King Fahad Academy (Now closed)
أكاديمية الملك فهد بلندن
The academy's mosque and minaret
Address
Bromyard Avenue, London, W3 7HD.
Coordinates51°30′43″N 0°15′07″W / 51.511928°N 0.25189000000000306°W / 51.511928; -0.25189000000000306
Information
TypePrivate school
Religious affiliation(s)Islam
Established1985
Closed2023
Local authorityLondon Borough of Ealing
Department for Education URN101957 Tables
OfstedReports
Director GeneralTahani Aljafari
GenderMixed
Age range3–18
Enrolment560
Capacity620
Websitewww.thekfa.org.uk

King Fahad Academy (KFA; Arabic: أكاديمية الملك فهد بلندن) was a private school in Acton in the London Borough of Ealing that provided an Islamic-based education for children aged from 3 to 18. The school was on the former site of the Faraday High School (closed 1984).

It was a registered charity under English law,[1] and the chairman of the board of trustees was Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud (born 1977).

The school was founded in September 1985 under the authority of King Fahad Bin Abd Al-Aziz Al-Saud and catered to the children of Saudi diplomats, Arab Muslims, and the local community in London.[2]

Textbook Controversy

In February 2007, the school was featured on BBC's Newsnight programme.[3] The school's director, Dr. Sumaya Aluyusuf, defended the use of Saudi textbooks describing religions other than Islam as "worthless" and comparing their adherents to pigs and monkeys. The books were later edited, and the controversial descriptions removed as they were found to not adhere to Islamic beliefs of equality and peace.[4][5]

Closure of School

The school was financially supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since its inception. Due to a lack of funding, the school closed at the end of the academic year 2022/23 as alternate funding was not established. [6] Despite pushback from the Director General, the news regarding the closure was announced internally to staff on Tuesday 2nd May 2023, and to parents by the trustees of the school on Friday 5th May 2023. [7] The Saudi Embassy and the Academy's management team faced criticism from staff and parents due to the short notice announcement of the closure. A petition was started by a previous member of staff urging the Saudi Embassy to revisit their decision. The petition garnered over 900 signatures from staff, parents, students, and the local community. A parent proclaimed "this school was the foundation of learning that has empowered me as a female, current international educator and mother. Between the memories and values instilled in me at KFA, this place deserves to remain an academic anchor that will enrich more lives and livelihoods of generations to come". Following the announcement of the closure of the Academy, Tahani Aljafari, the Director General, tendered her resignation.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "THE KING FAHAD ACADEMY LIMITED, registered charity no. 327342". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  2. ↑ "History of the KFA." King Fahad Academy. Retrieved on 24 September 2015.
  3. ↑ King Fahad Academy newsnight part 1 of 2 King Fahad Academy newsnight part 2 of 2
  4. ↑ "School edits controversial books." BBC. Wednesday 7 February 2007.
  5. ↑ "Saudi school's regret over books." BBC. Tuesday 20 February 2007.
  6. ↑ "." Abdelaziz Alkhames. Retrieved on May 5th 2023.
  7. ↑ "." Middle East Eye. Retrieved on May 5th 2023.
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