Later this month, a Hindu group will be making an application to create a new free school in Leicester. The Avanti school trust is planning to open a new school that would educate pupils from 4-16 years of age. The group already runs the Krishna Avanti Primary in Evington, which opened in 2011 and is reportedly oversubscribed now.
An application is yet to be made to the department of Education. The aim to open the school in September 2016 with two reception classes and six classes of Year 7 students, but the location has not yet been fixed. It will be called Avanti Farm school, will include both boys and girls, and will teach the Hindu faith or ethos to Leicester youngsters. It would reach full capacity in 2023. This new school in Leicester, promises to be non-fee paying and take children from all backgrounds.
Avanti Schools Trust spokesman Pradip Gajjar reportedly said: "It will be called Avanti Farm School because we're hoping to create something with a rural specialism attached to it.
"We haven't identified a site yet but we want an ethos that is connected to nature."
He said Krishna Avanti Primary and the new school would work "closely together".
He said: "The primary school will continue because there is a growing demand for primary places here and both can co-exist.
"The primary is doing really well and is currently over-subscribed.
"We will put in the application to the Department for Education this month and expect to hear back within two to three months."
Free schools can be set up by parents, charities and faith groups. They do not have to follow the national curriculum, but must provide a broad and balanced education.