Warning About The Opening Of A School?

[mahak]

 

It is natural to wonder, “What would this money have bought if we had spent it on other things?” U.S. aid to all of Africa has been hovering around $5 billion a year, the equivalent of less than two weeks of direct Iraq-war expenditures. The president made a big deal out of the financial problems facing Social Security, but the system could have been repaired for a century with what we have bled into the sands of Iraq. Had even a fraction of that $2 trillion been spent on investments in education and technology, or improving our infrastructure, the country would be in a far better position economically to meet the challenges it faces in the future, including threats from abroad. For a sliver of that $2 trillion we could have provided guaranteed access to higher education for all qualified Americans.

Today, China alone holds more than $1 trillion in public and private American I.O.U.’s. Cumulative borrowing from abroad during the six years of the Bush administration amounts to some $5 trillion. Most likely these creditors will not call in their loans—if they ever did, there would be a global financial crisis. But there is something bizarre and troubling about the richest country in the world not being able to live even remotely within its means.

Think of the taxes that future governments will have to levy to repay even a fraction of the debt we have accumulated. And think of the widening divide between rich and poor in America, a phenomenon that goes beyond economics and speaks to the very future of the American Dream.

 

Itll take us at least 50 years to recover from armageddonist totalitarianism and constitutional destruction over the last 7 years. More if his clones like juliani or hillerani take his seat. Radical change is needed, not blowing on a boil. Priorities must be seen by able leadeership, not this kowtowing to china.

 

haribol, ys, mahaksadasa

 

ps good thing we arent all these false identity designations, Im moving to the moon, way beyond this solar system:eek::eek::eek:

[theist]

How can there be education without knowledge? Knowledge begins with aham brahmasmi.

 

At best it is teaching glorified eating sleeping mating and defending. The purpose of human life is not even an afterthought. Just work work work, produce useless trinkets, pay taxes and die.

[Redsox]

 

How can there be education without knowledge? Knowledge begins with aham brahmasmi.

 

At best it is teaching glorified eating sleeping mating and defending. The purpose of human life is not even an afterthought. Just work work work, produce useless trinkets, pay taxes and die.

 

 

There is material knowledge that allows you to chat here, and there is the spiritual knowledge. If you are going to lose one , you will have a tough time in life.

[suchandra]

 

There is material knowledge that allows you to chat here, and there is the spiritual knowledge. If you are going to lose one , you will have a tough time in life.

 

Senators contemplating of our rights to post spiritual knowledge

[suchandra]

This is getting more and more what is said in sastra about what kanisthas are doing, endless fight among each other what is right/wrong. What is this: "a truly Hindu school that serves and reflects the wider Harrow Hindu community..."? Serving the senses?

Harrow Times: Today's most viewed:

 

Row over Hindu school admissions

By Jack Royston

 

 

Comment | Read Comments (6)

 

A ROW has broken out after the first state funded Hindu school in Britain revealed its admissions policy will give preferential treatment to certain pupils.

The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) has criticised the Krishna Avanti School, which will be built in Camrose Avenue, after it announced it will accept applications from strict Hindus ahead of other groups.

HCUK claimed yesterday the admissions policy, which gives priority to applications from families which are vegetarian and do not drink alcohol, is based on the ISKCON, or Hare Krishna religion.

<!-- var ans_timestamp = (new Date()).getTime(); document.write("<scr" + "ipt language=\"JavaScript\" src=""\"http://ads.adviva.net/serve/v=4;m=2;l=5128;ts=" + ans_timestamp + "\"></scr" + "ipt>"); // --> "That is what it should be, a truly Hindu school that serves and reflects the wider Harrow Hindu community with its kaleidoscopic Hindu diversity."

But I-Foundation, the charity behind the school, has dismissed the criticisms and is putting together a list of signatures from religious leaders defending the school.

Nitesh Gor, director of the I-Foundation, said: "In common with other faith schools, which may require letters from priests or proof of church or synagogue attendance, we want to give priority to those that are most active in their faith.

"The definition we have arrived at includes regular home and temple worship, as well as vegetarianism and avoiding alcohol.

"We recognise some Hindus may eat meat in very specific prescribed circumstances and the criteria are not intended to exclude them.

"Broadly these criteria reflect practices which are common to all mainstream Hindu movements in the UK."

The school will have only one class of 30 pupils in each year. The schools admissions policy document suggests it will be heavily over-d.

Children from families who carry out regular temple related voluntary work and attend temple regularly will also be considered first.

The school will prioritise Hindu children in the care of local authorities, or in council run accommodation, above all other groups.

Do you think the admissions policy is unfair? Let us know by posting a comment below.

[theist]

 

There is material knowledge that allows you to chat here, and there is the spiritual knowledge. If you are going to lose one , you will have a tough time in life.

 

I am not dependent on the internet. I'll use it as long as it exists and if it goes away I will use something else.

 

What the hell are you talking about anyway? The topic is the educational system.

[suchandra]

 

I am not dependent on the internet. I'll use it as long as it exists and if it goes away I will use something else.

 

What the hell are you talking about anyway? The topic is the educational system.

Looks like the Hindus living in UK are greatly worried and troubled about being told that at their first public Hindu School, Vegetarianism is being promoted.

 

"While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises." (BG 2.62)

 

PURPORT

One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of the senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism. In the material world everyone, including Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā — to say nothing of other demigods in the heavenly planets — is subjected to the influence of sense objects, and the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Lord Śiva was deep in meditation, but when Pārvatī agitated him for sense pleasure, he agreed to the proposal, and as a result Kārtikeya was born. When Haridāsa Ṭhākura was a young devotee of the Lord, he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Māyā-devī, but Haridāsa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. As illustrated in the above-mentioned verse of Śrī Yāmunācārya, a sincere devotee of the Lord shuns all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success. One who is not, therefore, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires.

 

 

December 6, 2007...7:12 pm

 

‘Vegetarianism is not OK’ say some Hindus

 

Jump to Comments

HG Sriman Kripamoya_das, UK, Some Hindus have a problem with vegetarian policy at new Hindu school

There’s been a kerfuffle in the media in the past few days over the entrance policy for the new Hindu school in Harrow. Various parties have submitted statements to newspapers and been interviewed on the radio.

The Krishna-Avanti Hindu School is to be built and run with money from central government and, like the name suggests, its a school for Hindu children. Unlike America and many other countries, the UK has a policy of supporting public schools where all the students profess one faith. The only criteria is that there is sufficient demand from local parents.

The ‘faith schools’ argument- some people like the idea because the schools seem to have better discipline and produce good exam results; some don’t like the idea because they are potentially socially divisive - has been going on for a year or two, fuelled by anxieties over growing fundamentalism in British society.

However, the recent media flurry - before a single brick has been laid - is about who gets to decide what Hinduism is and therefore which children get to become pupils. The school is already heavily over-d because it is the first of its kind in this country and many of the 40,000 Hindus in the London borough of Harrow would like their children to go there next year.

As I have written elsewhere, the word ‘Hindu’ means many things to many people; and to some people it means subscribing to a vague, non-denominational, pick-and-mix type of faith largely based on the country of birth or ethnicity. But that’s the problem when you employ one term to fit the thousands of historical faith communities originating in India.

Many Hindu groups applied to the government to run the first ever Hindu school, but only one could be given the go-ahead. A group known as the I-Foundation won the bid, satisfying the government as to their suitability and competence for the job. Whilst in general most of the other Hindu groups did not take the success of this group to be the source of dismay - it was, after all, to be a school of their own faith - there were a few persons who did not. And this week, when the school admissions policy was announced, and it was seen that the criteria included practising the Hindu faith at home and local temple, and being a vegetarian, it was enough to send those few persons to the media in protest.

Leaving aside the fact that the admissions policy to any similar faith school requires the fulfillment of similar criteria, (Catholic schools, for instance, ask that the child is actually a practising Catholic, and have certain conditions that need to be satisfied beforehand to prove it) the protesters seemed particularly annoyed that vegetarianism was included as a requirement.

ISKCON is the official ‘faith partner’ for this new school and, strange to say, the Hindus who complained felt that a certain sectarian bias was in evidence by this dietary requirement. Of course, as anyone who has read anything of Hinduism will know, ahimsa or non-violence, is a cardinal creed of the faith and it is only in more recent years that anyone has attempted to challenge this.

But let me stop here and share with you a letter sent to the main Asian newspaper here. Its from Nitin Mehta, a Hindu, the secretary of the Young Indian Vegetarians, who was recently awarded the OBE for services to his community. He was quite forthright in his rebuttal:

 

Dear Sir

Anuja Prashar’s article, ‘ Does Practise Make Perfect’? shows how confused

Hindus like her have become regarding this faith. Part of the problem is the

word ‘Hindu’ itself. While at one time it meant a people or a nationality, it

now means a faith. A faith has certain principles by which its adherents live,

it cannot mean that anything goes. The problem is that many Hindus and quite a

few Hindu leaders want their Hinduism without any annoying restrictions.

 

 

Dr.Gautem Sen of London School of Economics whom Anuja quotes: ‘ I am sympathetic to giving vegetarianism a higher status within Hinduism, though not a vegetarian myself, but to use it to exclude virtually everyone is absurd’ is a good example of this thought process.

Dr. Sen is obviously a proud Hindu but it would be nice to know what salient values of Hinduism he practises in everyday life. The Krishna Avanti primary school is based on Hindu ethos and vegetarianism is a very crucial part of this ethos–what problem do Anuja and other Hindu leaders have with it? Why do they want meat to be served in a school which is based on Hindu principles? Why did they feel the need to do go to the national press about this? Do they serve meat in Arya Samaj schools and colleges in India? The government wants every one to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day and what on earth could be the objection for the students to be served a healthy, sattvic lunch at this school? Anuja goes on to question the very notion that Hinduism can be practised! She lays the blame on ’ the Christian origins of most of the ISKCON followers’. This is an unfortunate slur on millions all over the world who have come to Krishna.

ISKCON, whose founder was Srila Prabhupada, and whose teachings this movement follows has nothing to do with the Christian origins of its adherents. Srila Prabhupada taught that it is not enough to be proud of your faith, you have to practise it. It is therefore essential to differentiate between born Hindus and praticing Hindus. As a guide to who is a practising Hindu one has to look at the life of a Hindu monk. Certainly there is no Hindu monk I know of that eats meat, fish or eggs.

Anuja does not want a separation between a ‘ universal, all encompassing Hinduism and those that pratise their Hinduism.’ By that logic even beef would be OK and if it is not why not? There are, after all, no rules in Anuja’s view of Hinduism. Our young people are constantly mocked that our religion cannot be taken seriously because there are no core values that Hindus adhere to. Vegetarianism is in fact one of the greatest gifts of Hinduism to the world. Meat eating is destroying the planet, is the cause of many diseases and above all a cause of immense cruelty to animals. Instead of promoting this great gift to the world, meat-eating Hindus want vegetarianism to become irrelevant to the faith.

Anuja claims that ISKCON-Hindu school would sit, ‘uncomfortably with the Hindu integrative, democratic and egalitarian principles of a Dharmic world view’. ISKCON devotees distribute free food to tens of thousands of people in UK, they have translated the Bhagavad Gita in most of the worlds languages, and their egalitarian principles extend to animals. It is no use saying how great our Dharma is and then have chicken for dinner. Ahimsa and compassion are the greatest gems of our Dharma take them and away and there is not much to differentiate from other religions.

 

[suchandra]

Posted by HH Sivarama Swami - commenting on moral behaviour of Indians living in UK.

 

British Indians Aborting Girls - but going publically against ISKCON when ISKCON introduces vegetarianism at the Krishna-Avanti Primary School.

 

British Indians Aborting Girls

 

British Indians Aborting Girls

 

http://www.sivaramaswami.com/?p=2175

 

December 8th, 2007<!-- at 10:42pm--> Editor

LONDON: British Indian women are as prone to the secretive, outlawed practice of female foeticide as their counterparts in the mother country and they generally travel to India to do the dastardly deed.

The alarming revelation by the BBC’s Asian Network radio station on Monday comes as Oxford University population experts declared they had found at least 1,500 Indian girl children “missing” from birth statistics in England and Wales in the last 17 years.

The Oxford study, which looked at birth rates of different ethnic groups here, concluded that there had been an abnormal increase in the proportion of boys over girls in the Indian community from 1990. Dr Sylvie Dubuc, a human geography and population expert at Oxford, said that the most likely explanation was sex-selective abortion by Indian-born British women. This represents one in 10 girls “missing” from the birth statistics for Indian-born women having their third or fourth child.

But the BBC radio investigation, which is targeted at Asian listeners, said that it is not just Indian-born British women who are resorting to the culturally-specific practice of female foeticide. Using first-hand evidence from interviews with British-born-and-bred Indian women, it said the practice appears to be quietly accepted among this strand of the 1.3-million-strong community as well.

The revelation received ballast on Monday when a Punjabi local councillor from the Indian-dominant city of Leicester admitted the practice was rife among British Indians.

The BBC investigation used an actor to recount the story of one of its interviewees, who used the false name ‘Meena’. The British-born office-worker in her 30s described the pressures of being an Indian wife in the UK who disappointingly produced a string of three daughters only to find scorn and derision from her Punjabi family.

She devastatingly said that Indian culture can still exert a huge pressure on women to have boys - to carry on the family name and because girls are expensive - and that the pressure exists on Indian women living in Britain too. “It is all up to the husband and it’s usually the husband’s side of the family who - you know - are putting the pressure on.”

Commentators said the revelation that British Indians were prone to female foeticide discounts the notion that living in the West confers “emancipation” on immigrant communities.

Interestingly, the BBC’s investigation, Oxford research and resulting media coverage sparked an immediate Muslim response on the internet with bloggers sending in United Nations statistics listing India having “killed 50 million + girls in the last 50 years; China killed 50 million + girls in the last 50 years; the US has killed 44 million girl and boys from 1974 till today, yet who is considered oppressive to women and children - Islam and Muslim countries.”

‘Meena’, who travelled to Delhi last year to find out the sex of her unborn fourth child, said it was easy to find a doctor in India to conduct the scan and subsequent abortion. Describing her deep personal sadness at being forced to abort the baby, ‘Meena’ said “Unfortunately it was another girl. My husband and I thought the burden would probably be too much and the pressure when I got back home. So we decided to terminate”. She added, “Personally it was very upsetting for me. I didn’t really want my other children to know, and I don’t mean it in a bad way, but my husband seemed rather blasé about it. I think I felt bad because I knew I shouldn’t be doing this - for the reasons I was doing it - it wasn’t nice.”

The BBC also sensationally revealed that it had used an undercover British Indian couple to find out just how easy or hard it is to persuade an Indian doctor to determine the sex of a foetus and terminate the pregnancy. It said its undercover couple went to one of Delhi’s leading gynaecologists, Dr Mangala Telang, who is actually recommended by the British High Commission and has publicly campaigned against the “evil” crime of female foeticide.

The BBC said that its secret filming showing Telang agreeing to perform the ultrasound scan, warning the couple not to tell anyone about what they were doing as it is illegal and agreeing to recommend a doctor to carry out an abortion if the foetus were a girl.

The doctor has refused to admit she did anything wrong though the BBC insists its film shows this to be the case.

Entry Filed under: In The News

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Eeek!! Ma Durga is not amused, no doubt. I suspect some heads will get chomped for this.

[Redsox]

 

What the hell are you talking about anyway? The topic is the educational system.

Material education and spiritual education. I am saying both are necessary, the schooling system provides material education. The spiritual education is left up to God and his path set for the student.

[theist]

 

Material education and spiritual education. I am saying both are necessary, the schooling system provides material education. The spiritual education is left up to God and his path set for the student.

Yes both are neceesary and important. But only one is absolutely essential and that is spiritual education.

 

Who is in the better position at the time of death?

 

1. Bill Gates as the richest man in the world.

 

2. A homeless, penniless, illiterate vagabond who is Krsna conscious.

 

 

No problem being a scientist, warrior, academic, merchant or laborer as long as you are working in karma-yoga with an eye to bhakti.

 

Presently we have only material education only which at the very best has only temporary benefits, and even those benefits are in doubt.

 

"Simple living and high thinking."

[suchandra]

 

Yes both are neceesary and important. But only one is absolutely essential and that is spiritual education.

 

Who is in the better position at the time of death?

 

1. Bill Gates as the richest man in the world.

 

2. A homeless, penniless, illiterate vagabond who is Krsna conscious.

 

 

No problem being a scientist, warrior, academic, merchant or laborer as long as you are working in karma-yoga with an eye to bhakti.

 

Presently we have only material education only which at the very best has only temporary benefits, and even those benefits are in doubt.

 

"Simple living and high thinking."

This was clearly always Prabhupada's point, people are so absorbed in materialism that they cannot consider what they will be attached to at the time when giving up this body. Present undestanding is that people actually laugh when contemplating of becoming an animal in the next life.

This was at a recent tv show, "if you could choose what to become in your next life, what would you like to become?" Many people said, dog, cat or bird.

Today they made a poll, 61% are against vegetarianism at Krishna Avanti School.

Proof what people are greatly worried about - meat eating.

 

Readers: Admissions policy too strict

HARROWTIMES

By Tristan Kirk

 

 

Comment

 

THE majority of visitors to the Harrow Times website think the admissions policy for the first Hindu school in Britain is too strict.

The Krishna Avanti school, which will be built in Camrose Avenue, Edgware, has been criticised after announcing it will favour applications to the school from families who follow the ISKCON, or Hare Krishna religion, a specific brand of Hinduism.

In this week's web poll, 61 per cent said the policy, which favours families who are vegetarian and do not drink alcohol, is too strict.

However, 39 per cent voted in favour of the school's policy, which was criticised by the Hindu Council UK this week.

[theist]

Yes, they must have their meat. How can there be education without eating decaying animal carcass?

[suchandra]

 

Yes, they must have their meat. How can there be education without eating decaying animal carcass?

Ok, wise decision, the school management revises its policy and declares they're open to compromise.

 

UK school revises 'Hindu' admission policy

 

 

<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">Thursday, 13 December , 2007, 10:03 </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" height="8">http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14575066

 

</td></tr> <tr class="ash12normal"> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <!-- google_ad_section_start=sify_article -->London: Britain's first state-funded Hindu school has revised its admission policy in view of criticism of its efforts to define a 'practising Hindu', and has now made temple priests responsible for determining the status of a Hindu family applying for admission to the school.

Also read: Who is a Hindu? UK school lists out the 'qualities'

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The school, named Krishna-Avanti Primary School, is located in the London borough of Harrow, which has the highest concentration of Hindus in any council in Britain: 40,000. The school is promoted by a charity organisation called the I-Foundation.

The policy had earlier defined 'practising Hindus' as those who performed daily prayer and deity worship either at a temple or at home, and accepted and followed Vedic scriptures, in particular the Bhagavad Gita.

It also laid down that practising Hindus must be involved in at least weekly temple related voluntary work, attend temple programmes at least fortnightly and abstain from meat, including fish and eggs, alcohol, smoking and drugs.

Nitesh Gor, director of the I-Foundation, told IANS: "As the intention of the school's sponsors is to create a school open to all across the community, we have therefore decided to devolve responsibility for defining a practising Hindu to local temples, whatever branch of Hinduism they represent.

 

 

"This will give to the authorities at each individual temple the power to determine for themselves whether an individual is practising in line with the values and practices of their particular branch of Hinduism".

Gor said the organisation had consulted widely on the admission policy, but admitted that there was criticism of it being "too strict and exclusive". He added that the principle that underpinned the school was that its ethos and practice, developed under the guidance of its faith partner, would reflect and promote the tenets and spiritual values that were core to Hinduism.

Gor said: "The task of creating an admission policy for a cross-community Hindu school was never going to be straight forward, and because of the widely held expectation that the school will be overd it was inevitable that it would be subject to great scrutiny.

"Nevertheless, the principles behind the Krishna-Avanti school remain unchanged: to promote core Hindu values, while providing a first rate education".

Anil Bhanot, general secretary of the Hindu Council UK (HCUK), said of the new approach: "The Hindu faith has a long and commendable tradition of diversity and the admissions policy for the Krishna-Avanti school reflects this. This school is a significant venture for the UK Hindu community."

The admission process has started for the intake of the first batch of students in September 2008. Places are limited to 30 and are expected to be heavily over-d. The official faith advisor to the school is International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) UK, which will advise on aspects of how the Hindu faith can be integrated and taught within the school. <!-- google_ad_section_end=sify_article -->

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[suchandra]

This probably goes conform to the forum members' policy, always be a man of peace, why care about meat-eating?

 

Hare Krishna school cannot be only for vegetarians

British Hindu school gives up vegan policy

LONDON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- London's Krishna-Avanti school, the first Hindu state school in Britain, has shelved its reported vegetarians-only admission rule after local criticism. The school in London's Harrow district stirred up a controversy among the local community and with the Hindu Council U.K. after it announced that only students would be accepted for the September semester who met the institution's definition of a practicing Hindu, apparently meaning Hindus who are vegetarians, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

The admission policy defined a practicing Hindu as one who performed daily prayers, did charity work once a week at the temples, practiced the teachings of the ancient Hindu scriptures and abstained from eating meat, fish or eggs. The policy came under attack from the Hindu Council and others, who said the policy would automatically rule out most of the 15,000 Hindu children in the community, the report said.

In the Hindu tradition, there are both vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. The school, whose enrollment is expected to far exceed its target, has now decided the issue of a practicing Hindu would be settled by local Temples, the report said.

 

The head of the Hindu Council welcomed the rule change, adding the Krishna-Avanti school "is a significant venture for the U.K. Hindu community.'" Copyright 2007 by United Press International

[tackleberry]

What's wrong with this school? If they have such a strict admission policy, not even one person is gonna join, or even qualify. This is the 21st century, for heaven's sakes, not the medieval ages, where perfect brahmna culture could be adopted. It's impossible to follow rules and regs, even for a religious person, the problems are just way too many in this yuga.

[theist]

Why can't there be a whole range of different kinds of schools. Some very strict, others not as strict etc. I could see a school that only promoted vegetarian diets and served only vegetarian food but allowing even kids from families that ate meat to attend. Just no meat on campus.

 

No reason we can't have both. One may be much smaller than the other but who cares.

 

Strict government control of the education of children is not my cup of tea. Just mind control by demons as far as I am concerned.

 

Break up this monoploy in as many ways as possible.

[suchandra]

 

Why can't there be a whole range of different kinds of schools. Some very strict, others not as strict etc. I could see a school that only promoted vegetarian diets and served only vegetarian food but allowing even kids from families that ate meat to attend. Just no meat on campus.

 

No reason we can't have both. One may be much smaller than the other but who cares.

 

Strict government control of the education of children is not my cup of tea. Just mind control by demons as far as I am concerned.

 

Break up this monoploy in as many ways as possible.

Hindu School makes policy change

posted 09 July 2008

http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/display.var.2386863.0.0.php

By Jack Royston

 

 

Comment

 

BRITAIN'S first state funded Hindu school is set to change the way it accepts students.

The original policy for the Krishna-Avanti Primary School, in Edgware, set aside ten places out of 30 for children chosen by the people who run the school.

This number is due to be halved, following a request by Harrow Council.

advertisement

 

The policy has not been used this year because not enough families applied by the closing date, so the school started accepting pupils on a first come first served basis.

But it expects to be overd, and in future years Hindu children under the care of Harrow Council will be accepted first, followed by pupils with learning difficulties who are advised to go there by officers.

The school will only then be able to nominate children after siblings of existing pupils are accepted.

Building work on the school is expected to finish by September 2009, but teaching is due to start this Autumn, with classes being held in Little Stanmore First and Middle School, in St Davids Drive, Edgware.

2:23pm today