King Solomon High School in Redbridge will not be admitting new sixth-formers in autumn following a fall in numbers taking advanced qualifications in recent years.
Year 13 students due to take A-level and other exams next summer will continue to receive lessons at the Orthodox school.
Headteacher Michele Phillips, who came to the school last September, said “its long -term financial viability is central to the turnaround plan and providing an excellent quality of education for our students.
“Earlier this week, we wrote to parents of students currently in year 11, to let them know that we have taken the extremely difficult decision that we will not be enrolling a Year 12 year group next academic year.”
She explained that there had been “a steady drop in sixth-form numbers in the last few years and following our sixth-form taster day at the end of last week, it became apparent that we were highly unlikely to secure sufficient numbers of students to next year’s Year 12 group to make this viable”.
Pausing sixth-form enrolment, she said, was “not a decision we wanted to make” and came only after “a great deal of deliberation” by school leaders.
“Alongside this, we find ourselves in the midst of a national staffing crisis — a situation that is by no means unique to King Solomon High School,” she said.
“There are few specialist teachers available to teach in key subjects, including English and Spanish. This means that lessons may have relied on cover staff, non-specialist teachers or be cancelled altogether, which is far from the world class education that our students deserve.”
The school’s immediate priority was “to ensure that the small number of Year 11 students who have applied solely to King Solomon are well supported in continuing their post-16 education at another school or college.
“We are working with our partners including The United Synagogue, PaJeS and the Local Authority to support students who wish to seek alternative Sixth Form provision. We have allocated support staff to ensure the most positive outcomes for all involved.”
It is understood the school hopes to restore a sixth form if it can make one viable.
In a recently published Ofsted report, inspectors said the sixth form “requires improvement” as some students were not learning as well as they should. It stated that there were 132 currently enrolled in sixth-form classes.
Rabbi David Meyer, chief executive of PaJeS, said, “It is regrettable to hear about the difficulties King Solomon School is currently facing. The recent changes have undoubtedly impacted a number of students and their families.” The US and PaJeS were “actively working with the school to explore alternative opportunities for those affected. Together, we hope to ensure the best possible outcomes for the students.”
Rabbi Jordan Helfman of Oaks Lane Reform Synagogue in Ilford, who mentioned the closure of Year 12 in his Shabbat sermon, told the JC that “the narrative of the decline of the Jewish community in this area, thank God, is no longer correct”.
He said: “The latest census data and information from JPR shows that we have levelled out, and that while more Jews are moving from the ‘centre’ of Redbridge, they are just heading slightly north and east, but still are actively part of our community.”
