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01/12/2008
News Update – January 2008

JCoSS in the News

JCoSS, the Jewish Community Secondary School, assumed a much higher profile than usual over the winter break. A series of articles announcing the school’s £10 million fundraising scheme appeared in national, regional and local newspapers.

In the London Standard, JCoSS President, Gerald Ronson, is quoted as saying “The school will open up the choice of Jewish education to a whole new group of parents and has a crucial part to play in reengaging many who would otherwise be lost to the community.”

The Jewish Chronicle revealed that over £1 million has already been raised.

JCoSS also upped its profile within the community, taking a highly successful stand at the Limmud Conference in Nottingham, where interest in the project was extremely high.

Further coverage is expected over the next fortnight. Supporters may like to look out for a major interview with Trustee and former Chair, Jonathan Fingerhut, in the Times Educational Supplement expected soon.

JCoSS runs to time, despite Barnet redesign

The Trustees have confirmed that JCoSS is still set to open in September 2010, despite the decision by Barnet Council to redesign its own East Barnet School. The new East Barnet School will provide new accommodation for the existing East Barnet Upper School, currently based at Westbrook Crescent, in turn, freeing up the Westbrook Crescent site for JCoSS.

The redesign will mean a delay of up to a year in the rebuilding of the East Barnet School at its new Chestnut Grove site. Nevertheless, the JCoSS Trust and Norwood have confirmed that, so long as the Council meets its new deadlines, it still expects the school and the Special Unit to open as planned and on time in September 2010.

Chairperson, Michael Phillips, explains:

“Fortunately, the intention all along has been to build JCoSS on a greenfield site alongside the existing East Barnet Upper School, and then to demolish the old buildings once they have been vacated to make way for the all-weather pitches. As a result, even though Barnet now needs to redesign their school, there is no reason it should delay us.”

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 school unit for children aged 11-19 who have a range of learning disabilities.

The school will grow year on year to provide, by 2015, places for 1,310 students. So far, parents of 164 children eligible for 2010 entry have already registered an interest, for the first 180 places.

Donate to JCoSS

You can now 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 gift aid.

 

 

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