Admissions
Do I need to be a member of a synagogue to qualify for JCoSS
No, you do not need to be a member of synagogue, nor do members of synagogues get priority over other applicants who meet our priority one criteria in other ways.
I am not Jewish but my husband is - will our children be eligible for JCoSS?
Yes. We want to include people not exclude them. Our criteria are based on the practice of either parent and they are gender equal.
Why do we need JCoSS now that other Jewish schools have had to change their admissions policy?
JCoSS's ethos is all about what happens in the school: that is what makes us inclusive and cross-communal. Our admissions policy is only one small part of our inclusive approach. What's more, JCoSS's approach is and always has been to find ways to count people in rather than to exclude them. We are unique in not making synagogue attendance mandatory: we value Jews equally however they choose to engage with the community, be it through a synagogue and through religion, be it through education, charitable work, sport, culture or so on.
How come you allow synagogue membership as a criteria when other schools don’t?
Other schools must answer for themselves. Our advice is that this is within the law and we want to find as many ways to count people in as possible.
Has JCoSS opened with a full contingent of pupils from day one?
No. JCoSS opened with Year 7 (11 year olds) in September 2010 and is adding one year group at a time every year. So the school will grow to full capacity over a period of five or so years. The only exception to this is that we are opening a Sixth Form in September 2012.