Theresa Villiers, Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet, today joined Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, at the official opening of the UK's first Jewish Community Secondary School (JCoSS) in her constituency.
After ten years in the planning, JCoSS opened its doors to students in September and is already fully subscribed. JCoSS was the vision of a group of parents who wanted to create a high-achieving and cross-communal learning environment. Even before opening, JCoSS was awarded a specialist science status, meaning students will have access to the best equipment and resources. It will also provide specialist teaching for students with learning difficulties, which is a unique facility in a faith school.
Theresa said, “I am delighted to attend the official opening of JCoSS. Over the last ten months, it has proved to be a great success and a valuable addition to educational opportunity and choice in my constituency. I look forward to working with the school in its efforts in engaging with the local community.”
“A tremendous amount of work has gone into making this possible and I pay tribute to the JCoSS team for turning the school into a reality. Barnet Council also deserves real praise for getting behind the project and doing so much to make it happen.”
“JCoSS is also an excellent example of what can be achieved when parents get together to create a school in their area. This is directly in tune with the Government’s policy of encouraging parents to set up their own free schools.”