PRESTWICH Jewish Day School has left the local family of schools - but vows to keep links with Bury Council.

The school became only the second in the borough to achieve grant-maintained status on Tuesday, April 1, only five days after hearing that the Secretary of State had given the go-ahead.

Rabbi Jonathan Yodaiken, headmaster and principal, said they were sorry to leave the Bury "family of schools" under the local education authority (LEA), but financial pressure had forced their hand.

Bury has made cuts of more than £3 million to school budgets this year.

"It was the only way we could see to keep hold of all our staff," said Rabbi Yodaiken. "We have nothing but appreciation for the staff at Bury LEA for all the work they have done with us over the years."

The school took their local management scheme (LMS) budget with them when they left LEA control - some £400,000, plus another ten per cent to cover administrative costs, and even more to cover school meal subsidies. The money is taken from Bury LEA's school budget.

But Rabbi Yodaiken said the school would use the cash to "buy back" a range of services from the LEA, such as help from educational advisers and teacher training. "Bury are a very good LEA, as their fifth place nationally in the recent league tables showed," he said. "We will continue to get the support we have got from them in the past."

Mr Harold Williams, Bury's acting deputy chief education officer, said he wished the school well.

"It is always sad to see a school leave the family, but we do hope to keep close ties with them in the future," he said.

"Our commitment will remain to help all the pupils in the borough, and we will continue to support them as much as we can."

The outcome of the General Election on May 1 will probably have little effect on the future of the school. If the Conservatives stay in power, the school will stay grant-maintained.

If Labour win, they intend to change the status of GM schools, to include LEA representation on the governing body, and will remove financial incentives to leave council control. In practice this will make no difference to the Jewish Day School.

The Liberal Democrats say they would return GM schools to local authority control.

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