London, May 23, 2013: The British government has approved applications for 15 new faith schools, including two Sikh and six Muslim schools.
UK education secretary Michael Gove cleared the applications as part of 102 new "free schools" which are to be opened from 2014 and beyond.
Free schools are state-funded schools, independent of local authority control and as part of the rules, faith schools under the category are able to select a maximum of 50 per cent of pupils on the basis of religion.
"Free schools are extremely popular with parents and are delivering strong discipline and teaching excellence across the country. There are many innovators in local communities set on raising standards of education for their children," said Gove.
Fewer schools are approved this year with a faith designation or ethos, including Church of England schools 15 faith designated, compared with 20 last year, and 10 with a faith ethos, compared with 13 last year.
Seva School, based at Coventry in the West Midlands region of England, will be a co-educational Sikh designated faith school set up by the Sevak Educational Trust.
The second Sikh school 'Falcons Primary School' is planned in Leicester, East Midlands, and will broadly follow the national curriculum with a focus on personalisation and a learning environment influenced by religious ethos.
The Muslim faith schools include a mix of boys and girls schools across London, Bolton, Slough and Birmingham.
Free schools in the UK are run by teachers rather than a local or central government authority and have the freedom to decide the length of the school day and term, the curriculum, and how they reward their teachers and spend their money.
Among the new schools there will be a Family school in London for children with complex psychological and mental-health problems. Two schools under the aegis of the National Autistic Society, in east Cheshire and Lambeth will also be there.
All groups involved will now finalise their plans to open from September 2014.
Chief task will be to secure a site for the school and changes to the planning laws at the end of May 2013 will make it easier for free schools to move into their preferred site.
However, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) general secretary, Christine Blower, has warned that the free schools risked squandering resources.
The NUT's analysis claims that the Department for Education (DfE) has already spent more than 200 million euros on free schools.
"It is time for the government to change tack and allow local authorities to open new schools in areas where there is a genuine need for new places," she said.
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Related Article:
Coventry to get its first Sikh faith 'free school'
Seva School, which will be open to children of all backgrounds, is one of 102 new 'free schools' approved by the Government
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-first-sikh-faith-free-4002534
22 May 2013: A SIKH faith school has been given the go ahead to open in Coventry.
The Seva School, which will be open to children of all backgrounds, is one of 102 new “free schools” approved by the Government.
It will be Coventry’s first Free School - a new type of state-funded school which is independent of local authority control.
The new schools have been controversial, with Labour describing them as a “pet project” of the Education Secretary.
But Education Secretary Michael Gove (see pic right) says they are a response to demand from parents and the local community.
The Coventry school - catering for youngsters from four to 16 - will be co-educational and open to children from any faith and employ staff from any background.
Half the places will be initially reserved for Sikhs and half for non-Sikhs.
It would open in the Foleshill area.
The school will have a Sikh ethos encouraging “high morals, discipline, love, compassion and selfless service towards all regardless of faith, gender or colour.”
One innovative feature of the school will be a maths curriculum based on a the system used in Singapore, known as “Math in Focus”, which prepares children from an early age for complex algebra.
Children will begin studying for GCSEs and BTECs from year 9, a year earlier than most schools, giving them three years to prepare for the qualifications rather than two.
The school will also offer catch up sessions for pupils who fall behind and extra-curricular activities for all pupils on Saturdays.
Tarsen Singh, a trustee of Sevak Education Trust, which will manage the school, said: “Coventry’s exam results are not good if you look at the league tables, and we want to turn that around.
“We are delighted by the Department for Education’s announcement.”
An all-girls secondary called Coventry Leadership Academy for Girls is also to be created in the city, the Department for Education said.
Granting approval to the free schools, Mr Gove said: “There are many innovators in local communities set on raising standards of education for their children. I am delighted to approve so many of their high-quality plans to open a free school.
“Free schools are extremely popular with parents and are delivering strong discipline and teaching excellence across the country.”
But Labour schools spokesman Kevin Brennan said: “David Cameron and Michael Gove should be delivering for children, but instead they’re ignoring the crisis in primary places and setting up new schools where there is already a surplus of school places.
“Only a third of these new schools will be primaries. Their damaging focus on their own pet projects is failing to put our children first.”
The approved schools will now finalise their plans ready to open from September 2014, including confirming the site they will use.
Free schools were set up by the Coalition government to make it easier for parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up their own schools in order to improve education for children in their community.
They are state funded and not controlled by a local authority but are still subject to Ofsted inspections.