The school has both male and female students

Leicester's Islamic Academy will be funded by the government after Leicester City Council voted to support to the initiative.

The academy in London Road in Leicester has fee-paying pupils, but the campaign will allow pupils to attend without charges.

The school plans to add a building to its campus after final approval, which is expected to be given by Whitehall in September 2003.

Open the gates

The principal of the school, Dr Mohammed Mukadam, said: "The school has been established for over 20 years and the pupils are very excited about this."

"We applied for government funding 10 years ago, so we are glad that Leicester council is finally accepting diversity."

Mr Mukadam said about 40% of teachers at the school come from a non-Muslim background.

"The city administration is finally listening to the people and to their needs and responding positively," he said.

"The funding will give the school additional resources that we really need and it will allow us to interact with other schools," Mr Mukadam added.

"The gates will open and we will be able to exchange views with other schools and it will be good for social cohesion," he said.