me want to be 11 years old again.”

He added that JCoSS was the first school he had seen with a parliament modelled on Westminster rather than a student council. “It’s very impressive – the students should make the most of it.”

(article from the Jewish Chronicle, 28th January 2011)