Hertsmere Jewish Primary School has been forced to change its entry rules for 2014 as a result of a complaint against another Hertfordshire Jewish school, the cross-communal Clore Shalom.
Until now, children attending the HJPS nursery have been given priority for places at reception class in the following year.
But, in 2014, priority will be restricted to a maximum 50 out of 60 children at the nursery.
Elliot Cohen, chair of the Orthodox school’s admissions committee, said it had followed instructions from Hertfordshire Council. “We didn’t have any choice but to change our policy,” he said. The proposed new rules were the “fairest” and “most practical” HJPS could devise while complying with the Schools Admissions Code.
The Office of Schools Adjudicator upheld a complaint last August against Clore Shalom for reserving almost all of its reception places for children at its nursery. Even though it amended its policy, it is awaiting the outcome of a further complaint to the Department for Education.
