ePetition details
Keep Islamia Primary School 2 Form Entry
Islamia Primary School took on all pupils from the Avenue School in 2006-7 and has made huge sacrifices over the past 10 years, operating under very difficult conditions. To accommodate these additional pupils, the left wing of the ground floor of the main building on Salusbury Road (consisting of two classrooms and two offices) was generously provided by the Yusuf Islam Foundation free of charge. We were also given the top two floors of Winkworh Hall from Brent for which we have a lease agreement that is renewed every year (rental is over £40k a year). This arrangement has been in place for 10 years and our schools have remained in limbo ever since. Over the 10 years, the Yusuf Islam Foundation have not received any rent for the left wing corridor nor has the Islamia Secondary Girls School been able to utilise this corridor and its classrooms despite being short of space. We must also remember that as part of the new build programme, a CDT room, art room, two additional classrooms, the kitchen and canteen were all demolished with nothing put in its place except a temporary marquee.
Nevertheless, Islamia Primary School has gone from strength to
strength and has increased in popularity over the past 10 years.
The school received glowing Ofsted reports in 2013 (Section 5),
2014 (Section 8), 2015 (Section 48) and more recently in November
2016 (Section 8). Our pupil outcomes (incl. SATs results) have
consistently been higher than most schools in Brent and across the
country. Every year we receive 4 times more applications for 60
reception spaces. Similarly, the Islamia Girls School received
Outstanding Ofsted judgements in 2009 and 2014.
Due to the requirements of the new GCSEs and English Baccalaureate,
pupils now start their GCSEs in Year 9 and are offered a broad
range of subject options in Year 9, 10 and 11. For September 2017,
this will require the Islamia Girls School to find additional
classrooms. The Yusuf Islam Foundation has therefore formally
provided notice (letter received dated 20th Dec 2016) for the left
wing corridor to be vacated by 1st September 2017. This will force
Islamia Primary School to move a fourth class to Winkworth Hall
resulting in cramped conditions with no play space. We shall also
be forced to inform the Office of the Schools Adjudicator of the
possibility of our school only being able to accept 30 pupils in
September 2017 rather than 60 pupils.
Our parents, staff, governors and the Yusuf Islam Foundation are
extremely agitated and our parents are likely to go to the press if
a solution is not found very soon. I urge you to help us to avoid
reducing Islamia Primary School to one form entry. The education of
our pupils remains the responsibility of Brent and after 10 years
of huge sacrifices on behalf of Islamia Primary School and the
Yusuf Islam Foundation, we are urging that you and Brent Council
find a swift solution to this problem. Reducing Islamia Primary
School to a one-form entry school will have a devastating effect on
our school, the staff and the large number of families that we
serve. We must find a long-term solution to housing all 420 pupils
in adequate accommodation and securing our two-form entry
status.
Started by: Nur Enver (Islamia Primary School PSA)
This ePetition ran from 20/01/2017 to 27/01/2017 and has now finished.
1282 people signed this ePetition.