ABSTRACT
This chapter charts the emergence of Sikh schools in England from the early Voluntary Aided (VA) schools of the 1990s through to today’s thriving Sikh Free Schools. Sikh Schools have drawn on a variety of influences based on traditions of community service, the work of established religious organizations, existing minority language provision in mainstream schools, the extensive informal Sikh education sector in British gurdwaras, and a class of Sikh professionals committed to blending Sikhism into the mainstream UK curriculum. The plethora of Sikh Multi Academy Trusts (MAT) now in existence have elevated the role of the Network of Sikh Organizations (NSO) to that of the religious authority for most Sikh schools, a status recognized by the Department for Education (DfE). This chapter will provide a summary of the Sikh MATs and their constituent schools with a focus on their aims, approach to education, Sikh values, and attainment.
