JCoSS’s First Governors Announced

JCoSS has unveiled the names of its first eleven school governors. They include two head teachers from other schools, an educational psychologist, a management consultant, marketing and communications experts, a lawyer and a circuit court judge. They include members of the Orthodox, Reform, Liberal and Masorti movements, as well as one member who is unaffiliated to any movement. They will join on the governing body chair, Robert Shrager [Robert Shrager sadly died in January 2009.  He was succeed as chair by Mike Grabiner] and vice-chair, Mike Grabiner, whose appointments were announced earlier in the year.

Robert Shrager (59) – a former Director of Morgan Grenfell and Finance Director of the Dixons Group plc – says: “I am delighted not just by the quantity but the quality of the applications which we received. Coupled with our fundraising success, this provides yet further evidence of the huge enthusiasm which there is out there for JCoSS from every part of the community.”:
The successful candidates were chosen from a field of 24 applicants following an open application and interview process.

The full list of Governors is: Robert Shrager (Chair); Mike Grabiner (Vice Chair); Dr Ian Abrahams; Alon Avner; Emma Cravitz; Sharon Gold; Pam Goldsmith; Jack Goulde; Joanne Harris; Dr Helena Miller; Fredda Hurwitz; Mike Hymans; Irene Kay; Jeremy Kosky; Robert Lobatto; Lisa Wimborne

JCoSS raises over £1 million per month

As a state-funded, voluntary-added school the majority of JCoSS’s funding -nearly £37 million – will come from central Government. The school will still, however, need to raise around £10 million from private donations.

The fund raising effort has got off to an astonishing start. In the five months since it began in earnest, JCoSS has raised £5.5 million. That equates to a rate of £1.1 million pounds every month.

There is still a long way to go and the school is also now accepting donations via its website, www.jcoss.org, but this is an excellent start and we are very, very grateful for the support.

JCoSS road show launched

JCoSS, has launched a road show to present the project to parents, supporters and potential donors.

The neatly designed display and information materials made their first appearance at Limmud where the stand attracted enormous interest from across the community. Since then it has visited West London Synagogue, Alyth Gardens, Bushey and Radlett Reform, Elstree Liberal, Southgate and District Reform, Southgate Progressive, as well as the Akiva and Clore Shalom summer fairs.

If you would like to arrange for the JCoSS road show to come to your shul, please contact our Communications Adviser, Ben Rich, on 07713 509134 or info@jcoss.org and he will be happy to make appropriate arrangements.

What I can do to support JCoSS

JCoSS is very keen to meet potential parents and answer any questions that they may have about the school. To this end, we will be holding a series of question and answer meetings about JCoSS at schools, synagogues and Jewish community groups over the next few months.

Please help us by organising a meeting at your organisation. You will need to arrange the venue and publicise the meeting, using for example, the synagogue newsletter, the cheder magazine or even the local paper. We will provide the speaker(s) on a date that suits you.

To discuss further or arrange a meeting please contact our Communications Adviser, Ben Rich, on 07713 509134 or benrich@jcoss.org

All about JCoSS

JCoSS is set to become the first Jewish secondary school in the UK to welcome, on an equal basis, Jews of all backgrounds, beliefs and abilities.

Plans for a brand new state-of-the-art building were granted planning permission by Barnet Council in August 2007. The new school is to be sited off Westbrook Crescent, East Barnet, on a site adjacent to the current East Barnet Upper School, which is to be consolidated with the rest of the East Barnet school in a new building on Chestnut Grove.

Work has already started on the detailed design. Actual building work on JCoSS begins in January 2009 with the old East Barnet Upper School buildings being demolished as and when their own new building is complete.

JCoSS is due to open in September 2010 with a first intake of 180 Year 7 (11 -12 year old) pupils. In addition, working jointly with Norwood, the UK’s leading Jewish charity for children and families, JCoSS will provide a 50-place special resource provision for children aged 11-19 who have autistic spectrum learning disabilities.

Donate to JCoSS

You can donate to JCoSS tax efficiently. Visit the JCoSS website www.jcoss.org and follow the links to donate via justgiving.com and allow us to reclaim income tax paid by you via gift aid.