Shiras Devorah, a Charedi private school in Golders Green, North London, was forced to close for three days last week because it couldn’t afford to pay staff wages on those days, The Jewish Chronicle has reported.

The school educates 98 girls aged 11 to 18.

The chair of governors Akiva Adler said the school was facing a “hard burden” financially, adding: “It is very hard to run a private school. We are a charity, not a business… Our aim is to give education to children.”

“We are very upset to do such a thing. You only close a school in drastic times [because] it is not good for the children.

“Hopefully we can call ourselves responsible – at the forefront of everything we do is the wellbeing of the children.”

A fundraising campaign was launched within the Orthodox community which received a raft of pledges.

Adler said: “We haven’t got to the goal we needed to get to, but we are more than halfway there. Who knows if we will have to close again. We urge the community to help. These are not easy days for children. We are providing a very good education for our children.”

Speaking of the government’s recent education measures Adler, said: “It’s put a big burden on charitable schools – it is a tax for people that do charity. We are not private schools that charge full tuition.”