Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families burying the time capsule at JCoSS with School President, Gerald Ronson, Barnet Mayor, John Marshall, Jeremy Stowe-Lidner, Norma Brier, Mike Frier and Hendon MP Andrew Dismore.
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Rt Hon Ed Balls MP - together with Barnet Council Leader, Cllr Mike Freer, JCoSS President, Gerald Ronson and Norwood Chief Executive, Norma Brier and new Headteacher, Jeremy Stowe-Lindner, buried a time capsule in the foundations of JCoSS, the new Jewish Community Secondary School, in front of an audience of local and Jewish community leaders recently.
The ground breaking ceremony marked the formal start of construction of the state-of-the-art, 1310-place school located in East Barnet on the edge of the greenbelt. Norwood is developing the Special Resource Provision (SRP) – which will be named the Pears Special Resource Provision (PSRP) in recognition of The Pears Foundation’s £2 million investment in the JCoSS project, alongside other donors. The PSRP will enable 50 children with autism to learn alongside students at the mainstream school.
Norma Brier, Norwood’s Chief Executive said, “This will be the first time a Jewish school is providing the opportunity for families who have children with autism and children without disabilities to take their children to the same school. The PSRP is an integral part of the school and will ensure that each student has the necessary support to maximise their potential in an inclusive setting.”
The first-class facilities in the PSRP include a hydrotherapy pool, a sensory room and individual therapy rooms for speech, music, sensory integration, physiotherapy, audio-visual and soft play. Norwood will be providing assessment and specialist therapies. There are quiet spaces for children indoors and outdoors, as well as a sensory garden, gardening and woodland and a climbing wall. It will also contain a replica of a one-bedroom flat to prepare students for independent living.
At the groundbreaking, Secretary of State, Ed Balls said, “With the Pears Foundation and Norwood’s involvement, every child has the potential to succeed at JCoSS. No barrier will be too great to overcome.”
Barnet Council requested that the new unit should be built specifically for children with autism because of the high demand for this type of provision in the Borough. Children who attend the school will have had a diagnosis of autism, a statement of special educational need and will be able to attend the mainstream school for part of the day. The Special Resource Provision will be open to children in Barnet who meet the criteria and children will be funded by their local authority once they begin attending the school.
The school’s first Headteacher, Jeremy Stowe-Lindner said: “My vision for JCoSS is to ensure that, academically we are a centre of excellence, pastorally, we are renowned for inclusion and innovation, and in everything that we do our commitment to outward-looking Jewish and community values is celebrated.”
“We are truly inclusive. We will work in partnership in a spectacular learning environment where children with autism will have an outstanding provision and the school will be renowned for inclusion.”
JCoSS is the UK’s first cross-community Jewish state secondary school welcoming, on an equal basis, Jewish students of all backgrounds, beliefs and abilities. Construction is due to be completed in June next year, with the first 180 Year 7 students (11 year olds) starting that September. There will be an intake of seven children with autism in the school’s first year.
For more information about the PSRP please contact Deb Gilmore at deborah.gilmore@norwood.org.uk or 020 8420 6801.
