JCoSS is to offer additional places and JFS is ready to do likewise from September in order to ensure that Jewish children are not denied a Jewish secondary school in north-west London.

The cross-communal JCoSS will increase its capacity from 180 to 210 for 2017, while JFS has offered to open a bulge class on top of its usual annual intake of 300.

The announcement follows a meeting organised by Partnerships for Jewish Schools with heads and governors of schools which also included Immanuel College, Hasmonean High School, Kantor King Solomon and Yavneh College.

In a joint statement, Deborah Lipkin executive head of JFS and Patrick Moriarty, head of JCoSS, said  “we are committed to increasing the capacity of Jewish school places for September 2017. While we could never make certain that every Jewish student who wants a place in a Jewish school is guaranteed a place, the increased flexibility should drastically reduce the number of families who are unsuccessful.”

Pajes said that longer-terms schools were committed to planning increased places in order to meet a projected rise in demand of up to 135 places in secondary schools within five years.

Rabbi David Meyer, Pajes executive director added: “This proposal will enable development founded on this expertise and ensure a cost effective long term provision for our children.

“It is a reflection of the determination and community spirit of our school leaders that a solution has been found that will see our schools collaborate in order to best ensure that every Jewish child has a place in a Jewish school.”

Its expectation is that one or two extra entry classes should be enough to cope with demand for this year.