Muslim schools say they will start signing pupils in January

UK (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - THE group behind plans for two Muslim schools in Derby says they will open admissions in January despite not yet having a site.

Community group Al-Madinah, formerly known as An-Noor Institute, has reassured parents it will open the primary and secondary schools in September even if this means finding them a temporary home.

Its plans have approval under the Government's Free Schools scheme, which enables any group to start a school without permission from local councils.

But the Department for Education said that the sites Al-Madinah originally planned to use, near Jamia Mosque, were too small. Partnerships for Schools, part of the department, is now helping the group find a home for the schools in Normanton.

Ziad Amjad, project organiser for Al-Madinah, said admissions were set to open in January and close in March.

He said: "We want our admissions to run at the same time as the other primary and secondary schools in the area so they know how many pupils will be coming to our schools in good time.

"Parents would like to see something tangible but they have our assurance that there will be a site, be it temporary or permanent."

Mr Amjad said temporary accommodation was also being looked for in case a permanent site could not be found in time.

He said Al-Madinah could not yet confirm how many children would attend the schools.

Mr Amjad said that a full three-month public consultation would take place on the plans once a site is found.

This will include a public meeting and online questionnaire.

His comments came after another web questionnaire about the schools was created by a group set up to protest against their creation.

The Derby Campaign for Inclusive Education (DCIE) says it is better for children to learn together, regardless of their faith.

Mike Lake, one of the campaign's founders and a former teacher, said the questionnaire had been running for just over a week and had already had 40 responses, none of which backed the schools.

The questionnaire asks things like whether "new Muslim schools, segregated along religious lines, are a good idea" and can be found at www.dcie.org.

Results will be fed in to the full consultation.

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