Avanti Schools Trust

Avanti Schools Trust is the sponsor of state-funded Hindu faith schools in the United Kingdom.[1][2] The I-Foundation is a Hindu and ISKCON charity in England and Wales that is the religious authority governing schools run by the Avanti Schools Trust.[3]

Prior to the founding of schools by the I-Foundation, Hinduism was the only major world religion which did not have a dedicated faith school in the UK.[4] The I-Foundation founded the first Hindu faith school in London to be funded by the government.[5][6][7] The Krishna Avanti school opened in February 2010. The organisation has since opened additional Hindu faith schools, with more schools planned for development.[8]

Admission

Admission to schools is open to students having a Hindu faith background as well as students of other faiths.[9]

Concerns[10] had initially surfaced surrounding the first I-Foundation school's classification of the term "Hindu"[11] or "practicing Hindu" in relation to student families. However, Krishna Avanti Primary School appropriately responded to these concerns by revising the admissions policy to accommodate a less stringent definition of the term "practicing Hindu" and left the responsibility for determination of the "practicing Hindu" status of a prospective student's family to local Hindu temple priests.[12]

Curriculum

Avanti schools aim to promote "educational excellence, character formation and spiritual insight."[13] Avanti schools follow the standard national curriculum of the government-run schools of the United Kingdom.[4] In addition to the standard curriculum, Avanti schools feature Sanskrit language teaching, meditation and yoga practice, ethics and philosophy education,[13] and inclusive religious instruction.[4] Religious education is evenly split between Hinduism and other world religions.[4]

Schools

The Avanti Schools Trust and the I-Foundation operate primary and secondary schools.

Krishna Avanti Primary School, Harrow
Main article: Krishna Avanti Primary School, Harrow

Krishna Avanti Primary School, Harrow[14][2] is the first state-funded Hindu faith school in the United Kingdom, operating in the London borough of Harrow. Krishna Avanti Primary School opened in February 2010. In its initial year, all students of the school met government targets for education.[4]

Krishna Avanti Primary School, Leicester
Main article: Krishna Avanti Primary School, Leicester

A second school, also with the name Krishna Avanti Primary School,[15][2] opened in Leicester in September 2011.[9] The school is the second Hindu faith primary school in the United Kingdom, and the first state-funded Hindu school in Leicester.[16] The school is open to students of Hindu background, but half (50%) of places available in the school are also reserved for local students of various faith backgrounds.[9]

Avanti Court Primary School, Redbridge

Avanti Court Primary School[17][2] is the third Hindu faith primary school in London, operating in the London borough of Redbridge.

Avanti Fields, Leicester

Avanti Fields School opened in September 2018 in temporary accommodation in the Nraborough Road area of Leicester. The school is planning to move to a purpose built site in the hamilton area of the city in the near future.[18]

Avanti House Secondary School, Harrow

Avanti House Secondary School[19][2] is the first Hindu faith secondary school in the United Kingdom, operating in the London borough of Harrow. It had no permanent building (for the past 5 years [2012-2018]), however the school is now based on Wemborough Road.

Planned schools

Gants Hill School, Redbridge

Gants Hill School[20] is a planned Hindu faith secondary school, to be located in the London borough of Redbridge. The Avanti Schools Trust has already found and earmarked an ideal site for the school.[20]

Heath Clarke Primary School, Croydon

Heath Clarke Primary School[21] is a planned Hindu faith primary school, to be located in the London borough of Croydon. The Avanti Schools Trust has already found an ideal site for the school.[21]

At the end of 2019, three schools in the West Country, all formerly Steiner Schools were taken over by the Avanti Group. Those schools were in Bristol, Exeter and Frome.

Partnerships

The I-Foundation has a partnership with Bhaktivedanta College, a Vaishnava university run by ISKCON in the Radhadesh spiritual community of Belgium offering degree programmes externally validated by the University of Chester, whereby students in the Education degree programmes may undertake teacher's training and placement in Avanti schools.

References
  1. Avanti Schools Trust. "Avanti Schools Trust".
  2. Avanti Schools Trust. "Avanti Schools".
  3. I-Foundation. "I-Foundation".
  4. Suruchi Sharma. "New Hindu school opens doors". Borehamwood Times.
  5. BBC (2007-09-11). "First Hindu state school to open". BBC News.
  6. Times of India. "UK's first Hindu school gets go-ahead". The Times Of India.
  7. Guardian UK (2006-12-24). "£10m state cash for first Hindu school". The Guardian. London.
  8. Avanti Schools Trust. "Future Projects".
  9. "Site confirmed for Leicester Hindu school". BBC. 2011-01-10.
  10. Priya Saxena. "Controversy dogs Britain's first state-funded Hindu school". RxPG News Service. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  11. Rosen, Steven (2006). Essential Hinduism. p. 19.
  12. Press Trust of India. "UK's Krishna-Avanti School Revises Admissions Policy". ISKCON News.
  13. Avanti Schools Trust. "Ethos Statement".
  14. Avanti Schools Trust. "Krishna Avanti Primary School, Harrow".
  15. Avanti Schools Trust. "Krishna Avanti Primary School, Leicester".
  16. I-Foundation. "Plans Revealed for Leicester's First State Hindu School". Archived from the original on 2011-02-01.
  17. Avanti Schools Trust. "Avanti Court Primary School, Redbridge". Archived from the original on 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  18. https://avanti.org.uk/avantifields/2019/02/25/city-mayor-to-open/
  19. Avanti Schools Trust. "Avanti House School, Harrow".
  20. Avanti Schools Trust. "Gants Hill School, Redbridge". Archived from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  21. Avanti Schools Trust. "Heath Clarke Primary School, Croydon".
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