King Fahad Academy

King Fahad Academy (KFA; Arabic: أكاديمية الملك فهد بلندن) was a private school in Acton in the London Borough of Ealing that provided an Islamic-based education for children aged from 3 to 18. The school was on the former site of the Faraday High School (closed 1984).

It was a registered charity under English law, and the chairman of the board of trustees was Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud (born 1977).

The school was founded in September 1985 under the authority of King Fahad Bin Abd Al-Aziz Al-Saud and catered to the children of Saudi diplomats, Arab Muslims, and the local community in London.

Textbook Controversy

In February 2007, the school was featured on BBC's Newsnight programme. The school's director, Dr. Sumaya Aluyusuf, defended the use of Saudi textbooks describing religions other than Islam as "worthless" and comparing their adherents to pigs and monkeys. The books were later edited, and the controversial descriptions removed as they were found to not adhere to Islamic beliefs of equality and peace.

Closure of School

The school was financially supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since its inception. Due to a lack of funding, the school closed at the end of the academic year 2022/23 as alternate funding was not established. Despite pushback from the Director General, the news regarding the closure was announced internally to staff on Tuesday 2nd May 2023, and to parents by the trustees of the school on Friday 5th May 2023. The Saudi Embassy and the Academy's management team faced criticism from staff and parents due to the short notice announcement of the closure. A petition was started by a previous member of staff urging the Saudi Embassy to revisit their decision. The petition garnered over 900 signatures from staff, parents, students, and the local community. A parent proclaimed "this school was the foundation of learning that has empowered me as a female, current international educator and mother. Between the memories and values instilled in me at KFA, this place deserves to remain an academic anchor that will enrich more lives and livelihoods of generations to come". Following the announcement of the closure of the Academy, Tahani Aljafari, the Director General, tendered her resignation.

See also

• List of schools in Ealing
• British International School, Riyadh
• British International School of Jeddah
• List of things named after Saudi Kings

References

External links

• Official website
• Official website (in Arabic)
• Ofsted: King Fahad Academy
• Edubase: King Fahad Academy