Hackney Council is exploring whether some independent Charedi Jewish schools could move into the state sector as voluntary-aided schools, but the proposal remains under review and has not been approved. The borough’s draft Local SEND Reform Plan says several schools have expressed interest and anticipates that two could make the transition within three years.
The plan was submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) in June. A council Cabinet paper dated 6 October says the SEND Reform Plan and post-inspection action plan were brought to members for information, with external DfE approval still pending. Cabinet was asked to note their completion, not to adopt them as final local policy. The council says it is awaiting feedback that may lead to amendments.
What the pathway could mean
Hackney’s plan describes the potential transition as one of several provision models being explored with the Charedi community. It links the issue to changes in the borough’s population: the plan says the Charedi Jewish birth rate in north Hackney is rising while school rolls are declining more generally. It argues that a transition could create specialist maintained provision for the community.
Voluntary-aided schools receive state funding but have a religious or other founding body involved in their ownership and governance. The possibility has drawn attention because admissions rules for faith schools differ by school type. Humanists UK argues that, when oversubscribed, voluntary-aided faith schools may select all pupils by faith, unlike faith academies and free schools, which are subject to a 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions. The organisation says this could leave some children unable to access publicly funded places because of religion.
That is a possible consequence, not a settled outcome for Hackney. No school conversion has been approved, and the proposal would proceed through further national review and decisions. The plan’s own submission says two transitions are anticipated within three years, but does not describe them as completed or guaranteed.
Different views on state-school safeguards
Partnerships for Jewish Schools says any school joining the state sector would have to meet the same statutory standards, inspection requirements and admissions law as other state schools. It argues that faith-based oversubscription criteria are lawful and long established across state education.
Hackney’s cabinet member for children, young people and early intervention says the council has a statutory duty to ensure children can access suitable education. The council’s stated position is that it is engaging with communities and education partners to consider ways of responding to local needs, including a potential voluntary-aided pathway where appropriate.
The issue sits alongside a wider SEND plan focused on improving local support and reducing reliance on costly placements outside the borough. The Cabinet paper says almost a quarter of Hackney’s children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans are educated out of borough, contributing to significant costs. It also identifies a risk that independent faith settings could have unequal access to new support, and says the council is seeking specific DfE permissions or flexibility so those settings can connect with its “Experts at Hand” offer.
Those wider aims do not settle questions about admissions, governance or the terms under which any school might join the state sector. The draft says further DfE feedback could change the plan, and the local authority says it will continue engaging with communities and education partners. For now, the proposed pathway is an option being examined, rather than a final decision or an approved change to Hackney’s schools.
