As set out in the refreshed School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, agreed by Cabinet on 12 November 2024, consideration will be given to opportunities to use any spare capacity within the primary school sector to expand provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, given the increasing need across the borough.
The Gwenneth Rickus site of Leopold Primary School will continue to be used for mainstream primary provision until September 2027 and the Council has not determined the future use of the site, that could also include provision for SEND.
Now next week's Cabinet, after a formal consultation is set to approve a recommendation that Islamia Primary School transfer to Leopold's Gwenneth Rickus site from 1st September 2027. The Islam Yusuf Foundation (IYS) has extended the eviction period to enable this to happen. The Leopold site will be transferred to IYS, despite the eviction order:
[The IYS] would be required to hold the site for the benefit of the Islamia Primary School. Further details in terms of ownership would be set out in a Trust Deed. This would ensure that the primary school would be protected from eviction in future.
The Strathcona site would be used for SEND provision.
It appears likely that the present Islamia site in Queens Park will be used to expand IYF's private secondary schools.
A majority of respondents rejected the Leopold proposal at the informal consultation stage, but Brent Council reports the result of the statutory consultation as the basis for going ahead with the move:
56 responses were submitted to the Brent Have Your Say consultation portal, 6 responses were submitted directly to the school and one response was handed in to the Civic Centre.
50 responses were fully supportive of the proposal. 13 respondents either opposed the relocation or raised concerns about it. Of these, 7 were explicitly opposed or objected to the proposal, while 6 were generally supportive but raised concerns regarding the relocation without explicitly opposing or objecting to the proposal.
Three local primary schools had raised concerns that the relocation would put further pressure on them at a time of falling schools rolls.
Concerns were raised about journey times, lack of public transport and other issues that are dealt with in the full Cabinet paper HERE.
The Equality Impact Assessment LINK addresses areas likely to be of interest to readers. Here are some key points:
AGE
The relocation of Islamia Primary School to the Brentfield Road site would ensure that children are taught in a suitable provision setting which will benefit all pupils in the school. Currently pupils are taught in split-site accommodation on the Salusbury Road site and in classrooms in Winkworth Hall, a building leased from the Council.
The proposed site would offer improved indoor and outdoor facilities on a single site which would enhance the children’s learning experience and would support the school to sustain a good quality of education for pupils. Being on one site will also allow for improved use of resources, ensuring budgets are used effectively to enhance learning opportunities and experiences for all children.
Information will be provided in the Council’s Starting Primary School September 2027 brochure (published September 2026) to advise potential applicants of the planned relocation of the school so that parents are aware before they apply for a school place.
DISABILITY
The proportion of children at Islamia Primary School with an EHCP is 2.4% compared to 4.0% across schools in Primary Planning Area 4, the planning area within which the school is proposed to be located.
The proportion of children at Islamia Primary School receiving SEN Support is 16.5% compared to 18.6% across Planning Area 4.
The proposal will not disproportionately impact any person on the basis of special education need or disability. The new site will provide better facilities for all pupils, including those with SEND. It will allow all pupils to be educated together on one site (rather than the current split-site arrangement), supporting the school’s inclusive ethos.
Children with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) who transfer to the new site will be able to make an application for transport assistance if they meet the eligibility criteria.
RACE
The top ethnic groups attending Islamia Primary School (Black African 38.8%, Any other ethnic group 30.6%, and Pakistani 13.4%) are similar to those of schools in Primary Planning Area 4 (Black – African 27.1%, Any other ethnic group 18.9%).
It is not considered that relocating the school would have a negative impact on the basis of race
RELIGION
Islamia Primary School is the only Muslim faith school in Brent. Relocation to the proposed site will ensure the long-term future of the school, ensuring diversity of provision across the Brent educational landscape.
There are both denominational and non-denominational schools with spare places in Primary Planning Area 4 where the new site is located, so relocating the school to the area will not impact on local choice for parents and carers.
Consideration has been given to community cohesion concerns in the context of moving Islamia Primary School to a site near to the Neasden Temple. The area where the site is located is diverse, reflecting Brent’s mixed communities. Within the context of Brent’s diversity, the Local Authority works proactively with communities to address any community cohesion concerns. Supported by the Council, the Brent Multi-faith Forum also works to develop understanding and shared belonging through bringing communities together.
The YIF, and its schools, have a track record of interfaith work, including representation at the former London Interfaith Centre for a number of years, working with the former Three Faiths Forum (now called, The Faith and Belief Forum), hosting the launch of Nisa-Nashim, a Jewish and Muslim women’s network, some recent discussions with representatives of the Brent Multi-Faith Forum, participating in borough-wide interfaith walks and other activities.
If the relocation to the Gwenneth Rickus site proceeds, the YIF has indicated it would be supportive of working with the local community to ensure that local considerations are reflected in the school’s decision-making processes. This might include, for example, exploring options for local representation on the Governing Board and, through its broader activities, creating space for dialogue via a forum that brings together faith representatives, community groups, residents and council members to consider inclusive engagement and to explore, with the Governing Board, how the site might also support wider community benefit.
Cllr Tariq Dar circulated a jubilant message that assumed (rightly given the rubber-stamping role of Cabinet) that Brent Cabinet would approve the recommendation:
Fantastic News – Islamia School Brent is Saved
Cllr Tariq Dar MBE
Islamia Primary School, founded in 1983 by Brother Yusuf Islam, grew from a small nursery into the first Muslim school in Britain to receive state funding, following the Parents’ Campaign for Voluntary Aided Status in 1984.
After years of uncertainty, Alhamdulillah, the school has been saved and will relocate to the Gwenneth Rickus building (formerly Leopold Primary School), 242–250 Brentfield Road, London, NW10 8HE.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the Leader of Brent, Cllr Muhammad Butt, Cllr Grahl (Cabinet Member), council officers, councillors, staff, governors, parents, and the community for their tireless efforts.
Massive thanks all around — Alhamdulillah, Islamia’s future is secured.
Cllr Tariq Dar MBE
Chairman, Islamia School Parents Campaign for Voluntary Aided Status 1984
11 comments:
Islamia's move to the area will be a death sentence for neighbouring schools already struggling with numbers. That, along with increased traffic and congestion to the area from cars driving from everywhere in Brent and other boroughs will be the nail in the coffin of social cohesion.
All thanks to those in charge incapable to find a local solution for the best part of 15 years.
Yusuf Islam single handedly making the decision to kick out the school he founded with the help of hundreds of other people who campaigned, fundraised and fought for this school too. Were they consulted?
The optics are just awful.
Apparently, the decision has already been made judging by messages circulating in parents' group chats. At least Cllr Dar seems to think so.
This is a scandal. public land handed to a private religious trust while other schools struggle to fill places and SEND kids are left without support? Call it what it is: segregation and privatisation. The deal locks public assets into private hands, and the old Islamia site will be flipped for Cat Stevens to profit from a developer.
Brent Council is using “diversity” as cover to carve up education into faith enclaves, while public assets bankroll private expansion. Every child deserves a strong, inclusive local school not a system rigged to serve narrow interests at the expense of the whole community. The cultural climate of Britain today necessitates us to grab onto multi-culturalism in the name of diversity.
Years ago, a longstanding governor at Islamia told parents that the foundation
was considering a 1FE fee paying primary school on the current site ( following the arrival of the other 2 fee paying
secondary schools) to act as feeder school. If that primary school actually materialises parents will have been right all along. They dismissed local solutions on purpose as it made sense to send Islamia as far as possible from Queens Park to avoid the competition of a free school.
So did Cllr Butt know about this and did he actually look for a local solution? Ever?
They sacrificed disadvantaged kids attending the school and whose families will be unable to afford the commute on the altar of money making ventures, all packaged as " saving the school". Save it from what? Ironically, it's own founder kicking it out and threatening closure. There goes Yusuf Islam's philanthropic reputation.
Increased cars and pollution to the already congested Brentfield area? Who cares? Current families unable to travel there? Sad. Disadvantaged and disabled kids losing their local school? Oh well. Local schools struggling with numbers losing pupils to the new faith school?
Whatever.
All thanks to Cllr Butt and the Yusuf Islam Foundation. Someone needs to check their email history. The whole thing stinks.
Comment from Philip Grant: Brent Council would do well to follow the example of All Souls College, when they gave Willesden Urban District Council the land to build Kensal Rise and Cricklewood Libraries in the early 20th century.
They made the transfer of ownership conditional on the sites only being used for public libraries, and if that use should cease, the land would be returned to the College.
That is what happened when Brent Council closed those two libraries, and four others, in 2011. The valuable plots of land, AND the buildings on them which had been paid for by Willesden ratepayers, passed back to the ownership of All Souls College.
The Council should ensure that the contract from the transfer of the Brentfield Road site and buildings to the Foundation is conditional on its use solely for the purpose of the Islamia Primary School, and that if the site is no longer used for a primary school where all of the pupils attend free of charge, the land (including freehold ownership of any new buildings on it paid for by the Foundation or others after the transfer) shall be returned to the ownership of Brent Council, or any successor local authority for that location.
Philip raises very valid and crucial points. It is disheartening to witness how the once-mighty struggle to establish the first voluntary-aided Muslim school has come to this. What was envisioned as a beacon for the community has now led to the eviction of children, prolonged uncertainty and relocation to an area far removed from its roots—a place likely to resent the added congestion and disruption. Yet, this is being presented as a victory.
In reality, parents have been cornered into compliance, faced with the bleak alternative of the school’s closure. This emotional coercion has drained much of the community’s affection and loyalty towards the school. The Foundation’s shift—from investing thousands in architectural plans to expand on-site, to ultimately forcing children out—reflects a troubling inconsistency and instability.
This cohort of pupils has been profoundly let down. One can only hope that the council will step in to safeguard the fundamental right of future generations of Islamia pupils to a free and accessible education. This school is not a toy. Enough.
How sad!
As an education professional, l can not help but think about how stark the contrast with Star Academies is. Star Academies, only operating since 2010, has established itself as a model of stability and professionalism, consistently demonstrating that a school rooted in faith can also excel in academic standards, governance and community trust. Its pupils are nurtured, its parents respected and its growth across the country reflects a reputation carefully built on reliability and excellence.
Islamia, by comparison, appears to have unravelled. A school that once symbolised progress for the Muslim community now finds itself evicting its own children, forcing families into painful choices under the guise of inevitability. What Star achieves through steady leadership and safeguarding of its pupils’ futures, Islamia’s Foundation has squandered through inconsistency, self-sabotaging, emotional coercion and decisions that fracture the very community it was meant to serve.
Where Star strengthens the bond between faith, education and belonging, Islamia’s recent actions risk eroding that trust entirely. The symbolism is profound: while one trust expands opportunities for Muslim children nationwide, the other displaces its pupils from their own historic home. It will not be forgotten.
They had a good headteacher, he resigned and went to work for a school run by Star Academies. Tells you all you need to know about their retention of good staff. There are many new Muslim schools and most of them are thriving and expanding. The oldest VA one should have created hundreds of free new primary spaces and affordable secondary ones. Sadly the two private schools are the most expensive ones in London. And the primary is being shipped off to polluted area near the North Circular.
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