Sixty eager parents registered their children for Barnet's new £40 million Jewish School in just one day last week months before funding has been agreed, and years before it is due to open.

Plans for JCoSS The Jewish Community Secondary School moved a step closer to reality last week when Barnet councillors agreed to support what will be the UK's first Jewish secondary school to welcome children from across the spectrum of Judaism, irrespective of birth status or synagogue affiliation.

The main school building is planned for the current site of East Barnet Upper School, in Westbrook Crescent, New Barnet. Alongside it will be a new specialist unit for 60 secondary school-aged children with learning disabilities, from all faiths, run by Jewish family charity Norwood.

Barnet Council's cabinet resources committee agreed last week to make a joint bid with JCoSS to the Department for Education and Skills (Dfes) for 90 per cent of the funding.

But Jonathan Fingerhut, joint chair of JCoSS, said many parents had already contacted him to register their interest in the new school and their children for places that do not officially exist yet.

"We have had 60 registrations just today," said Mr Fingerhut last Friday. "I have even been contacted by someone from Australia who wanted to offer us support. There is a lot of interest in this, and an awful lot of need."

Mandy Salmon, of Holdenhurst Avenue, Finchley, is very keen for her two sons to get a place at the school, even though one of them will be 15 by the time it is due to open in 2009.

She said: "We are not particularly religious, my husband is not Jewish, but my boys are and I want them to have an upbringing in the traditions, but there is no faith school available to us.

"My son Joel 11 did not get in to JFS (the Jews Free School in Kenton) because he is not Jewish enough', as my husband and I were not married in an Orthodox synagogue. We go to Finchley Reform Synagogue, and want to be part of the community, and this way, we would be able to."

Mr Fingerhut said: "The intention is to serve the whole Jewish community across north-west London, London and south Hertfordshire. It is innovative, groundbreaking and unique."

The school, which will have 900 pupils in Years 7 to 10 and another 360 in the sixth form, intends to offer a fully inclusive' Jewish education, incorporating Orthodox, Reform and Liberal traditions, among others. Linda Cooke, JCoSS's other joint chair, added: "Our Jewish ethos is unique because it respects all strands of tradition without compromise. JCoSS will focus on what unites us as Jews, rather than what divides us."

With ten per cent of the funding already pledged by private backers JCoSS names Lord Janner of Braunstone among its official supporters, as well as the major Reform, Liberal and Masorti synagogues the plans are moving forward apace, and a reply on the Dfes bid is expected in July.

The scheme includes rebuilding East Barnet School on one site in Chestnut Grove, while the proposed unit for children with learning disabilities will cater for pupils with conditions such as autism.

Norma Brier, the chief executive of Norwood, said the project would see children with complex, and sometimes challenging, needs and behaviours being given the opportunity to learn in the wider school as well.

"We see that inclusive education is a very important part of the education in the UK, but it has to be offered sensibly," she said. "I think this is going to be a pioneering school in that respect. It's going to be absolutely groundbreaking."

She explained that the unit which will be fully equipped with hoists for children with physical disabilities will give children with severe needs the chance to join in with the mainstream classes they are able to.

Equally, children in the mainstream school will be able to take some lessons in the specialist unit if they have needs which would be better catered for there.

"The concept of inclusion is great, but you need the resources to do it properly, which, for once, we will have here," said Ms Brier.

JCoSS is also partnered by World ORT, an educational organisation specialising in technology and IT, which is making this its first UK project.

Councillor John Marshall, Barnet's cabinet member for education, said: "This proposal benefits everyone. East Barnet will get a new school out of it, and the Jewish community will have a new school. I am no estate agent, but I wouldn't be surprised if a number of people move to the area as well."

The school will have a sports hall around four storeys high at the school's tallest point as well as a theatre, an adult education unit for use in the wider community, and a synagogue.

Mr Fingerhut is confident the need for the school is enormous.

He said: "The research has shown that parents are desperate for this. Our database has shown they are registering their two-year-olds with us already. And I even had a call from someone who wanted to know if we had sorted out our uniforms yet."

skummer@london.newsquest.co.uk