Yavneh College has announced it will offer an additional 30 places to prospective students by creating a one-off bulge year this September.

The Borehamwood school revealed that its governors had decided to create the additional spaces following a meeting on Tuesday night.

The decision follows another year of the school being heavily oversubscribed in applications. This year, 541 applications were received for 150 places.

Chair of governors Sue Nyman said: "The demand for places across the Jewish community has become so urgent that we felt we had to find a way to accommodate a bulge year group with 30 additional places for year seven for 2016/2017 only.

"While Pajes and others are exploring what the long-term solution to the shortage of Jewish secondary school places should be, we hope that the additional provision at Yavneh College for this year will bring some comfort to the many families facing uncertainty over the education of their children."

We hope the additional provision will bring some comfort to families

The new places will be offered this week to prospective families who are next in line on the waiting list.

Rabbi David Meyer, chief executive of Pajes, welcomed the school's announcement.

"It will help take pressure off the schools and ensure a greater opportunity for parents awaiting places for their children. This is an important example of how our schools can work together."