Barry Spivack and Felicity Kaplan who want to open a Maharishi Free School in the Woodbrdige area

PROPOSALS to open a new free school in east Suffolk will be handed to Government ministers next week.

To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below.

The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up.

Email address

  Send link

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

The Maharishi School Trust has been exploring the possibility of opening a new school in Rendlesham, near Woodbridge.

Those behind the plans are hoping to submit their bid to the Department for Education within a matter of days.

They will be in direct competition with hundreds of other groups all around the country who also wish to open a free school. All the bids will be graded and only the best will go through to the next round of the process.

The school would be for all 11 to 18-year-olds, regardless of belief, and as well as traditional subjects the curriculum would include the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who is widely credited as having developed transcendental meditation.

Local project leader, Barry Spivack, said: “We have had an increasing amount of support in the last two weeks as we approach the Government deadline.

“Many parents have been going to our website and registering their support online.

“If we pass through the first round of the process I am confident we will go all the way because of the track record of the original Maharishi School in Lancashire, which has achieved outstanding academic and pastoral results simply because of the twice daily practice of transcendental meditation which is at the heart of consciousness-based education.”

If all goes to plan the school, which would grow a year group at a time, will be open for September 2013.

The Maharishi School Trust is giving a final presentation of its plans in the Britten Pears Building at Snape Maltings on Saturday at 10am. All welcome.