Andalusia Academy

Historical Background

Monday 12 September 2005 is an historical day in Bristol when Andalusia Academy Bristol (AAB) started its operations as Bristol’s first full-time school of Islamic environment. Andalusia Academy was established, and run by Bristol Islamic Schools Trust (BIST), charity registration number : 1070273.

What is Bristol Islamic Schools Trust?

• It is a registered charity (registration number 1070273) and was established in December 1997.
• Its main aim is to create full-time schools in Bristol which teach the National Curriculum in Islamic environment.
• The Board of Trustees includes members from different ethnic backgrounds which make up the Muslim Community of Bristol.
• Andalusia Academy is the first project of BIST.
• The Trustees have established long contacts with Bristol Local education Authority (LEA) which culminated in the publication of a MORI survey report in June 2004 about the needs for a full time Islamic School in Bristol. The report has shown 92% demand for the school.
• The LEA acknowledged the need but decided to defer their action due to lack of funding. Therefore BIST decided to create AAB as a small scale, independent and fee paying school.

The Aims of BIST

The main aim is to establish an educational institution where children can have a high standard of education based on the National Curriculum within an Islamic environment.

The aims of BIST are:

• To provide means of quality education for young people.
• To provide support, social and recreational facilities for the community at large.
• To encourage personal development activities for Muslim women.
• To establish quality nursery and crèche facilities.
• To promote cultural activities within the Bristol community.
• To establish a comprehensive and easily accessible Islamic library.
• To promote and support other ethnic organisations in Bristol.

The Board of Trustees

BIST is governed by its Board of Trustees whose members represent the diverse ethnic minorities of Bristol. The Trust Board has created a number of task groups to which other individual volunteers contribute. This includes the Funding Group, the Construction and Planning Group, and the Publicity and Media Group.

For more information about BIST, please visit www.bist.org.uk or email info@bist.org.uk.