Home News Education News Smethwick could be set for Sikh ethos free school
by Kat Keogh, Birmingham PostFeb 9 2012 inShare.1 5The West Midlands could be set for another Sikh ethos free school after parents and teachers revealed proposals for a new school for four to 19-year-olds.
A consortium of parents, teachers and other education professionals are preparing to submit an application to the Department for Education for a Sikh ethos free school in Smethwick.
The free schools model, which has been championed by the coalition Government, allows groups of parents and teachers to form schools away from local authority control.
If successful, the school, which would be called the Guru Nanak Academy, could open its doors to pupils in September next year and will be the first school in Sandwell to cater for four to 19 year olds.
The application has been several months in the planning and has backing from the Guru Nanak Gurdwara temple in Smethwick and Smethwick Youth and Community Centre.
The move comes as the Nishkam Primary School in Handsworth, Birmingham, became the first Sikh ethos, multi-faith school in the Midlands when it opened last September.
Jaspal Singh Bains, committee member of Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick said: “There are only three schools in the country that are run along a Sikh ethos and all of them are hugely successful.
“For many years local parents have had to take their children out of Sandwell to achieve the level of education they want for their child. We want to provide parents with an alternative local choice of a school that will deliver the excellent education their child deserves.”
Half of admissions will be children from a Sikh background. The Academy will hold the National Curriculum as a foundation, with an emphasis on English, maths, science and languages.
If approved, the school will operate an extended school day to “support working families”, with additional academic studies, including Sikh-related study and after-school clubs.
Balbinder Paneser, spokesman for the academy proposals, said: Our aim is to deliver outstanding academic results as well as the full development of pupils’ spirituality, creativity, intelligence and self-confidence.”
