GOVERNORS at a Muslim High School have said that £5million is "grossly insufficient" to bring it up to standard.

The claim is made in Tauheedul Islam girls school's formal response to Blackburn with Darwen Council's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.

The governing board of the Blackburn faith school is also asking for the school to be more than doubled in size to 1,400 students, and for it to provide health, prayer and leisure facilities for women only.

The board also asks for the school to be moved to a new location by 2014, several years earlier than proposed The Shear Brow school's views have been branded as "irresponsible" by one councillor, who said that taking in so many girls would have a detrimental effect on the other secondary schools.

But governors said that the current proposals will not meet the growing demand of the Muslim community.

It has asked that the new site caters for an "integrated learning campus" for 1,000 11 to 16-year-olds, 300 16 to 18-year-olds and a further 100 Higher Education students.

The board concludes that the £5million earmarked for the school is "grossly insufficient and is very low relative to the other schools which also have much better facilities."

The £150million, government-funded BSF programme, announced in October, will see a major overhaul of secondary education.

The consultation period is due to end next month, and Tauheedul's governing board will submit its response next week.

Under the council's proposals the school, which became the borough's first Muslim state school in 2005, will move to a bigger site - probably Beardwood School in Preston New Road - and double its numbers to 600.

Labour Coun Maureen Bateson said: "My major concern is the request for so many girls to go to Tauheedul, and the impact that will have on others.

"This move would take girls out of other schools, causing a major imbalance - that's not cohesion.

"I can understand that there is demand in certain sections of the community for an increased provision, but as an authority we have to take an overall view of what's best for all."

Chairman of the school's management committee Kam Kothia said: "It is not appropriate for anybody to be commenting at this stage, because our response is not yet submitted and the consultation period is ongoing.

"But I can say that this response has been a long time in the planning, following consultation with all key stakeholders - pupils, parents, staff, governors, the Tauheedul Mosque foundation, and the council.

"The majority of these parties are fully behind the proposals, and if this is a genuine consultation, all views should be listened to, whether they are in line with the authority's proposals or not. BSF is meant to be about a vision for the future and empowering schools to develop their vision."

Councillor Chris Thayne, executive member for children's services, said: "All our schools have high aspirations for the future within BSF. Their views and those of other stakeholders will be considered by the executive board in October."