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Birth of Feversham College
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In 1983, the Muslim Association of Bradford formally recognised the importance of a separate educational provision for children, especially the girls, from Muslim families in Bradford. This was in response to growing demands from the local Muslim community for such a resource. It was evident that Mosques, which were established in a number of localities, were struggling to meet the academic and intellectual needs of young Muslims, especially girls, exposed to an educational system, which propagated a clash of values and ideology.
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In 1984, the Muslim Association of Bradford inaugurated the Bradford Muslims Girl Community School, later to be known as Feversham College. The school was located in a densely populated area of Bradford, adjacent to a busy dual carriageway on Manchester Road. The vision of the school was to meet mainstream educational needs and aspirations of Bradford Muslim girls in an Islamic culture and environment.
The school submitted a provisional registration with the Department of Education & Science (DES) in 1984. However, it was not until 1990 that full registration was accomplished with DES. During this six-year period the school encountered many struggles, including three rigorous Government inspections.
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Development of Feversham College
In 1992, the school enrolled 121 students in comparison to the 26 students in 1984. The demand had grown significantly, and was further reflected in the waiting list numbers. For instance, in 1992 the waiting list had 20 students but in 1993 this figure had rapidly escalated to 150 students. This clearly indicated the high level of confidence parents had now placed in the school. The school was able to bolster this confidence by achieving good academic standards while providing a secure Islamic environment.
In 1993, the governors of the school were faced with a new, but inevitable challenge. As the demand for places increased, capacity became inadequate. A decision was taken to acquire larger premises on Feversham Street. This was completed in 1994. Initially, the school operated on a split site basis, but by the end of 1995 all the students were transferred to the Feversham Street site. The name of the school also changed to Feversham College.
This was a very exciting and innovative period for Feversham College as a Public Notice for Voluntary Aided Status (VAS) application was also served in 1994. An application for acquiring VAS was also submitted to the Department of Education & Science. However, in 1995 the College and the local Muslim community suffered an unexpected, but major setback as the Secretary of State for Education rejected to grant the college VAS.
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Current Situation of Feversham College
The setback of 1995 caused huge disappointments. These were compounded by suspicion that our application had been dealt with unfairly. Ironically, this episode provided fresh vigour and determination to succeed in successfully implementing the goals of the project. We were able to learn lessons from the journey thus far, and make essential preparations for the next phase. We agreed clear and specific outcomes with the Government and introduced mechanisms, which enabled closer scrutiny of targets to be achieved.
The Department for Education & Employment (DfEE) have currently assessed the VAS application, which has been compiled in conjunction with the Local Education Authority (LEA) of Bradford.
Alhamd-u-Lillah, The Secretary of Sate for Education and Employment (of DfEE), Mr. David Blunkett, granted VAS for Feversham College Friday 6th October 2000,
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