JCOSS/Barnet

[anothermakesthree]

Hi.

Have been offered a place at this new Jewish Secondary for September, as its new I haven't really heard much feedback, though did love it when we looked round. Are there any current parents or people who have knowledge of the school out there, that can advise?? Thanks!

[doobidge]

Hi there
Just seen this thread
I have just got Jcoss for my twins. Jfs was 1st choice. We are Bushey Heath. Really loved the school tour. Really concerned about the journey.

[anothermakesthree]

Hi. Really felt I had to comment here, even though I have commented elsewhere. I currently have a daughter in yr7. She has just completed her first month. We are absolutely delighted with our decision to send her to JCOSS, she is happy, motivated and being challenged academically (she was L6 literacy/L5a maths in June sats). I have checked with friends who also have yr7's at other schools (state/private) and she is working at a similar level with the same amount of homework. Cannot praise the school enough at the moment.

[Munsters]

Thanks so much for the input Interloping Dad. It really has given some perspective to the discussion.

[Nearlyyear5]

Thank you for that interlopingdad, that is extremely reassuring to hear. I was getting a little concerned about the comments coming up on here as they were so different to those given at the open evening.

[Interlopingdad]

I contributed to this thread earlier but the latest posts have made me want to come back with some more - I would hate anyone to be over influenced by some negative postings on Mumsnet

I have two children at JCoSS, one in year seven and one in year nine. We (and they) are extremely happy with the school. I see no evidence for anything other than very high academic standards. No conversations I have had with other JCoSS parents suggest that they feel that the academic standards are low.

I showed my children the posting by MrBakedBean which was met with disbelief. Year seven art does include colouring as part of their work on the colour wheel - it is certainly not something which they do in maths. They didn't recognise the reference to "recording" in English. Their description of current work in English seems interesting, academic and worthwhile to me. I don't understand the points about science - the children complete KS3 work in the first two years, start GCSE courses in year 9 and most are expected to do three sciences - that seems a fairly high academic expectation to me.

JCoSS children are regularly assessed and given targets. Their performance is closely monitored and global statistics for last year were impressive.

Ofsted, who will have looked in detail at the data said

Students make exceptionally good progress in mathematics.

JCoSS will suffer because it does not have a track record in public examinations. When we chose it for our eldest, others were keen to go down the tried and tested JFS route. As far as I can see, JCoSS is doing most things right and the suggestion of low academic standards is unfounded.

Most of all, though, my children are keen to learn, work hard and celebrate their and others' achievements.

[Nearlyyear5]

I heard that the accelerated stream is only for year 7 and that after that they are then set for everything. I also heard that they are going to be getting rid of the accelerated stream and will be going for straight setting. I don't know if there is anyone on here to confirm it but I would be interested to hear any comments next week at the open day. I think that there is a lot of snobbism and elitism about the accelerated stream, and people like to use it to prove how bright their children are but the reality is that any completely non selective comprehensive school which is getting 85% A-C including English and maths at GCSE, 50% EBACC and a dozen or so each year into Oxbridge must be doing something right with all the streams.

I am also interested in the contrast between what the JCOSS parents on here are saying about the academics and what the school was saying because they were very clear that they felt that it was academically challenging.

[Munsters]

Jcoss not being academic sounds different from the open day propoganda this week. I was really impressed with jcoss but maybe the reality is different? Does anyone know what jfs is like if my child was not in accelerated stream?

[Munsters]

Jcoss not being academic sounds different from the open day propoganda this week. I was really impressed with jcoss but maybe the reality is different? Does anyone know what jfs is like if my child was not in accelerated stream?

[ShaynePunim]

Depends what you are like and what your kid is like, I think.

What sort of school does he/she go to now?

I think both school sare great to be honest. What about transport, would both schools be easy to get to from your house?

[indigo11]

So, if you had to chose between JCoSS and JFS which would be your first choice?

[ShaynePunim]

I have a child in JCoSS and while we love the school as a whole (the atmosphere, the ethos, the staff etc.) we also find the education disappointing. My kid is in the top set in maths and says that what they do is way too easy for everyone in the group, so they're bored.

[Dancergirl]

Where have you moved him to mrbakebean?

[Mrbakebean]

Hello!
My child was in JCoSS. He found it very fun, it has very new facility and the latest technology.
However, the education is a huge disappointment; in Maths they were colouring, in English they were recording. They claim to be Science specialist, but believe me it has the lowest standard of education, in that region of all his friend's schools.
In the private system, JCoSS are doing Year 1 work and covering 15 topics, as for private are covering 70, and other state schools are covering 30 (doing year 2/3 in the private system).
His friends are buzzy with homework and he is not.

Hope this helps!

[Interlopingdad]

Ofsted report now available on the Ofsted website - good with some outstanding features. Not yet outstanding because progress is not outstanding in all lessons.

Report reads pretty positively but I suspect the school may be disappointed not to get an outstanding.

[CJ211110]

anothermakes3 - I think they said it would take a couple of weeks, so I think we will probably hear this week.

[anothermakesthree]

Hi CJ2

That is very reassuring. We also got a letter on Saturday informing us of the Patrick Moriarty decision. We were really pleased, I was very impressed when I met him on the tour. Do you know if there is any news on the outcome of the OFSTED visit that they had a couple of weeks ago?
Thanks.

[CJ211110]

Hi.

I have a child at JCoSS in Year 7 and another one coming in 2013. We have been delighted with the school and my DD is so happy there ? she really seems to have flourished both personally and academically this year. It is a lovely, nurturing school and the teachers seem to know the students well and they get the best out of them. Obviously the school is relatively new, but the teachers are very established and have come from some great schools.

Frankie - We found out the news on Friday that Patrick Moriarty, the current deputy head is becoming acting Headteacher for a year. We are thrilled by this news! He is held in such high regard with both the parents and the students. He came from Habs where he was Head of 6th Form and helped to get loads of students into Oxbridge. I think he will do a fantastic job for JCoSS and have every faith in him. I also know one of the LSA?s that works there and I saw her in Tesco at the weekend ? and she said that all the staff are really pleased by the appointment ? so I doubt very much that teachers will leave like you were worried about.

Good Luck with it all ? it?s probably one of the hardest decisions we have to make ? but I certainly haven?t regretted it at all.

[frankie4]

I think my main worry about JCOSS is that is is less well established and the head is leaving this summer. And I know in lots of cases when a head leaves and you get a new head it upsets the balance of a school and other teachers end up leaving etc.

Also thought that the building did not really look big enough for the eventual number of children.

Other than that I loved the school.

[breadandbutterfly]

JFS seemed more inclusive than expected and obviously high standards overall.

[breadandbutterfly]

@ louisea

[breadandbutterfly]

Easy - Yavneh is v authoritarian - 'alpha' head who dictates policy - to parents as wekll as children! If you like that, you'll love Yavneh. If that is anathema to you, you won't.

They lost us from the first moment, before the evening had begun - demanded my (non-Jewish) DH wear a kippah (not mentioned to bring one on the advance materials - he would happily have worn one if stated). Then gave us the option of 'wearing one of the free paper kippahs they give to naughty children who forget theirs!!' or buying one!! for a quid. Chutzpadik of the highest order!

Plus all the stuff about locking children in cupboards for the slightest minor infraction of the rules and humiliating children who forgot their PE kits was not really what I had in mind...

Only thing i liked was the enrichment activities.

[Interlopingdad]

There are fewer kids at JCoSS from observant homes (unsurprising given the view of the Orthodox Rabbinate) than at JFS but there are plenty who opt for orthodox services when they have them. Food is kosher (London beth Din supervised) and from next year the school will be completely closed for all festivals - no longer having a voluntary programme on the second day of some chagim. At the other end of the spectrum, there's no difference between JCoSS and JFS - lots of children from completely unobservant homes.

There is a wide range of children - a few becks so I am told but there seem to be no issues with tolerating different types of people. The school has tried to ensure that children don't get too cliquey but I don't know how much they can do. The current head has been almost draconian when cracking down on any small signs of bullying.

From visiting, JFS seemed like an excellent school and we would have been very happy to send our children there. I know lots of JFS parents and few are anything other than extremely happy with the school. It feels slighly more regimented than JCoSS to me though.

For us, travel to JCoSS is slightly easier. We also liked the inclusive ethos which does permeate the school. Our eldest is also benefitting from being in the first cohort and has had opportunities which would otherwise not have been available.

[louisea]

Can I ask what it was about Yavneh that you didn't like? I know some people who love the school and hated JFS. I'm trying to work out what it is about certain schools that makes some people love them and others hate them.

[breadandbutterfly]

Go to the parents' evenings esp JCOSS to get a feel esp for any changes once new head. i'm not the only on who hated Yavneh from the first seconds of its parents' evening! Whereas i expected to dislike JFS but was actually v impressed - you need your own personal view.

[fabulousathome]

I guess JCOSS has little history re getting kids into Uni so that may be a factor that you want to consider.

I have heard less than good things about Yavneh.

However now my kids are grown I realise that you need to get a lot of opinions on a school. Parents of children who are doing well at a school may tell you how marvellous it is. Parents of "naughty" children may tell you how badly a school is treating their kids. It's very hard to find out the truth. Staff turnover is a big factor. If it's v high there may be a reason.