ABOUT YAVNEH
Yavneh Primary School was a Jewish school that existed from 1963-1981 in the premises of Wembley United Synagogue, on Forty Avenue.
It was born of a vision by leading figures in the local Jewish community including Rabbi Myer Berman, Charles Arnold, Alf Silverman and Joe Skovron. They felt strongly that there was a need and a demand for a state-aided Jewish Day School in what was then the Borough of Wembley (the Borough of Willesden had North-West London Jewish Day School).
It was initially envisaged that the school would occupy the synagogue premises for a maximum of 5 years, before moving to a purpose-built facility.
Yavneh Primary School was located in the classrooms of Wembley Synagogue on Forty Avenue. The “Ladies' Lounge” housed the Nursery School and doubled as a gym and music room and the “staffroom” was smaller than most walk-in closets. Use of the synagogue hall, The Bessie Clapman Hall, was restricted to special occasions.
At its peak, Yavneh Primary School comprised over 120 children, aged from 3 to 11, attending the Nursery, Infant, and Junior Departments. This made it one of the largest independent Jewish Primary Schools in the country. It was attended by children from Harrow, Kenton, Kingsbury and Queensbury, as well as Wembley.
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Despite its limited space, Yavneh Primary School taught the full range of subjects as well as modern Hebrew, religious knowledge, and Jewish history. Its small classes, qualified teachers, and integrated curriculum were the main strong points of the school, and gave its children considerable advantages.
The school was particularly attractive to parents who wanted their children to have a first-class nursery and primary education, where the average number of children in a class was 15. Children were taught by a combination of traditional and modern methods in small classes and each child had the opportunity to progress according to his or her own ability and aptitude.
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Children won places at Haberdashers (Boys' and Girls') Schools, City of London School, North London Collegiate School, University College School, William Ellis School, Hasmonean Grammar Schools, and the J.F.S. Comprehensive School.
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As Yavneh grew, so various events became part of the annual calendar. Each Jewish festival had its particular form of celebration: Chanukah concerts, fancy dress parades at Purim; collecting money for trees and sampling a variety of fruits and nuts at Ti Bishvat; model seders for Nursery, Infants and Juniors at the end of the Spring Term; lunch in the Succah. There was a daily Assembly, and an Oneg held each Friday as the last event in the school week. Each year, entries were submitted for consideration for the Jewish Child's Day Art & Craft Exhibition at the Ben Uri Art Gallery. One annual activity which involved children, parents and staff alike was the Summer Fair. The children in the Juniors were largely responsible for the running of the stalls on the day. Profits went to help the school and a sizeable donation was made to Ravenswood.
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There was keen competition to belong to the highly-regarded school choir, which sung at school events, outside concerts and took part each year in the Festival of Jewish School Choirs organised by the JNF.
Extra-mural and sports activities were also included. By arrangement with Brent Council, the field and a tennis court at King Edward VII Park, Wembley were made available to Yavneh children for football, netball, and other sporting activities, and there was also an Annual Sports Day.
In addition, school outings were arranged from time to time to venues such as the Natural History and Science Museums, the London Planetarium, and other places of educational interest.
For many years, a kosher lunchtime meal was cooked in the synagogue kitchen for Yavneh’s pupils and this service also benefitted Jewish children in surrounding non-Jewish schools.
Yavneh had an active Parent-Teacher Association, and parent-teacher meetings were held regularly to discuss the progress of each student.
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In the event, it took 18 years for a new school to be established. When it finally opened in 1981, it was called the Michael Sobell Sinai School. Situated in Kenton (less than 10 minutes from Wembley Synagogue), the pupils and staff initially came from Yavneh Primary School and Solomon Wolfson School.
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Since 1981, there have been a number of reunions, including one in July 2003 and another in February 2023 celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the school's founding.
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Many pupils have made names for themselves in the fields of education, communal organisations, medicine, law, accountancy, technology, journalism, music, entertainment, film, business and more. As for the teachers, a number went on to become headteachers themselves, educational inspectors, or distinguished themselves as gifted teachers in other schools.
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In 2009, a Yavneh Primary School Facebook page was created, allowing former pupils to share memories and reconnect with each other.