The ceremony marked the beginning of construction work at the school

A ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of England's first Hindu state school has been held in London.

The Krishna-Avanti primary school in Edgware will take its first pupils
in September but, initially, classes will be held in temporary
accommodation.

The construction of the £10m school is expected to finish by August 2009.

The ceremony called Bhumi Puja involved seeking permission from
Mother Earth by priests chanting ancient prayers accompanied by drums
and cymbals.

The school, which offers 236 places, will have its own Hindu
temple and all meals will be vegetarian, but its lessons will follow
the national curriculum.

'Admissions discrimination'

Critics have warned that faith schools could divide communities.

Andrew Copson, from the British Humanist Association, said: "What makes
faith schools different from community schools is the fact that they
can discriminate in their admissions... to select children on the basis
of religion and sometimes of course that coincides with ethnicity."

This viewpoint was dismissed by the school's headteacher Naina
Parmar who said the school would "promote community cohesion, inclusion
and value inter-cultural and religious diversity".

About a third of schools in England are faith schools -
including Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Christian denominations. But so far
there has not been a Hindu school.

The I-Foundation, which has promoted the founding of the school in
Edgware, has also proposed Hindu schools in Barnet and Leicester,
combining both primary and secondary levels.

Last autumn, the Department for Children, Schools and Families repeated
its commitment to faith schools where there was local demand from
parents.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7441561.stm