CONTENTS
03
Welcome
04
Our Vision
06
Milestones
08
About Al-Noor Primary School
10
Al-Noor in the Community
12
The Importance of Supporting
Al-Noor Foundation
14
Our Appeal
03
WELCOME
Assalamu Alaykum,
Welcome to Al-Noor Foundation. AlNoor is an established Educational
project in the East of London. A unique
project, which was initiated in 1997
by a group of local residents, business
people and volunteers who believed
in the essential role education plays
in the development of our youth. We
firmly believed this development
would enhance their future prospects
and thereby positively touch their
surrounding community. Since AlNoor Primary first opened its doors to
the local Muslim children in Redbridge,
this school has grown from strength to
strength.
We live in a world today where Islamic
schools have a huge role to play in
British Society. Our children have
the potential and energy to be great
ambassadors for their faith through
following the Book of Allah and the
Sunnah of His Final Messenger (peace
and blessings upon him). We believe
they can be excellent role models
who will contribute positively towards
the local communities in which they
reside.
Wassalamu Alaykum
Daud Juneja
Chair, Al-Noor Foundation
Al-Noor Foundation has to this effect
evolved as an organisation, and over
the years has adopted a community
focused approach. Our annual Al-Noor
Family Funday is attended by around
10,000 local residents, and has become
part of the local fabric of events
promoted by the Local Authority.
We also initiated an award winning
Positive Change street cleaning
campaign in Redbridge which inspired
other groups to replicate the initiative
in their respective localities.
We are now embarking upon the next
phase of our vision; the development
of Al-Noor Secondary School. This
coupled with the imminent Voluntary
Aided Primary School will hopefully
allow us to provide education to over
1300 young people in the local area and
impact hundreds of families.
Our vision is to create an educational
institute which will contribute towards
the development of young people who
will bring a positive change in the
society they live in. I kindly request for
your support towards our endeavours,
and hope that you will join us so that
together we can achieve these noble
and lofty goals for the benefit of the
whole community.
04
OUR VISION
Individuals, families and communities that
truly understand and accept their purpose
of being in this world, confidently live and
work together for a just, responsible and
compassionate society
Al-Noor was launched in
1998 with a vision of making
a positive change in our
community. As local residents
growing up in London, we
wanted to give something back
to our community. We wanted to
make a positive change, to invest
in our future generation by
embedding core values such as
kindness, respect, compassion
and good character.
Our strategy is to unlock the
amazing
potential
within
people, starting at the youngest
of ages, with Al-Noor Primary
School. We believe our balanced
education of primarily good
character, along with academic
excellence provides a holistic
education for the future citizens
of our community. We now
embark on a continuation of the
development of our children by
providing the high standards
of character development and
academic achievement in our
proposed Secondary School.
05
We hold 4 values very
dear to us:
Integrity
We
believe
integrity,
honesty,
transparency and truthfulness are the
cornerstone of our project and the mantle
from which all thriving communities
should be built. We believe that all involved
in Al-Noor should strive to have integrity
in their private and professional life. This
will allow our community to confidently
live and work together.
Continuous Improvement
We believe to create leaders in the
community; we must be a people that
continuously improve. We must improve
in our character, our professionalism,
working practices and most importantly
our devotion to God.
Valuing People
We believe that individuals make
families, families make communities and
communities make the world. It is for this
reason that ‘Valuing People’ is central
to our organisation. Without people our
education programmes are just bricks
and mortar.
Positive Change
We believe that as a team we must aspire
and inspire positive change in the world
around us. We believe that our projects
will result in a positive change in the
community and act as a catalyst for a just,
responsible and compassionate society.
06
MILESTONES
January 1997
Al-Noor is established as a Registered Charity.
July 2000
The school building, located in Ilford, was purchased for
£500,000 from raising funds from the local community.
September 2002
First Phase of refurbishment works were completed at a
cost of £300,000.
October 2002
School opened the doors to its first intake of 50 pupils
with two classes.
July 2003
DfES Registration received after a successful Ofsted
inspection.
July 2004
Al-Noor holds its 1st Family Funday. This would become
an annual event attracting over 10,000 attendees from the
community.
January 2005
Al-Noor raises £60,000 for victims of the Tsunami disaster.
May 2005
Fundraising campaign is launched to raise £150,000 to
complete Phase II of the construction work.
September 2006
Al-Noor completes Phase II renovations.
February 2007
Al-Noor launches Phase III of the expansion of Al-Noor
and needs to raise £250,000.
January 2009
Al-Noor purchases land behind Al-Noor Primary School
to expand the playground.
October 2009
Al-Noor completes the purchase of White Hart Pub for
£650,000. The site was crucial in the expansion of Al-Noor
School.
October 2010
Al-Noor Primary achieves ‘Good with Outstanding
features’ from OFSTED.
April 2013
Our 10th student completes memorisation of the Holy
Qur’an.
May 2013
Al-Noor is awarded the ‘Mayor’s Green Award’ for its ‘For a
Positive Change’ initiative.
September 2014
Redbridge completes a feasibility study for a Voluntary
Aided Muslim Primary School.
April 2015
Al-Noor completes deposit of ‘Newton Ind Est’ for the
purpose of building a Al-Noor Secondary School.
08
ABOUT AL-NOOR
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Al-Noor Primary School delivers a curriculum based on
the National Curriculum, which is also informed and
supplemented by Qur’anic, Islamic and Arabic Studies.
Established in 2002, Al-Noor’s focus is on developing the holistic student through the
prophetic process of Tarbiyyah. Al-Noor’s emphasis on character development resonates
throughout the school, and is embedded within the culture of our entire organisation.
We have a unique framework for character development which draws upon blending the
National Curriculum with extra-curricular activities, outdoor programs, community-based
projects and role modelling.
Achievements
In the past 10 years, Al-Noor Primary has achieved KS2 results exceeding the National
Average, and which are also comparatively higher than those of the leading mainstream
schools in Redbridge.
Al-Noor KS2 Results Comparison 2014
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
Al-Noor Independent
100
100
100
Redbridge Primary
100
99
100
St Anthony's Catholic
92
85
95
Clore Tikva School
90
80
97
Christchurch Primary
98
98
98
Aldersbrook Primary
94
84
94
National Average
86
74
85
Name of School*
*Top 5 schools in Redbridge in 2013 ranked by % Level 4 or Higher (Reading, Writing & Mathematics) against
Al-Noor.
Islamic Studies
Within Islamic Studies, Al-Noor has a
comprehensive program for children
ranging from studying about Allah, the
amazing lessons from the Seerah and
the reading and meaning of the amazing
Qur’an. This is done with a strong
emphasis of the Arabic language. The
impact of these programs is provided in
Figures 1 and 2 below.
20%
15%
6-10 Juz
11-20 Juz
15%
50%
21-30 Juz
1-5 Juz
Figure 1: Al-Noor Qur'an Memorisation Chart
100%
of students are able to link their Arabic
learning concepts with the Quran.
90%
of students are able to maintain a basic
conversation or presentation in Arabic
from a range of topics.
40%
of students at the end of Year 6 would
be able to take a GCSE in Arabic if they
further their learning for an additional 12
months.
Figure 2: Al-Noor Arabic Progress Highlights
10
AL-NOOR
IN THE COMMUNITY
Al-Noor
Foundation
not only plays
a part in our
children’s
academic
and character
development
and
understanding,
but also in
the wider
community
too.
In a relatively short period
of time, the school has
developed
strong
links
with faith organisations,
neighbourhood
support
groups, the local authority
and other local schools.
Our first cohort which
started at Al-Noor Muslim
Primary in 2002, will Insha
Allah be carrying on their
development at universities
this year.
Meet you Muslim neighbour
Al-Noor has organised annual meet
your Muslim neighbour exhibition at
Ilford Town Hall. The event attracts over
2000 visitors and is an opportunity for
the local community to find out more
about Al-Noor. It serves as an important
role in helping the local community
to understand Islam and Muslim faith
schools.
The event includes an exhibition about
Islam, free gifts for guests, interactive
displays, workshops, speakers, children’s
area, creative arts and food.
7th Goodmayes Al-Noor Scouts
The 7th Goodmayes Al-Noor Scouts is a
fantastic local project which encourages
children from all communities to join the
scouts. Set up in the summer of 2005, the
scouts has over 80 children including
Beavers and Cubs.
The Al-Noor Sports Academy
A mixture of parents, staff and Al-Noor
volunteers who manage a number of
sporting clubs for children in the local
community. Activities include football,
swimming, wing chung, archery and
horse riding.
For a Positive Change
This award winning initiative launched
by the Al-Noor Foundation is to instil
ownership and responsibility in our
communities and have a positive impact
on our surroundings. The Foundation
partnered with different local Muslim
organisations to complete road sweeps
of their local area. We showed that the
Muslim community cares about where
it lives and we received a great response
from the local community and businesses.
The positive initiative was awarded the
Mayors Green Redbridge Award in 2012.
Supporting Needy Causes
Al-Noor staff, children and friends came
together for an evening fundraiser for
the survivors of the 2004 Tsunami. It was
a great success, raising over £60,000 for
the victims. The event was supported
by the football star Fredrick Kanoute.
More recently we have partnered up with
Islamic Relief to raise £250,000 for those
suffering in the Syrian conflict.
12
THE IMPORTANCE
OF SUPPORTING ALNOOR FOUNDATION
In the UK there are over 2 million Muslims.
37% of this Muslim population is based in
London and its neighbouring boroughs.
With 33% of Muslims being under the age of 15 years, the educational
landscape national statistics indicate that academically Muslim
children are underachieving with 26% of Muslims having no
qualifications and only 24% of the Muslim population above 16 have
degree level or above qualifications.
Ethnicity data shows that Muslims, as a minority in the UK are
one of the most deprived segments of society in various aspects
such as housing, healthcare, access to justice and education.
National educational statistics indicate that Muslim children are
underachieving academically. 26% of Muslims have no qualifications
while only 24% have qualifications at degree level or above.
It is imperative that we provide educational institutes that develop
the next generation of Muslims into high achieving, confident
individuals with excellent morals and character. Al-Noor Primary
has already been attending to this task. Our academic results to
date are testimony to our effort to educate young individuals well.
By supporting Al-Noor we are investing in our future generation,
believing that they have the talent and ability to live and work
together to create a compassionate society.
Sadly the current situation of the Muslims in the UK is disappointing:
8.1%
73%
5.5%
of all school age
children are
Muslim.
of Muslims state
their only national
identity is British.
of Muslims are
in the higher
managerial,
administrative
or professional
categories.
300,000
18%
By 2021 there will
be 300,000 Muslim
teenagers.
of the prison
population is
Muslim.
13
Attending a good preschool and primary has
more impact on children's
academic progress than
their gender or family
background, researchers
claimed today. The
Institute of Education
study found that the
quality of teaching
children receive is more
important than their
gender or family income.
A high quality preschool followed by an
academically effective
primary school gives
children's development
a significant boost, the
researchers found.
Anthea Lipsett, Guardian Educational
Reporter
Locally the statistics
show that we must do
even more to support the
future generation:
35%
In Ilford South Muslims
make up 35% of the total
population.
34.4%
In Redbridge 34.4% of all
children aged between 5
and 15 are Muslim.
7,985
Redbridge has the
seventh highest Muslim
student population in the
UK with 7,985 students.
9,016
Redbridge has the 2nd
highest low achieving
Muslim population
in the UK with 9,016
Muslims having never
worked or in long term
unemployment.
Sources: http://www.mcb.
org.uk/muslimstatistics/
14
AL-NOOR
FAMILY FUNDAY
Al-Noor Foundation’s Annual Funday at
Valentines Park has earned its own unique
popularity. Over the past decade our Family
Funday has evolved into an exciting, action
packed and mouth-watering day for the whole
family. A true community event for all of
Redbridge and East London.
Last year’s event attracted over
10,000
visitors
Visitors thoroughly enjoy the variety of
activities on offer including bumper cars,
fairground rides, huge inflatable slides, bouncy
castles, arts and crafts to name but a few. We
had a huge variety of food, stalls and activities
for young and old.
15
We have vast array of activities for all ages
ranging from the very young to great events
for young adults. The food will be delicious,
so come along and enjoy our barbecues with
their hot sizzling chicken and burgers. There
will be a variety of stalls and businesses with
great offer sand a giant screen with great
live and interactive with the event and its
attendees.
Over the past decade Al-Noor Funday
has been proud to be sponsored by some
amazing National and local organisations
and businesses. Here is what some of our
sponsors have said:
Saracen Solicitors are proud to have
sponsored the Al-Noor Funday. It is one of
London’s finest family events, professionally
organised and enjoyable for all involved. From
a commercial public relations perspective we
have found it to be a valuable exercise. We
whole heartedly recommend it…” (Fraz Butt,
Saracen Solicitors)
As a leading UK Charity, Islamic Relief
is honoured to sponsor Al-Noor Family
Funday, we are able to market our activities
and strengthen our relationship with the
community, thousands attend the funday
each year and this helps increase our
exposure (Islamic Relief, World Charity).
16
Khalil Ur Rahman
OUR TEAM
Daud Juneja
is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees and
is among the founding members of the Al-Noor
project which was initiated way back in the
1990’s. Now retired, Daud previously worked for
the Ford Motor Company for 26 years. Promoted
several times, Daud worked for over 7 years as
Senior Buyer before retiring. In this role, Daud
was responsible for the purchasing of services
of over £50 million, negotiating major cost
saving during his tenure. Daud is a family man
with 4 children and many grandchildren. He
is also involved with many other charitable
projects locally and is an active member of the
community.
Sadiq Kothia
is a successful local entrepreneur of a retail and
contract flooring business. He is the Managing
Director of Taqwa Carpets which has been
established for over 19 years. Sadiq is also very
actively involved in local community cohesion
initiatives regularly sitting on several executive
committees including Preventing Extremism,
Redbridge Faith Forum, FORMO (Federation of
Redbridge Muslim Organisations) and Community
Policing to name but a few. Sadiq has 4 children,
two of which previously attended Al-Noor
Primary School. He is an active father who
involves his children in his community work
encouraging them to contribute too.
is married with 4 children and has lived in Ilford
for the past 29 years. He runs an international
property consultancy business which includes
property acquisition and advising private clients
on investing in London and Dubai. He is one of
the founding members of Al- Noor Foundation
and his property experience has been crucial to
the success of Al-Noor. Khalil has been involved
in many different businesses for the past 28
years and ran a very successful financial services
company in Central London advising high net
worth individuals and companies on investment
strategies.
Reza Jugon MEng
ACGI MBCS, is an IT professional working for a
global healthcare company. Reza has a keen
interest in community affairs and his previous
roles include being chairman of a local residents’
association, membership of an admissions
appeal panel of a VA school and active service
in the League of Friends of a General Hospital.
Reza has a Masters of Engineering Degree from
the Imperial College of Science, Technology and
Medicine. He has served as a trustee since 2004
and has been instrumental in school
admissions and the creation of a number of weekend
clubs to complement the school curriculum. He
is a hands-on father to his three children, all of
whom attended Al-Noor Primary.
Muhammed Ilyas Mirza
is the Managing Director of Foxplan Ltd. An IT
consultant by profession, he has over twenty five
years of experience in developing IT
solutions for medium-size businesses. He
graduated in Electrical Engineering and gained
an MSc in Information Technology. Ilyas has
been a keen supporter of promoting healthy
after school activities among the youth and helps
organise many programmes for young people at
his local mosque. Ilyas has been a trustee at
Al-Noor since its inception and plays a key role
in the development of ICT strategy at Al-Noor
Primary School.
17
Imran Hafiz
is currently the Director of an environmental
engineering consultancy based in Central London.
With over 15 years of experience working within
the construction industry he has developed
expertise within the housing and education
sectors and currently manages teams working
on a wide range of projects. With five children
of school age he takes a keen interest in local
education provision and has served as a
trustee for ten years. Imran is part of a core
group of trustees responsible for expanding
the education provision at Al-Noor as well as
planning and developing strategies for future
growth.
Imran Khan
is the proud father of four boys. He is Managing
Director to a successful property maintenance
business which has been established for over
16 years. His business, London Building Maintenance
has contracts with local councils and housing
associations and currently employs over
fifteen staff members. He has also recently
launched and established 313 Fitness Studios, a
fast growing name in the fitness industry
providing personal training using bespoke
training methods. The youngest of the
trustees, Imran has been a member of the team
for 11 years serving on the Estates Committee
responsible for site expansion and maintenance.
He is part of a managing team of three trustees
that organise the annual community fair: the
Al-Noor Family Fun Day.
Zulfiqar Ahmed I.Eng, MIIE (Elec)
has over 44 years of experience and expertise
in the electrical engineering and construction
industry. From leaving school he has worked
up from an apprentice to a technician electrician
in private industry. His experience includes
office and site-based electrical design and the
execution of contracts, including financial
control, with 11 years’ experience at the former
Greater London Council and the Inner London
Education Authority. For the last 24 years he
has been employed as a Principal
Electrical Design Engineer and Group Leader
at the London Borough of Newham working
in the building services of the social services,
housing, education and leisure department.
Recently he has taken voluntary early retirement
and reconsidering whether to continue work
on a part-time basis. A family man of four children,
Zulfiqar has been a committed trustee from the
outset.
Akhter Raouf
Chief Executive of Al-Noor Foundation holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Purchasing and
Marketing. Upon completion of his degree,
Akhter set up his own business and is the Managing
Director of Executive Logistics Services Ltd.
Akhter is inspired by projects that help
people to develop through education. At the
age of just 18, he was encouraged to join the
Al-Noor Foundation when it was forming, to
contribute his potential and young person’s
perspective. Instrumental in fundraising,
business development and the growth of the
management team, Akhter’s proudest moment
came in October 2002 when Al-Noor Primary
opened its door for the very first time. In
August 2014, Akhter became Chief Executive of
Al-Noor Foundation
Someera Butt
is the serving headteacher of the Al-Noor Primary,
the Foundation’s flagship school. She has led
the school for almost 12 years, starting a year
after its doors were first opened when it featured
KS1 classes only. She has worked with a
dedicated team of staff to build a unique school
environment and provision that seeks to nurture
the soul as much as it seeks to promote
academic achievement. Someera joined the
school after serving as a secondary school science
teacher for a number of years and after
completing a MSc in Theoretical Physics. Since
then she has also gained the National Professional
Qualification for Headship and a Post Graduate
Certificate in Mentoring and Coaching. She has
also provided training to teachers and school
leaders and advice on school improvement to
schools in difficulties. Someera is a mother of
four and a grandmother of two.
OUR
APPEAL
Al-Noor Foundation needs to
secure £4.4m by July 20th 2015
to complete the purchase of the
Newton Ind Est site, for the purpose
of building Al-Noor Secondary
School. We are reaching out to
the community to assist in the
development of this much needed
facility. This will provide a safe and
secure environment for our future
generation.
This site is:
•
•
•
•
Prime location on the A12.
7 minutes from King George’s Hospital,
Goodmayes.
3 acre site - seven times the size of AlNoor Primary.
Fantastic scope for a state of the art
Secondary School.
We need your help today
This site will also allow:
•
•
•
•
A Voluntary Aided Primary School to
be built on the current site of Al-Noor
Primary School, a project that will
cost over £8m.
Continuation of the academic and
character development of students up
to the age of 16 years old.
Both Primary and Secondary school
will provide education to over 1000
students.
Employment opportunities for the
local community.
19
How can I Donate?
By Donating Online www.al-noor.co.uk/donate
Donate through our secure online donation service, and
we will also collect Gift Aid on your behalf - this costs
you nothing, and will add around 25% to your donation so if you donate £1000, we will receive £1250.00, and this
costs you no extra.
By Standing Order
A standing order of just £30 every month will help
the Al-Noor Foundation continue its growth, repay its
debt and continue develop its character development
programme for the community.
For a standing order form, please email us or visit our
website:
E: [email protected]
W: www.al-noor.co.uk.
(Gift Aid will only be
collected if you are a
UK tax payer)
OUR BANK DETAILS:
Account Name:
Al-Noor Foundation
Account no:
70720592
Sort Code:
60-07-18
Bank Name:
NatWest East Ham Branch
Bic:
NWBGB2L
IBAN:
GB59 NWBK 6007 1870 7205 92
By giving us a Non Interest Free Loan (Qard Hasana)
Al-Noor Foundation is looking for short and long term Qard Hasana (interest free loans)
from well-wishers. Many of us have money saved up that we do not need immediately.
You can lend this money to the school for a fixed period and it will help with securing the
purchase of the site. Qard Hasana is a very useful way of helping out and at the same time
allows you to earn immense rewards by sharing in our work.
“Who will loan Allah a beautiful loan so He may multiply it for him many times?”
[Sûrah al-Hadîd: 11]
The Foundation has a strict payback policy. Alhamdulilah we have an excellent track
record over the last 15 years of returning over £550,000 of Qard hasana on time.
For further information please email us at [email protected] or by calling Br Akhter
on 0203 384 6899.
/AlNoorLegacy
@ AlNoorLegacy
Email: [email protected] Address: Al-Noor Foundation, 619-625 Green Lane, Goodmayes, Essex, IG3 9RP
Registered Charity Number: 1061120
www.al-noor.co.uk/leavinglegacies