Patrick Moriarty, who stepped down as headteacher of JCoSS at the end of term last week after more than 10 years in the role, is involved in plans to set up a Jewish sixthform college in North-West London with an emphasis on vocational education.

He revealed the new project in his farewell message to parents of the school, which under his wing expanded its annual year-7 intake from 180 to 210 pupils.

Mr Moriarty said the new college would offer T-levels, the employment-focused qualification which will replace existing vocational programmes over the next few years.

It would provide an “environment dedicated to this new kind of study, with all the strengths of the business and community links that this community can provide”.

A feasibility study will be carried out with the hope of opening in 2025 in the Finchley or Barnet area.

“That is in time to offer the current year 9 a high-quality alternative to the A-level provision that is already such a strength of Jewish schools," he said.

While the college was not a JCoSS project, he said, “it involves several colleagues from the staff, governors and trustees and will I hope mean I can keep in touch with the school community where the idea has been gestating for several years.”

He also hopes to retain his links with the Jewish community both as a trustee of the Council of Christians and Jews - he is an ordained Anglican priest - and through his involvement with the Wellspring Project, which is planning to build a cross-communal mikveh.

Mr Moriarty said he had recently been appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.