Jewish schools offer safe, caring and warm environments where children flourish personally and academically. Your child will learn about Jewish practices and values and enjoy the chance of celebrating the Jewish calendar. Many of us look back at primary school as a time of enjoyment, creativity and excitement in learning about the world. Jewish schools offer all this, plus the chance for you and your child to become part of a warm caring community.

You will need to contact the individual schools for their admission procedures. For voluntary-aided schools, application for reception is made through your home local authority as well as the school itself.  If the school has a nursery which you are applying for, you need to contact the school about their admission procedures.

You should also be aware of the school's geographical location on our map, as the school nearest to your house may be in a different borough, although you would still need to apply through your home local authority, not the one in which the school is located.

There are over 30 Jewish primary schools in London and they are generally very popular. All voluntary-aided schools are governed by the same admissions code which gives preference, for example, based on how close you live to a school. At the same time the number of schools has expanded in relation to demand, so that there are many more school places available than some years ago. Not all areas are equally oversubscribed.

Additionally, due to aliyah or relocation, schools may have spare places in particular years. It is always worth checking with the school if this is the case and, in any event, making sure your name stays on their waiting lists.

Not necessarily, but see the secondary school section of our website for details of Jewish secondary schools.

No. The voluntary-aided Jewish schools do however request a voluntary contribution towards the additional costs of the broad Jewish Studies curriculum and the level of security which parents expect. You will need to contact the independent Jewish schools to find out details of their fees.

There is a broad range of Jewish primary schools reflecting the diversity of the Jewish community. Jewish schools accept a wide variety of Jews with different levels of belief and practice. Faith schools are allowed to ask about religious practice but the emphasis on this will vary.

The rapid growth in Jewish schools is largely because families from all parts of the Jewish community send their children to Jewish schools, all of which share a common aim in strengthening children’s Jewish identity and knowledge in a variety of ways.

Jewish primary schools have different admission priorities and synagogue membership may be one of the criteria. Generally, synagogue membership by itself is not a prerequisite for sending your child to a Jewish primary school. Once you have identified which school you are interested in, check if this is one of their criteria.

By law all schools must have clear policies for children with special or additional needs. This includes gifted and talented pupils who will certainly flourish with the wide curriculum available at Jewish schools.

A school cannot make attendance at its nursery a pre-condition for admission into its Reception class. However, most schools do give priority to the children that have been in their own nursery class, which is permissible. Check each school’s admissions policy for more details.

CRP is shorthand for a Certificate of Religious Practice.  For most Jewish schools, when applying for a Nursery or Reception place you will need to have completed one.

The 2010 School Admissions Code allows the religious authority of schools with a religious character (sometimes called faith schools) to 'provide guidance for the admission authorities of schools of their faith that sets out what objective processes and criteria may be used to establish whether a child is a member of, or whether they practise, the faith' (para 2.52). The Chief Rabbi recommended that schools under his religious authority (sometimes called OCR schools) should develop tests of Jewish religious practice, which can be used for this purpose.  It is by no means satisfactory, but is the best option in order to remain compliant with the School Admissions Code.

Some schools aside from OCR schools also use a CRP and/or their own supplementary information form to be completed by the parent or a Rabbi.

There is a timeframe for completing the CRP and it will vary slightly each year.  For children starting schools in September 2012, it is expected that the process will start on 7 May 2011 and will end by 7 January 2012 for primary schools. However, please check the date of the deadline with the school. This should also be printed on the CRP for each school.

In 2012 all voluntary-aided schools in London and South Hertfordshire will announce their offers of Reception places on 18 April.  The dates for independent schools will vary and you should consult their individual websites for more information.

Jewish primary schools are generally high performing. They regularly appear at the top of the UK league tables. They are ambitious for their pupils but they understand children learn best when they’re in a warm and caring environment.

Yes. Every year there are a large number of children from Jewish primary schools who go on to selective secondary schools. However there is also an increasing trend for parents to choose Jewish secondary schools because of the positive experiences and high standards their children have gained at a Jewish primary school. See our Jewish secondary school section for more details.

Most Jewish primary schools have strong Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), and encourage parent helpers to come in during the school day. Parents are fully represented on governing bodies and in voluntary-aided schools there will always be elected parent governors.

2011 has seen an expansion in the number of places available at Nursery and Reception. This is mainly because some schools decided to open ‘bulge’ classes to accommodate a high proportion of siblings, an expected increase in demand, or other factors. In September 2011, Kerem, Rosh Pinah and North West London Jewish Day schools all opened ‘bulge classes’, which together with the opening of Immanuel Preparatory School and the two new’ free schools’, Etz Chaim in Mill Hill and Eden Primary in Muswell Hill, will significantly expand the choice and quantum of places available in NW London / South Herts.

Further expansions are expected in future years. Look in the Latest News box on our homepage for news of these exciting developments as they are confirmed.

Time spent on Jewish Studies varies between primary schools. More information about the curriculum can be found from contacting the individual schools.  Many schools will teach pupils some Ivrit (modern Hebrew).

All schools take their commitment to community cohesion seriously and want to ensure their pupils grow up as contributing citizens who appreciate the breadth of cultures that make modern day Britain so special. Schools will approach these themes in different ways such as  projects that link the school with a school from a different faith eg shared links with neighbouring Muslim or Christian faith schools.