JFS, JCoss or Yavneh?

[wheretogoto]

I've name changed for this due to small community! (Gregg's, toilet brushes, etc)

My DS is in year 6 and we are applying to the above schools, as well as others. Has anyone got any views on them as I like all three but don't know which to put first?

I have a DD at Yavneh and we are extremely happy with it so far. It was our second choice, mainly because I didn't like the previous head but so far it has exceeded our expectations. The standard of work is very high, behaviour and discipline is excellent so far and the enrichment programme is very impressive. Our daughter is being suitably challenged and as you probably saw, their A level results were outstanding. No regrets at all at this pint.

Our first choice was JFS but we never got a place, last year was terrible with lots of children not getting places at their first choice and with lots of families turning down places at Habs / City etc to take JFS. We are still on the waiting list but won't be accepting a place if we get offered one. I think that the sheer size can be overwhelming for some children and the massive positive in favour of Yavneh is that it is half the size and all the children are local. Although JFS recent Ofsted was far from great the teaching is still very good and 16 to Oxbridge can't be sniffed at although it would seem that they do concentrate on their high achievers and those who struggle can be left behind.

We did apply to JCOSS but DD didn't like it and we were out off by the lack of results so far and have heard from several sources that discipline isn't fantastic. I do know that they only offered 4 or 5 places over and above siblings and feeder schools in the first round of offers.

Thank you Schoolname. I'm glad your dd is happy at Yavneh. How are you finding the new Head?

We are not very observant and I wonder if the ethos at Yavneh is more religious than JFS? JFS does not seem to take the religious side as seriously, with more choices of whether join in or not.

There is a fair bit of religious stuff but she seems to find it quite interesting and treats it much as she does any other subject. There are very few observant children there, there are far more at JFS, so it hasn't been an issue at all. I haven't had anything to do with the Head but he's quite personable and seems nice. Friends who are governors rate him highly. I guess will be over the next few years if he maintains the work and standards of the previous head.

I have two children at JCoSS and I am very happy both with the academic side and with the pastoral care.

Behaviour is not always great but the school is really trying very hard to address this.

Some kids who are not at all into Ivrit and J-Ed can do the bare minimum but there is a wide and varied programme that they can opt in if they are into it.

Thank you for your comments. I'm still unsure. I like Yavneh as I like the sound of the enrichment programme, but i do like the atmosphere at JFS. But at the same time, JFS seems more loud and boisterous? I like JCoss but it seemed a bit small compared to the other schools.

Have you thought about scholarships at Immanuel?

After siblings, feeder schools etc. both Yavneh and JCoSS have distance related oversubscription criteria. Reality is that you will need to take these into account. Obvs JFS a lottery do doesn't matter where you live! We're going for Yavneh over JFS for reasons mentioned above and it's on our doorstep. JCoSS never an option for us for ethos reasons. Lots of my friends' kids at Yavneh and they love it. Most importantly my DS loved it and can't wait to go there!

Oldermum - good idea, but I doubt my ds would get a scholarship!

Hb- JCoss is now also lottery based. Glad to hear good views of Yavneh as I have lots of friends' children at JFS but none at Yavneh so I only know what I have seen on the open day.

Just bumping this thread...

I am still undecided. My DS likes JFS as he liked the sports facilities and climbing wall etc, but prefers Yavneh as it is so much smaller and not as daunting. I have since spoken to some friends of friends with DCs at Yavneh, and although they are happy with the school they have all had some problems with behaviour of some of the children. This surprised me, and I am now wavering between the two schools.

Sport at Yavneh is excellent, they don't have a climbing wall but DD is doing about 9 hours of sport a week at the moment, I think that most state schools would find it hard to match that. We haven't seen any evidence of bad behaviour at Yavneh yet. It certainly happens as it does everywhere but it's well dealt with and the children I have met so far have been lovely. DD is in top sets and says that behaviour in class is excellent. I have heard far more stories of poor behaviour from JFS children and to be be honest the more I hear about some of the year 7 antics the more pleased I am that we are not a part of it - nothing major just lots of very wealthy spoilt children acting in ways I don't want my 11 year old behaving.

I may be wrong but I always get the feeling that the girls at JFS are more cliquey than at Yavneh. DC3 had a place to start at JFS but opted to go to Yavneh. The feeling was that Yavneh is a smaller school and there would be less opportunity to get lost and be forgotten. New opportunities come along all of the time. The staff are making efforts to provide new experiences all of the time. I get the impression that the school is moving forward and not resting on its laurels.

Thank you for the comments. I had a chat with my DS tonight and, with only one week to go, we have decided to put Yavneh first choice. (Of course this could still change!)

One more question, as you are all being so helpful... As Yavneh has two feeder schools, do the children from non-Jewish primaries feel left out, as so many of the children will know each other? My DS will be the only one from his primary going to Yavneh.

Not at all. DD was one of only 4 from her primary school and she wasn't friends with any of them. There are quite a few children who come knowing only a few children. DD has found people to be really friendly and her social life is better than mine. They run an excellent induction programme over a few months and they gave us a form list as well as a list of the names and numbers of children living in our town and the next town so that they could get to know each other. The list this year didn't go very far so all the children are relatively local to one another which is lovely and convenient. Although there are the 2 feeder schools there are only a few from one of them and a fair contingent from a couple of the other jewish primaries, apparently there are 27 from Sinai, overall children come from a wide range of schools,both state and private, jewish and non jewish and it seems pretty well managed. The biggest number of children coming together from non jewish primaries seem to be from Hartsbourne with a smattering from Radlett Prep and Manor Lodge on the private side but other than that, they seem to have come in small numbers from all over the place. The induction day is a good opportunity to suss that out.

Hope you dont mind me jumping in - a quick question about Yavneh ...does it have any opportunity for children to mix with non jewish children within the local community in any capacity ? We are not religious but are considering it as an option but are wary that is may operate in a small bubble, with children leaving who have not mixed with anyone outside of the jewish community ? I know through friends who have chosen jewish primaries that some leave having never made a non jewish friend and I am not comfortable with this at secondary level for my DD. We are at a local non jewish state and also are apprehensive that everyone else will aleady know each other from the feeder primaries.

It's difficult as you do make most of your friends at school. My ds is at a non-jewish primary so I will make sure he keeps in contact with his friends from primary school. He also does a couple of clubs after school which we will keep on so will have friends from that. Even if Yavneh do some activities like sport with other schools, there will not be much opportunity to make friends there.

I also do worry about the amount coming from the feeder schools, as the nearest feeder school has a 2 form intake, so potentially 60 children out of 150 in year 7 will already know each other. Hopefully they are evenly spread out amongst the classes!

They really are spread evenly between the classes and the children aren't cliquey, they are in a form for registration and are set for everything from day 1 so mix with a broad spectrum of the year group. Many of the children from the feeder schools have had enough of each other and are delighted to make new friends.

In relation to making non jewish friends, they do play matches against the local schools but no, unless you specifically send them to activities outside school then they probably won't make other friends. However, I am not sure that's a problem. The children are economically diverse, have different backgrounds and represent a fair spectrum of society albeit all jewish. I think if you feel that they should be mixing with children of all religions then you either need to go for a non faith school or actively seek out activities out of school. Mine do drama, brownies and non jewish camps and sports - they mix with all children, just not at school. I did hesitate about a faith secondary as we are also not religious but I am pleased we made the choice, it's important to Me that they have a good understanding of their religion, if they choose not to follow it as an adult that is up to them, I don't mind either way, but I will feel that they will have the knowledge to make an informed decision

Another one here with a very positive experience of several years at Yavneh and of transferring from a non-Jewish school. In fact, it worked as a positive, I think, as DS was seen as someone new and interesting and he has fitted seamlessly into a very nice crowd of decent, hardworking children.

The school caters to all levels of religiosity and some the teachers do brilliantly at inspring the children with the philosophical questions that religion raises, rather than ramming it down their throats.

The school also seems to encourage a culture of competitiveness to get good grades, yet at the same time to get children to help each other within the year (as well as helping out in lower years).

Lastly, I agree with the comment above: the only drawback is the lack of opportunity to mix with non-Jewish children and I think the school could do more to have joint activities with the other secondary just down the road.

Thank you all - reassuring comments and I think we will take a look at it