For voluntary-aided schools, application is made through the local authority and for independent schools, application details are on the schools’ websites. For admissions criteria please look on the schools’ websites.

Jewish secondary schools are all very high performing. They regularly appear in the top of the UK league tables. This is one of the reasons they are so popular with parents. They offer the highest academic standards, combined with an enriched Jewish education and social life, and are very ambitious for their students.

No, many children who attend Jewish secondary schools have not been to a Jewish primary school.

Jewish schools accept a wide variety of Jews with different levels of belief and practice. There are six main secondary schools in London. Families from all parts of the Jewish community send their children to these Jewish schools although the schools will vary in the emphasis they place on religious practice. All of the schools share a common aim in strengthening young people’s Jewish identity and knowledge in a variety of ways.

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

CRP is shorthand for a Certificate of Religious Practice.  For most Jewish schools, when applying for a place at either a primary or secondary school, 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.

 

A copy must be sent direct to the school together with relevant supporting documents and the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF), which you should be able to download from its website. You should keep a copy of the CRP and its relevant supporting documents for future use. Not all schools have adopted identical CRP forms and some have varied their CRP requirements and chosen different criteria.  Individual websites should be consulted to see what the differences are and how evidence is to be gathered.

A CRP may have sections such as:  Synagogue Shabbat service attendance; Jewish educational activities; voluntary Jewish communal, charitable or welfare activities.  Points will be awarded for the level and quantity of activity in each area. You can aggregate the points from a range of activities.

If you wish to gain CRP points by Shabbat morning service attendance, you must first register at the synagogue you will be attending. Check with the synagogue for registration details.

The main difference is that at secondary level, only the participation of the child is to be recorded, whereas at primary, it is the child and/or its parent/guardian.

NB: Private schools can select pupils on other criteria and we recommend that you contact them individually. They may include parent or child interviews, which VA schools and ‘free schools’ are precluded from administering by law.

 

The CRP must be handed in at the same time as the application national closing date in October. There is a timeframe for completing the CRP and it will vary slightly each year. For children starting schools in September 2013, the process started on 4 May 2012 and will end by 11 January 2013 for secondary schools. However, applications made outside the usual admissions round also have to complete a CRP form. This should also be printed on the CRP for each school. Independent schools will vary and you should consult their individual website for more information.

 

Every year, local authorities for all voluntary-aided schools in London and South Hertfordshire make their offers of secondary places in Y7 on or around 1 March (known as National Offer Day). Y12 dates are set by each school individually.  The dates for independent schools will vary and you should consult their individual websites for more information. 

Time spent varies between schools. More information can be found on the schools’ websites. 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.

Yes. Art, music and sport are all regarded as important parts of the curriculum and have high take up at GCSE and A’level.

Jewish schools place high value on the importance of trips and extra-curricular activities. As well as subject related trips, all the Jewish schools offer study trips to Israel, weekends away and for older students, trips to Poland and Eastern Europe. All schools have policies in place to ensure that no student is denied a place on these trips for financial reasons.

No. All schools follow the national curriculum and all offer a very broad and balanced education. Jewish schools have a particular high take up of Science ‘A’ levels. As faith schools, Jewish schools will stress family and community values when teaching about sex and health education. All have very strong anti-drug policies.

Graduates of Jewish secondary schools gain places at all the major universities, including Oxford and Cambridge and the Russell Group. For details of the courses to which this year’s graduates have been admitted, visit the schools’ websites.

Not at all. Ofsted reports, and in the case of the independent school, the Independent Schools Inspectorate reports, consistently praise Jewish schools for excellent behaviour.

Yes. Dress codes may vary according to the particular school. See each school’s website for more details.