Britain's first Muslim state-funded school could be open in Bradford by the year 2000 after official consultations began on transferring private Feversham College into the public sector.

If approved, the new institution will be on the site of Undercliffe Middle School, facing the axe under the school shake-up, not at Cottingley Manor, previously earmarked. "It is very exciting. This will be a great benefit to Bradford considering the multi-cultural background of the city," said head teacher, Rehena Shafquat. "The new site means we will be able to accommodate more pupils in a better building with better services."

Opting-in will give a boost to parents who want their daughters to have a Muslim religion at the heart of their education but cannot afford the £700-plus a year fees, said Mrs Shafquat.

The application will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Education, David Blunkett, in September. The college has been battling for six years to become a voluntary aided school with 85 per cent of funding met by the state and the rest from the Muslim Association of Bradford.

Councillor Suzanne Rooney, deputy chairman of Bradford Education Committee, said having Britain's first Muslim state school was a momentous step.

"The important thing is that we are saying we want equal opportunities for all to live their own lives with their own religious ideals but as part of one society," she said.

"I think we have got to give parents choice and diversity and accept that this will give the Muslim community the right to choose a school which will teach their religious principles in the same way as a Roman Catholic or Church of England school.

"It will also ensure that the girls share the same curriculum and education opportunities that all children in local authority schools have."

Feversham will be the first local education authority Muslim school.

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