Yavneh College is very much a Jewish school, rather than simply a school for Jewish children. This has been achieved through a challenging formal Jewish Studies curriculum, complimented by a comprehensive IJE programme.
Our aim is to deliver a rounded positive Jewish experience to our pupils and to bring Judaism to life. Our IJE projects are delivered via the school’s unique enrichment sessions, during break and lunchtimes as well as in JS lessons and through school trips.
Chagim (Festivals)
We celebrate the Chagim in a variety of ways including:-
- A pre-Rosh Hashanah Shofar competition
- Our pupils enjoy Sukkot by eating in our school Sukkah and by taking part in a variety of special activities for the chag.
- Pupils participate in a daily Chanukah Hadlakat Nerot service with guest speakers.
- Special Tu B’Shevat activities
- Purim celebrations, including reading the Megillah, a Seudat Purim and interactive activities.
- Pre-Pesach activities including Matzah Baking.
- Commemorations for Yom Hashoah and Yom HaZikaron
- Yom Ha’atzmaut whole school Shacharit, exciting activities for Israel’s birthday party and live music at lunch time.
Chessed (Kindness)
Our school moto ‘Olam Chessed Yibaneh’ (a world built on kindness) is brought to life through our many volunteering programmes:-
- A large number of pupils volunteer to run our charity and chesed wing ‘Am Echad’, which organise many innovative and successful fund raising events.
- Many of our Year 8 pupils participate in the Yoni Jesner Award (a Chessed volunteering programme in memory of Yoni Jesner) and last year they completed 1388 hours of volunteering.
- The Alan Senitt Upstanders Leadership Programme.
- WOHAA
- Project Smile
- Yad Yavneh
Residential Trips
- Many pupils participate in residential Shabbatonim
- Year 9 YCIT (Yavneh College Israel Tour)
- Year 12 pupils Poland Trip.
Jewish Life
- All Year 7 & 8 pupils participate in a timetabled 1 hour IJE session per fortnight.
- Lunchtime clubs – Lunch & Learn, Israel Society and Parsha and Pizza.
- The Yahadut Programme – This is our compulsory Sixth Form Programme, which spans between formal and informal Jewish Education. Students choose courses of interest to them. IJE courses include Hadracha and Israel Advocacy.
- All pupils have are addressed by a variety of local Rabbanim and other guest speakers.
- Year 8 pupils participate in the Faith and Belief Forum Link Programme.
- Year 9 YCLP (Yavneh College London Programme)
- The IJE Lounge is a place where pupils can drop in at break time and lunchtime to chat to the IJE team and spend time with friends.
Some examples of IJE Enrichments are:
Am Echad
Join the charity wing of Yavneh College, develop your leadership and teamwork skills and help put us on the map as a caring and concerned school. Help us to come up with fundraising schemes and events that are so exciting and enjoyable that all pupils will want to participate in them this term.
J-Art
Do you like art? Do you like being creative and having fun? If so, this enrichment is for you. It is time to explore your hidden artistic talent. You will have the chance to make Jewish arts and crafts from mezuzahs, kiddish cups, challah cloths, decorating glass wear and much more. Most importantly, everything you make you will be able to take home and show your friends and family the beautiful things you have made in J-ART. They will be yours to keep!
Yad Yavneh
Shabbat is a time when families and friends come together and often a time that many people find difficult to afford. In this enrichment, you will get an opportunity to do some real chesed (kindness) and help those less fortunate than ourselves. You will be helping to prepare different items that people need for Shabbat and chagim, which will then be distributed to the needy members of our community. This is a repeat of the Thursday enrichment; you cannot do both.
Project Smile
Hands on volunteering to help our local communities. Our projects have included; creating packs for children in hospital containing arts and crafts materials, snacks, puzzles and stationary, packing up dog for to give to the dogs of rough sleepers, making Valentines chocolate and sweets gifts for women in shelters, Christmas hat snack bags for underprivileged families, dreidal kits for GIFT, creating biodegradable plant pots and planting seeds for the Barnet Hospital Gratitude Garden and much more.
