A TRUST planning to open a free school in Bradford next September wants it to become a community hub.

Khalsa Engineering Academy will be a primary school, likely to be based at the former Fagley Community Centre, and intends to open for its first 60 reception pupils in the new school year.

It will be run by the Khalsa Education Trust, a Leeds-based Sikh group. However, the group insists the school will not be a Sikh faith school, but open to all children.

The school's future home had been subject of controversy earlier this year when the Fagley Youth and Community Group was evicted by landlord Newlands which planned to sell the site to the school.

The community group protested that its lease was not due to expire until March 2015, and although the school later put back its opening date by a year, the eviction went ahead.

The trust, which runs the Khalsa Science Academy in Leeds, says it chose to open in Fagley because of the pressure on school places in the area, which could see another 600 homes built if a housing development at Fagley Quarry is approved.

It said it hopes its Bradford school will expand as pupil numbers increase year-on-year until it reaches capacity in 2021.

Katrina Cliffe, a spokesman for the trust, said: "The trust wants to allow the school to be used for community purposes like community groups and youth clubs like scouts, anyone who wants to run events out of school hours or on weekends.

"We really want the school to become part of the community and give the local area a hub it needs for life in the 21st century.

"We want to support parents as well as children and run a number of workshops to help parents help their children and a number of adult learning workshops."

She said pupils would be taught the full national curriculum, with a focus on science and technology.

"It is a Sikh trust, but there is some misconception about what the school is about. It is not exclusive and will be open to all. The RE curriculum will be what is taught elsewhere in the local authority.

"It is similar to way Church of England schools work. Most of the teaching staff will not be Sikh.

"We are holding a consultation event next month, we want to make sure the community is kept informed."

The trust has already been given permission by the Department for Education to open, and funding will be granted once pupils have signed up.

The trust will hold a community consultation event on November 17 at Eccleshill Mechanics Institute from 7pm to 9pm.