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ØDfEE : Department for Education and Employment
Governement supports Mulsim School in Bradford
ØMuslim News
Interview of David Blunkett - 'A willingness for everyone to be reasonable', November 2000
Feversham on way to Government fundings: article published on 22 January 1999 - 4 Shawwal 1419
DfEE : Department for Education and Employment
The school would be the third Muslim state school to be approved in England. More than £5 million of public funds could be available to support the new school.
David Blunkett said:
"We have today written to the promoters of the school and Bradford Local Education Authority to let them know that the Government are favourably disposed to Feversham College Muslim Girls' Independent school moving into the state-maintained sector as a Voluntary Aided school. Depending on the final costs we shall be investing around £5 million as part of the over £200 million investment that is going into the reorganisation and reconstruction of Bradford schools.
"I hope that this new facility will improve the educational opportunities in the area, particularly for Muslim girls. I am satisfied that with the support of the Local Education Authority and their external consultants this school should provide a good standard of education."
Mr Blunkett said that support for this school followed extensive financial support from the Government for the proposals by Bradford Local Education Authority for the general re-organisation of educational provision in the area.
Mr Blunkett added:
"We know that implementation of Bradford's school reorganisation proposals has not been without difficulty, but I am confident that the additional resources I have made available to the Local Education Authority will enable education in the area to move forward for all our children."
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Interview - 'A willingness for everyone to be reasonable' - November 2000
Between Mr Blunkett and Mr Verdi (part regarding Feversham College)
Ahmed Verdi asked: The Muslim community has welcomed and appreciated your Government's giving funding for three Muslim schools. However, Muslim schools have to wait for more than 10 years before funding is agreed. The latest school to get funding, Feversham college, had to wait 13 years. Last year, the college applied with two Christian schools supported by Bradford LEA. The Christian schools got a green light from DfEE last year. Feversham College got it last month. Why does the DfEE treat applications from Muslim schools differently from Christian and Jewish applications?
David Blunkett said: Firstly, I would like to take some credit for having broken this log jam of having embraced the logic and the value of saying what we do for one religion or denomination we do for other faiths. It did take time. I was approached by Feversham myself and took personal interest and made sure I got reports back so we could speed up the process so at least they could the ok this autumn so they could begin next year. We have to rely on inspection reports as well as the Local Education Authorities and our own officials. That is the pattern. In terms of the resource base, the condition of the buildings, the equipment and the curriculum.
As soon as I got the all clear on all those I gave the go ahead. I think if there is an issue about the time it takes we have probably unlocked it. We have said to School Organisations Committees, who are now responsible, that they should be absolutely clear that they treat every one equally and fairly. I think having established that pattern we shall have much less problems in future. I certainly hope so.
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Feversham on way to Government fundings By Ahmed Versi (January 1999)
The Government is considering an application by a Muslim school for funding. If the school succeeds, it will be the first Muslim secondary school to get funding. There are now some 14,000 non-denominational schools, 4,800 Church of England, 2,160 Catholic, 28 Methodist, 30 Jewish, 2 Muslim (primary) and 249 ‘other’ schools funded by the Government. Mohmammad Ibrahim, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the College, said he was happy with the application. He said: “I am very optimistic that the Government will accept our application. We have worked very hard to reach this far.”
Feversham College, Bradford’s oldest independent Muslim secondary girls’ school, sent in its application for Voluntary-Aided-Status (VAS) to the Education Secretary, David Blunkett, last month. If the application is successful, the pupil numbers will be increased from 200 to 580 and the teachers’ numbers will increase from 20 to 35. The College will move to bigger premises, the redundant St George’s Roman Catholic School in Undercliffe. They are still negotiating for the premises. The cost of the building is £6 million. The Government pays for 85% of the capital costs and 100% of running costs.
Feversham College was established in October 1984 (formerly Muslim Girls’ Community School). Its application for Government funding was rejected in February 1995, by then Education Secretary, Gillian Shephard, on not meeting health and safety standards and the National Curriculum. The College had rejected the reasons given Shephard accusing the Government of discrimination, as officials from her department had visited the College earlier and had not mentioned anything about these problems. The current application of Feversham College was supported by Bradford’s LEA and its application was sent as part of Bradford Council’s education reorganisation. Bradford still has the old three-tier system - first, middle and upper schools. They have sent to the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) their reorganisation package with the middle system scrapped. In this package, VAS application of Feversham has been included to the delight of the College and Bradford’s Muslim community. “We have worked closely with the LEA,” Ibrahim told The Muslim News. A spokesperson for Bradford’s LEA said: “It has been Council policy for a number of years to support the establishment in Bradford of Voluntary-Aided Muslim girls’ secondary school..”
Some in the Muslim community have felt the Council should have supported more Muslim schools in the area as it has done for the Christian community. The LEA is supporting two brand new purpose built Church of England schools. Akram Khan-Cheema, Amir of Muslim Education Services, said: “Why did the LEA not encourage the Muslim community to apply for another school as it is doing for the C of E?” He added that more Muslim schools should be supported as the Christian schools are.
The LEA responded by saying that it “has worked in the same way with the C of E Diocesan officers in putting forward joint proposals for the establishment of C of E primary and secondary schools in the district.”
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