England: Muslim faith school wins "mass support"... among Muslim residents

(Sentinel) Now community leaders behind the proposals will have to wait until March to find out if they have got through to the crucial next stage of the application process.

They stressed today they were keen to attract families from all faiths, although the secondary school would have an Islamic ethos.

The Sentinel first revealed plans for the new free school last month.

Since then, almost 500 people have responded to a questionnaire and parents from across the city have expressed an interest in sending their children there.

If it wins approval, the Iqra Academy would open in September 2014 and would eventually cater for around 600 pupils, aged 11 to 16.

The Iqra Welfare Trust, which is leading the bid, hopes to take over the former Edensor Technology College site, in Longton, once it is vacated by The Discovery Academy.

Its main catchment area would cover Normacot and Longton, but Muslim families from as far afield as Shelton and Tunstall have been inquiring about possible places.

Trust chairman Asif Mehmood said: "There has been overwhelming support from the community and from volunteers and local businesses.

"Everybody has done a lot of hard work. We were working on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day to get the bid done in time for the deadline. I'm hopeful it will be successful."

If the plans get through to the next stage, the team will be invited to an interview and could find out by the summer if they have won Government approval.

But here is the catch:

There are more than 70 free schools across England, with a further 102 due to open this autumn. They are funded by central Government and operate outside of local authority control.

More...