Parents of children at Islamia Primary School in Queens Park have been offered a stark choice by the school's Governing Board: approve the move of the school to a site 6 miles away or it will close.
The informal consultation that opened on September 28th and closes on November 2nd will be followed by a formal consultation.
The consultation reveals that the Governing Board rejects Brent Council's favoured option of a refurbishment of present buildings on the present site and the building of a new block to accommodate a 2 forms of entry primary school.
Instead they favour demolition of all buildings on the site and the provision of a new-build two storey school. Brent Council does not think this is deliverable by July 2024 ready for a September 2024 start. The governors say they will endeavout to keep to tight deadlines to make this deliverable.
The consultation maintains the silence on the reason why the Yusuf Islam Foundation gave the school an eviction notice and merely says the Foundation intends to develop the site.
The governors appear to brush off the concerns of parents unable to travel to the new site and state:
Muslim families who live in the north of the borough do not currently have access to Muslim faith education provision. In the future the population that the school serves may become more local to the new site.
A parent told Wembley Matters:
This is quite unfair for current families. Blackmailing tactics . Either approve the move or lose the school.
In reality local families will lose the school anyway.
Plus the consultation is inaccessible to many as it was sent out on the school App rather than via a paper copy.
The consultation document can be found HERE,
A consultation meeting for staff will be held on October 10th and there are two consultation meetings on Wednesday October 12th at the school at 9am-10am and 5pm to 6pm.
A further meeting will be held at a site to be confirmed near the Strathcona site on October 13th 6pm - 7.30pm.
The school had a building problem for over a decade. Brent offered the Foundation millions to build a new state of the art building on the current site and granted planning permission several times. Nothing came out of this. End result is this decision that will discriminate against the most vulnerable ( disabled and disadvantaged children) who will lose their Muslim school. No word from Yusuf Islam.
ReplyDeleteThe consultation document Q&A says: 'What will happen to the existing school site?'
ReplyDeleteAnswer given: 'The Yusuf Islam Foundation plans to develop the Salusbury Road site.'
Does anyone know what they plan to develop it for???
Not yet. Checking whether there are any restrictions/covenants on the site.
ReplyDeleteit might be better if the school closes so the children can enter mainstream schools.
ReplyDeletethe children should enter mainstream schools !
ReplyDelete