This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on its website):
Temple leaders yet to decide site of new Sikh free school
by Fiona Dryden, Education Correspondent
Sikh leaders in the city have yet to decide where their new free primary school will be.
The Department for Education announced this week that a bid by nine temple leaders in Leicester to create one of the government's new-style schools had been given the go-ahead.
Although it is expected to open in September 2014, a location for the school, to be known as Falcon's Primary, has yet to be confirmed.
The bid was the second to be made by the Sikh school steering group.
A previous application in July last yer was turned down by the Government because it was not deemed strong enough.
Indy Panesar, a spokesman for the group, said: "We're working closely with the department and the city council to find a suitable site."
He said the bid had been well researched and robustly presented to meet the criteria laid out by the department.
Mr Panesar said: "I'd like to praise the team of volunteers who have sacrificed substantial amounts of their precious spare time.
"Leicester's reputation as a beacon of multi-cultural living is well deserved and we trust this new multi-faith proposition will allow all prospective students to fulfil their potential.
"We aim not only for academic success, but also to equip youngsters with the life skills to cope in today's society."
Free schools are set up by charities, parents or teachers outside local authority control, but paid for by the state.
Although Falcon's primary will welcome children from all faiths, half of the places will be preserved for Sikhs and it will serve only vegetarian food.
Councillor Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for schools, said that it was "heartening" the group was committed to working in partnership with the council and schools across the city in the best interests of all children.
The school could help alleviate some of the shortfall in primary places in the city.
The city council has already pledged £15 million towrds creating extra classrooms at 17 primaries to help meet predicted demand.
The work will create 380 places in Leicester - needed because of a rising birth rate, arrivals to the city and because more residents are expected to choose local schools over those in the county as results ontinue to improve.
Government cash will help fund the cost of creating the new primary. It is not yet known how much this will be.
However, the Department for Education spent £4.5 million buying and developing the city's only other free school, Krishna Avanti, in Spencefield Lane, Evington, on behalf of the Krishna Avanti Trust. The trust contributed £200,000 of its own cash.
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Sikh school proposal approved
A second bid to create a Sikh free school in Leicester has been successful.
The Department for Education announced yesterday that proposals by nine temple leaders had been accepted.
The school, which is expected to open in September 2014 on an undisclosed site, will be called Falcon's Primary.
Although it will welcome children from all faiths, half of the places will be reserved for Sikhs. It will serve only vegetarian food.
The application was the second put in by the Sikh school steering group.
The first was turned down in July by the Government because it was not deemed strong enough.
Harminder Jagdev, project leader for the steering group, was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Councillor Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for schools, said: "The group has worked incredibly hard to reach this position and we look forward to working with it as its plans progress.
"It's particularly heartening that it is committed to working in partnership with the council and schools across the city in the best interests of all of our children."
Free schools are set up by charities, parents or teachers outside local authority control, but paid for by the state.
They do not have to follow the national curriculum, but must provide a broad and balanced education.
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Halal burgers off menu at 19 schools after pork find
by Fiona Dryden & Jonathan Pott-Negrine
Halal lamb burgers have been removed from 19 city schools after tests revealed pork content in a sample burger.
Halal products are used in 24 city schools, but only 19 of these are affected because the lamb burger was served there.
The burgers have been on Leicester school menus since January this year and are the only product supplied to the city council by the firm.
Councillor Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for schools, said she was “appalled by the situation.”
Coun Dempster said: “The council took immediate action when it was discovered and the product was withdrawn from school menus immediately ahead of further tests being carried out. We will not be using this company again.
“It’s disgraceful that none of us can have confidence in the food we eat. We regret any distress this will cause families and staff, and would like to reassure them that robust action is being taken to address this serious matter.”
Regular tests have been carried out on behalf of the council since the horse meat scandal in February when traces were found in beef products across the country.
The council was informed of the results on April 18 and says it withdrew the product the following day to await further tests.
All other Halal products used in the council’s kitchens are supplied by another company, The Punjab Kitchen Ltd, based in Tyneside.
Tests have shown that they are Halal compliant.
Education bosses have sent out 6,000 letters to parents and head teachers at the affected schools this week to tell them about the situation.
Trevor Pringle, the city council’s director of young people’s services, said: “We will not be purchasing any further products from this supplier and we have made it clear to all our suppliers that this is totally unacceptable. We are taking urgent legal advice about the next steps.”
The Food Standards Agency has been notified of the contamination, along with local authority bosses in Doncaster.
Taylor Road Primary, in St Matthews, Leicester, is among the schools which received the lamb burger.
However, head teacher Chris Hassall, said that it had not been served in school since March.
He said: “The horse meat scandal made me very cautious about the food we were serving in school and regardless of its halal content, we did not consider it to be the healthiest option - therefore it was removed from our menu.
“I eat school dinners myself everyday and I want to be assured that children are receiving nutritious food that is what it says it is.
“I’m pleased that we took our own precautionary measures and that Leicester City Council has been pro-active enough to carry out tests since this scandal immerged. [sic]
“Muslim parents need to have confidence in school food and the council has been absolutely transparent about its findings.”
The council has been working with the Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) as part of its investigations.
Suleman Nagdi from the FMO said: “This is a shocking and unacceptable development. As Muslims, we cherish our strict dietary needs, which are well known and have been developed for well over a thousand years. The consumption of pork and alcohol is prohibited for all Muslims.
“This recent event will raise an issue of confidence in our community as to the measures and processes that are put in place that gives assurance of Halal meals. All due diligence procedures should be thoroughly reviewed and bolstered where necessary and should include intermittent and random sample testing which should encompass DNA testing.
“It’s hoped that this will not occur again and the community are now looking to the city council and our elected councillors for this assurance and to rebuild the confidence that has clearly been shaken.”
The federation has also urged the council to take legal action against the company concerned.
Mr Nagdi added: “We feel that such a prosecution would be in the public interest and would send a clear message to all businesses in this sector that contamination will not be tolerated.
These are the schools:
- Coleman Primary, Crown Hills.
- Crown Hills Community College, Crown Hills.
- Hazel Primary, in the Filbert Street area
- Humberstone Infants school,in Humberstone
- Humberstone Junior school, in Humberstone
- Linden Primary, in Evington
- Medway Primary, in Highfields
- Northfield House Primary, in Northfields
- Oaklands Special School, in Evington
- Shenton Primary, in Spinney Hills
- Slater Primary, near Frog Island
- Sparkenhoe Primary, in Highfields
- Spinney Hill Primary, in Spinney Hills
- St Barnabus CofE Primary, in Evington
- St Paul’s School, in Evington
- Taylor Road Primary, in St Matthews
- Uplands Infant School,in Highfields
- Uplans Junior school, in Highfields
- Whitehall Primary, in Evington
Third meeting of the day - and it's still only 1100. I'm at 16 New Walk for the Stronger Communities Partnership. Iris Lightfoote (who chairs the Partnership) and I have dashed over here from the meeting on Transforming Local Infrastructure at Voluntary Action Leicestershire (which will go on till 1300 in our absence).
Leicester Council of Faiths has been represented on the Stronger Communities Partnership by our Chair, Councillor Manjula Sood. However, Manjula was appointed one of six Assistant Mayors who make up the Cabinet of Leicester City Council. The Assistant Mayors are being asked to attend meetings of the Stronger Communities Partnership when it discusses topics realted to their portfolios. To avoid potential conflicts of interest, Manjula asked if I would take her place in representing Leicester Council of Faiths on this body. I have attended these meetings several times in the past, but then I was representing the late lamented Equality and Diversity Partnership (EDP).
The theme for today is Children and Young People. There are several members of the City Council's Children's Trust here today, to make a presentation and to asnser questions. We also have the benefit of Assistant Mayor Vi Dempster attending (she is Cabinet Lead for Children and Families). Other community groups represented here today:
