SENIOR councillors will this week hand over a major school site in Blackburn to the Tauheedul foundation.

They will approve the formal transfer of part of the former Beardwood High School buildings and playgrounds on Preston New Road to the trustees of the Tauheedul Islam Girls High School from September 1.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive board will also rubber stamp the transfer of the remainder of the complex on Thursday, including most of the playing fields, to The Olive Free School Trust for an Islamic primary.

Under legislation the borough is required to make the transfers for no financial compensation. It will incur legal costs of £10,000 over the changes of ownership.

The council will keep ownership of some of the playing fields which will be managed and maintained by the girls’ high school.

The Olive schools will start with 90 pupils in September next year building up to an eventual 630 primary-aged children.

The Tauheedul Islam Girls High School is moving from its current site in Bicknell Street to the premises of the old Beardwood Humanities College.

With the launch of the new Tauheedul Islamic Boys High School it means the foundation, launched in 1984, will provide education from reception to sixth form for both sexes.

The borough does have legal protection as ‘the land and/or buildings cannot be disposed of or used for non-educational purposes without the council’s consent’, the report by officers tells the executive board.

Council leader Kate Hollern said: “We are concerned about the transfer of publically-owned assets to what are basically privately-owned companies.

“This government has made clear it wants to transfer the schools system from local education authorities to the private business sector.

“I am also concerned what these means in terms of planning for schools and pupils in the borough as more and more schools places leave the local authority.

“I just hope that Tauheedul, the other academies and free schools work with us to provide the right educational provision for everyone in the borough.”

There was no-one from Tauheedul available for comment because of the Easter school holidays.