Claims that England's first Hindu state school will help promote racial segration have been refuted.

Krishna-Avanti Primary School, is due to open n Monday and has drawn criticism from secular groups for its promotion of Hinduism over other faiths.

At present 38 state schools are classed as Jewish, nine are Muslim and three Sikh.

Nitesh Gor, chairman of governors at Krishna-Avanti, rejected the argument, saying faith schools provided a good education and helped children form strong identities.

He said: "Faith schools have an excellent record of providing high-quality education and out- performing comparable non-faith schools. By helping children to develop strong self-identities, the best faith schools also give children the confidence to play a full part in the wider community."

Shakil Ahmed, headteacher of Muslim school Ayesha Com-munity Education, in The Broadway, West Hendon, also claimed secular schools were as segregationist as faith schools.

"Even the Government categorises secular or humanist schools as a faith in its own right," he claimed.

"In those schools, often religion is looked down upon.

"It can become a sort of joke and this stigma sticks with children.

"In most faith schools, religious tolerance and harmony with others is taught as part of the curriculum.

"It is not about separating people, it is about offering an option to parents who want it."

Krishna-Avanti's first class of children will start in Reception on September 15.

The pupils will spend a year having lessons in temporary classrooms while its new £10 million campus is built on adjacent playing fields.

The school will have its own temple, vegetarian catering facilities, and lessons in Sanskrit and yoga.