YES there should be a Muslim voluntary-aided girls' school in Blackburn. It would be better than what we have at present.

Many Muslim parents opt out of state schools. Every child of Muslim parents who is placed in a private Muslim school takes central government resources out of Blackburn twice over.

Firstly, education-authority resources allocated for that child. Secondly, the child loses the resources allocated by central government for their education.

Some Muslim parents say multicultural education has failed their children as they come out of school with no Muslim identity, no standards of right and wrong and no qualifications. It is a good point and certainly worth debate.

There is no question that voluntary-aided schools provide good education. Read the school league tables value added column.

There are four possible objections to the creation of a Muslim voluntary-aided girls' school in Blackburn:

1. A secular school system provides the best social cohesion. Well, I would love to hear how secular education has provided good social cohesion in France or in the Bible belt of the USA or, for that matter, in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford.

2. A Muslim school will deliver a narrow curriculum. But if Bicknell Street School goes public it will have to teach the National Curriculum and will be open to OFSTED inspection.

3. A Muslim VA girls school threatens to reduce pupil numbers in my school. It is hardly worth arguing with this is it?

4. Muslims are not fit to run schools. Another shameful argument. The officers of the borough have done great work over the last four years in developing and appointing school governors from the Muslim community in a far more representative way.

The argument against a Muslim girls' school in Blackburn sounds to me like a re-run of the arguments that were used against Catholic schools a century ago.

It will be shameful to us all and unjust to Muslims if our councillors go through a huge and expensive process of public consultation about education in Blackburn with Darwen and produce nothing from it.

DALE BARTON (County Inter Faith Development Officer, Churches Together in Lancashire), Vincent Court, Blackburn.