THREE Blackburn Islamic organisations want to set up controversial ‘free schools’ in the borough.

The Department for Education said it had received three expressions of interest from the groups to set up the schools – a major plank of the Coalition Government’s education policy.

But the National Union of Teachers said it feared the new schools would encourage segregation and would take millions of pounds from pupils in mainstream education.

The expressions of interest are understood to be from bosses at Tauheedul Islam Girls School, and two Islamic independent girls schools Islamiyah School, Little Harwood and Al-Islah School, Audley Range.

Free schools are publicly funded independent schools which are free from local authority control.

They will be able to set their own pay and conditions for staff, have freedom from following the National Curriculum and the ability to change the lengths of their terms and school days.

A further two applications, also for Islamic schools, have been touted to education bosses according to teaching unions, but have not yet been submitted to central Government.

Business plans will now have to be put together and submitted to the Government, which wants its first free schools opened by September next year.

At least two of the schools would be for around 400 pupils.

The NUT said that as about £4,000 was allocated for each pupil in the borough, around £3.2million could be taken out of mainstream education to fund the schools.

Simon Jones, Blackburn with Darwen division secretary for the NUT, said: “These schools if given the go ahead could just segregate the education system.

“I believe Blackburn with Darwen has not had the same community cohesion problems or riots as areas such as Burnley and Bradford because of the number of community schools in the area.

“The free schools will also have a massive impact on funding because the money will be coming out of school budgets.

"It in not new money that is being used to set the free schools up.

“We fear the applications could have an impact on the Building Schools for the Future application funding which has been approved and this could change.”

Coun Maureen Bateson, executive member for children’s services for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said there was already a good range of schools in the borough.

She said: “If any schools did come into the system we would want them to work in the family of schools in Blackburn with Darwen.

“Any free schools would have to provide a good education for pupils and good facilities.

“We will look at the issue of free schools when the Department for Education comes to us.”

When asked if it could cause segregation, she said: “I would hope not. We would have to see the details of the applications.”

Salim Mulla, chairman of Lancashire Council of Mosques, said free schools need not cause divisions.

He said: “We support any application to do with improving education and we are in support of that as an organisation.

“Detailed discussions about the applications are ongoing and they have our full support.”

The Department for Education confirmed it had received three expressions of interest to date which would now progress to the business case stage.

A spokesman said: “We want to create more choice for parents over where they send their child to school, which is why we are allowing teachers, parents and faith groups to set up free schools where there is local demand.”