From September, Barnet will have its first council-run Islamic faith school after the local authority stepped in to take over a previously independent primary school. The Barnet Post has the story:
Barnet Hill Academy, in West Hendon, is set to change from being fee-paying to a “voluntary aided” school and nursery from the start of the new academic year.
It follows a decision signed off last week by Barnet Council’s Executive Director of Children’s Services, John Anthony.
It means that Barnet Hill Academy, which has been operating as an independent Islamic faith school in Montagu Road for the past 20 years, will be accessible to more primary school pupils aged four to 11 years.
The council hopes the move will help provide school places to more of the borough’s Muslim community, in response “to a clear and evidenced demand from residents”. …
The council says “no changes are proposed to the age range, capacity, accommodation or operating arrangements of the nursery provision” following the introduction of the council’s role.
As of the 2021 Census there were 47,700 Muslim residents in Barnet, just over 12% of the borough’s population. …
Up until now, Barnet Hill Academy has operated as an independent, fee-paying school. This, the council says, has meant that “access is limited to those able to afford the associated fees, restricting provision for the majority of the borough’s Muslim community”. …
In forecasts, described by the council as “ambitious”, the school is projecting pupil numbers to essentially double from the 2026/27 school year to around 400 pupils by the early 2030s, aided by the removal of fees.
Worth reading in full.
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Since my understanding is that the belief in the necessity, utility and legitimacy of ‘the state’ is an indoctrinated cult I therefor see ‘state’ education functioning in much the same way as religious schools do. Brainwashing children into the cult’s set of beliefs or at least priming them into acceptance of such.
Schooling and education are two quite different with very different intentions and outcomes. When schooling a horse the intention is to make it predictable, compliant and obedient. Nobody educates horses.
This discussion has been taking place over millennia on a spectrum between total control and anarchy. Politics by general agreement and freedom to leave and go elsewhere are probably the best we can hope to do. A theocracy is extreme control.
I have just returned from an educational course in southern England where there were some young Muslim women. They were covered from head to foot in thick clothing, showing only carefully made-up faces (which were, paradoxically, very pretty). The temperature was extremely high as is well known. They seemed to be constantly observed by a small group of fellow male students, all dressed comfortably in light clothing with bare heads. There is nothing about this theocracy that holds any attraction for me, particularly the subjecting of females to that level of obvious discomfort in order not to excite male sexual desire.
There should be no such thing as a State faith-based school. None.
If parents want their kids indoctrinated into their religion, they should have to pay for it.
We should disestablish the Church and have a secular state if we want to remove state funding of religious education.
A casualty of the VAT raid?
The Great White Replacement is going swimmingly
In our local area there are some VA schools, usually they are supported via local Anglican or Catholic churches. They are not permitted to force pupils who are entitled to attend because they live in catchment to participate in the particular faith-based activities that the VA designation indicates.
I wonder how this will work in this case, for instance will non-muslim pupils be permitted to avoid Islamic prayers and eat non-halal and haram foods? I think we should be told.
The first of how many?
There’s nothing like encouraging integration and this is nothing like encouraging integration.
That some small part of the tax I pay goes to funding the teaching of this hateful religion disgusts me to the core.