Jewish Community Secondary School

Jewish Community Secondary School
excellent
inclusive
unique

Welcome from the Chair of Governors 1
Dear Parent,
Welcome to JCoSS. And welcome to something different.
Imagining, designing, planning, building and delivering a
school from scratch is one of the most exciting, and challenging,
things I’ve ever done.
JCoSS is unique because the idea for JCoSS came from you,
or people like you: parents, who, for a wide variety of reasons,
were not satisfied with the existing choice of Jewish schools.
Some are denied altogether the choice of a Jewish secondary
education for their children because they are unable to meet
strict admissions criteria. But the majority simply want something
different to what is already on offer: an inclusive atmosphere,
which does not judge them for how they practise their Judaism;
one which gives children the knowledge to make Jewish
choices for themselves; and one which, above all, equips them,
as young adults, to play a full part in the wider world, as proud
self-confident ambassadors for Judaism.
So this is what we intend that JCoSS will be all about.
We have come so far. It was eight years ago that those first
parents had their dream. Now we have our site. Shortly, we
begin work on a £50 million, brand-new state-of-the-art building
on a large green site. And, in under two years, we will open
our doors to our first students.
We know that choosing a secondary school for your child
involves a leap of faith, whatever school you choose. We
hope, however, that this brochure with its many answers,
pictures and information will give you the confidence to join our
original parents on their journey.
Because JCoSS will be the difference you are looking for.
Best wishes
Robert Shrager
Chair of Governors
JCoSS
PS If you don’t find what you’re looking for in this brochure,
please visit www.jcoss.org, where you will find lots more
information and can register your interest in JCoSS so we can
keep you fully informed of developments.
All illustrations of the school are architect’s impressions.

Our ethos
2/3
First and foremost,
JCoSS is to provide
an excellent education
– at all levels of
ability and potential
– guaranteed by a
commitment to recruit
the best teachers
working in state-of-theart
facilities.
You can have confidence in JCoSS’s
excellence because:
Best staff team
JCoSS is committed to recruiting the
best staff team not just from the UK
but from across the globe.
We have started a search for a
head teacher and have committed
to offering an excellent package,
although we believe that the
challenge of shaping JCoSS will in
itself prove a powerful attraction.
State-of-the-art building
JCoSS’s building is state-of-the art.
Its unique design incorporates a
magnificent atrium and the very
latest technology. It is set on the
edge of the green belt and easily
accessible from across Barnet, South
Hertfordshire and neighbouring
boroughs.
Superb facilities
We have been able to design
our school from scratch and so
incorporate within JCoSS facilities
that are unmatched by any existing
state school:
> dance studios
> wonderfully equipped IT and
science laboratories
> music and ensemble rooms
> synagogue
> sukkah
> all-weather pitches
> landscaped grounds
> spaces for outside learning.
excellent

Our ethos
4/5
JCoSS is to be a
quality Jewish school
welcoming, on an
equal basis, Jews,
of all backgrounds,
beliefs and abilities.
inclusive
Choice
JCoSS extends the choice of a Jewish
education to all Jews. However you
practice your Judaism, whatever your
background, affiliation, status or
practice, JCoSS welcomes you and
respects your beliefs and practices.
Openness
JCoSS is broad, inclusive and
outward-looking. We celebrate and
teach diversity, within and beyond
the Jewish community.
We want our students to be prepared
to take their place in our multi-cultural
society – working and playing with
Jews and non-Jews alike as proud,
self-confident ambassadors for their
faith.
Inclusion
JCoSS will be a non-selective, state
school welcoming students of all
levels and academic abilities.
Our Learning Support department
will carefully liaise with your child’s
primary school before transfer
to ensure that our personalised
programmes meet their needs.
Choice: Special JCoSS Needs extends the choice of a
Jewish JCoSS education is proud to to all be Jews. working However
you in partnership practice your with Judaism, Norwood whatever to your
background, provide a unique affiliation, resource status or for practice,
JCoSS students welcomes with autistic you and spectrum respects your
beliefs disorders. and practices. For the first time, many
siblings will be able to travel
Openness: to school JCoSS together is broad, and share inclusive a
and common outward-looking. place of learning We celebrate while and
teach receiving diversity, the within very and best beyond education the
Jewish and support community. available. We want our students
to be prepared to take their place in
our This multi-cultural is support society which – will working run and
playing throughout with Jews the school and non-Jews and enable alike as
proud, students self-confident of all abilities ambassadors to fulfil their for
their full faith. potential.
Inclusion: Pastoral JCoSS Care will be a non-selective,
state We school know welcoming how hard students it can of be all levels
and for academic children moving abilities. Our from Learning a small
Support primary department school to will a carefully large secondary liaise
with school. your child’s There primary is strong school evidence before to
transfer suggest to ensure that in that the our first personalised years of a
programmes new school, meet Year their 7 needs. students benefit
substantially from being at the top
Special of the Needs: school JCoSS and therefore is proud in to be a
working smaller, in more partnership intimate with environment. Norwood
to provide a unique resource for students
with JCoSS autistic will spectrum establish disorders. a nurturing For the
first pastoral time, many system siblings and will is committed be able to
to putting travel to in school place together a fully developed and share
a transition common place process of learning which will while include
receiving JCoSS staff the very visiting best students education in and their
support primary available. schools This before is support they start. which
will run throughout the school and enable
students of all abilities to fulfil their full
potential.
Pastoral Care: We know how hard it
can be for children moving from a small
primary school to a large secondary
school. There is strong evidence to
suggest that in the first years of a
new school, Year 7 students benefit
substantially from being at the top of
the school and therefore in a smaller,
more intimate environment. JCoSS will
establish a nurturing pastoral system and
is committed to putting in place a fully
developed transition process which will
include JCoSS staff visiting students in their
primary schools before they start.

Our ethos
6/7
JCoSS will offer a
unique educational
experience, learning
from faith and nonfaith
schools in the
UK and abroad to
shape its own ethos
and approach.
Fulfilling potential
Our curriculum is being specially
designed to meet the needs of all
students and enable each individual
to fulfil his or her full potential.
Students are able to follow both
academic and vocational courses
with support for those with special
needs and special talents through the
mainstream school and the special
resource provision.
Jewish education
Our Jewish Studies curriculum is
unique to JCoSS and draws on best
practice in other cross-communal
schools across the globe.
Students will return to the original
texts and be given the information
they need to form their own views
without judgment or criticism.
Cross-communal
If you want to be part of the JCoSS
Community and consider yourself
Jewish, then we welcome you.
JCoSS is for Orthodox and
progressive, religious and secular
Jews. Join us.
unique

About JCoSS’s curriculum
8/9
The curriculum will take as its basis the national
curriculum and will build on the knowledge,
skills and abilities your child has developed at
their primary school. Whilst full details of the
curriculum will not be established until the head
teacher and key staff are appointed, parents can
rest assured that Maths, English, Science and
ICT will form the heart of what is taught in Year 7.
Additionally, students will have a full programme
of other subjects including the humanities,
expressive arts, technology, modern languages
and physical education.
Your child will be carefully monitored and
tracked in these subjects as they move through
Key Stage 3 with regular reports to you of their
progress against aspirational targets based on
their prior achievement at primary school.
It will be important to us that all children,
whatever their ability, reach their full potential
by the end of Key Stage 3 so they are well
prepared for their GCSE courses in Year 10.
Jewish and religious studies
Jewish themes and values will be
incorporated into the teaching of
mainstream subjects. For example,
Ivrit will be offered to all students as a
part of the Modern Foreign Language
syllabus and will accommodate
children of all abilities and skill levels.
The Jewish Studies curriculum at
JCoSS will reflect the broad intake of
students and the commitment of the
school to fully represent our diverse
community. Each student’s personal
practice will be acknowledged and
valued, whilst all students will be
encouraged to explore the whole
Jewish curriculum in depth.
All students will study an innovative
Jewish Studies programme which will
be based around three broad areas:
> Jewish experiences
(history, culture, Israel, the arts)
> Jewish values
(tikkun olam, family life,
community life)
> Jewish practice
(life cycle events, liturgy,
festivals, Shabbat, prayer)
Informal curriculum
The heart of the school will be its
Jewish life, from the way the students
are greeted in the mornings, to
tefilah (prayer) reflecting the crosscommunity
nature of the school,
kashrut, celebration of Shabbat and
chagim.
Jewish texts will be integrated into
school life, making our Jewish
values meaningful in a day to day
sense.
The ethos of the school will be that
it is firmly and joyously Jewish, with
an innate value of learning and
speaking Torah. Gemilut Hasadim
(acts of loving kindness), Tzedakah
(justice) and tikun olam (repair of the
world) will be three tenets on which
the community aspect of school life
and beyond will be based.
Curriculum enrichment
JCoSS will provide a stimulating
learning environment for all our
students including a full programme
of activities at lunch times and after
school beyond the core curriculum.
We envisage this growing and
developing as the school does but we
want to build on the interests, talents
and skills of both our students and staff.
Sport and physical exercise to support
the well-being of all our students will
be a major feature of this programme.
Whilst most of the syllabus will be
common to all, there will be, on
occasion, opportunities for students
to choose electives within some of
the topics presented. Biblical Hebrew
will be taught as it arises through text
and chagim vocabulary, as well as a
subject in its own right.
All students will have opportunities to
take national examinations in Jewish
Studies at GCSE/AS and A2 level.
In addition, all students will have the
opportunity to take religious studies
covering world religions
and practices.

Admissions What happens next
10/11
JCoSS will open one year at a time,
so that by 2017 it has 1,310 places,
with 180 students in each year and
a further 50 in the Special Resource
Provision (for students with autistic
spectrum disorders). It is possible
that, once the school is opened the
Governors will decide to open the
sixth form earlier.
We expect JCoSS to be extremely
popular. In the event that JCoSS is
oversubscribed the JCoSS Trust, in
consultation with Barnet LEA, has
established an admissions policy,
which gives priority to applicants as
follows (in order of priority):
1. Children who would benefit
from use of the Special Resource
Provision or who have other
special needs which would
benefit from attending JCoSS,
or looked after children (in local
authority or other care)
2. Jewish children who would not
be eligible (in the first instance)
for admission to any other Jewish
secondary school
3. Children who have a sibling at
the school
4. Children attending existing
inclusive Jewish primary schools
and Barnet children attending
other Jewish primary schools
5. In the event of a further tie-break
being needed this is likely to be
based on distance from the school
As with all schools, once JCoSS
opens, the admission policy will be
reviewed by the Governors annually
to ensure that it is working fairly in
practice.
JCoSS opens in September
2010. There is still much
to do but we know how
important it is for parents to
understand the timetable so
that they can include JCoSS
in their decision making.
Key dates
Autumn 2008
> Search for head teacher begins.
Search consultant hired and adverts
placed in the UK and abroad
> Final amendments to building plans
> New website launched
Winter 2008/9
> Building work starts
> Shortlisted head teacher
candidates invited for interview
Spring 2009
> Interviews for head teacher and
appointment made
Autumn 2009
> Start work on next tier appointments
such as head of Jewish studies
> Publication of JCoSS’s first full
prospectus
> Prospective parents’ meeting with
new head teacher to set out their
vision (check www.jcoss.org for
further information)
> Application process open via your
local authority
> Further appointments announced
2010
> Local authority school applications
close and offers to students made
> Building work completed
> School opens to first Year 7 students

Who we are
12/13
JCoSS is:
Gerald Ronson, JCoSS President,
a renowned property developer
and philanthropist, who is taking
responsibility of the design and
build phase of the JCoSS project
The JCoSS Trust, responsible for
overseeing the development of the
building, under the chairpersonship
of Michael Phillips, a businessman
and one of the driving forces behind
Immanuel College
The Governors, led by Robert
Shrager, a former Financial Director
of Dixons and Chair of West
London Synagogue. There are 16
Governors, drawn from all sections
of the community and bringing
enormous expertise in a range of
areas including, education, law,
marketing, finance and research
Norwood, the UK’s largest charity
supporting Jewish children, families
and adults coping with disability or
social disadvantage, and JCoSS
partner for the Special Resource
Provision
The school governors: left to right: Sharon Gold, Lisa Wimborne,
Mike Grabiner, Pam Goldsmith, Joanne Harris, Emma Cravitz,
Ian Abrahams, Robert Shrager, Jeremy Kosky, Fredda Hurwitz,
Irene Kay, Robert Lobatto, Helena Miller, Alon Avner;
Not shown: Jack Goulde, Mike Hymans

Jewish Community Secondary School
For more information
please contact our admin. office:
20 St James Avenue
London N20 0JT
info@jcoss.org
www.jcoss.org
The cost of this brochure has been kindly donated by an anonymous supporter.