A MUSLIM girls' school was today told a funding bid to build new premises had been turned down.

The Tauheedul private school in Shear Brow, Blackburn, submitted a capital bid to the Department for Education and Skills for the money for the project.

It wants to move and expand from a 265-place girls school in Bicknell Street to better premises with potential to accommodate 700 pupils, admitting pupils from a much wider area than the town centre Masjid-e-Tauheedul Islam mosque as at present.

The school's hopes are now pinned on a further bid by Blackburn with Darwen Council through the Building Schools for the Future programme, the decision on which is due in early summer.

The plans are part of a wider aim to move from being a fee paying independent school to one under the LEA's control. If successful it would become the first Muslim state school in Lancashire.

Peter Morgan, Blackburn with Darwen Council director of education, said the school submitted a Targeted Capital Funding bid to the government's DfES last year.

The capital bid, money earmarked uniquely for building work, followed the council's approval of their bid to seek voluntary aided status.

He said the council had "separately submitted an expression of interest under the Building Schools for the Future programme to provide future 21st century standard secondary schools.

"Clearly this is a factor which the DfES has taken account of.

"The LEA will continue to work with the school and the DfES to secure capital funding for a new voluntary aided Muslim faith school in the borough."

Deputy headteacher Munir Vali said a sub committee, accountable to the mosque, was running the bid in accordance with guidance from the LEA.

He said: "This was not our main focus. We are hopeful the bid with the borough council will be more successful with our hopes of becoming an LEA-run school still on track."

A spokesperson for the DfES said: "The bid by Tauheedul has been unsuccessful and the school will receive a detailed report in the middle of next month explaining why. The school will be able to reapply in the next funding round."