An Islamic girls’ school in Blackburn was commended for having met all the regulations set out in an action plan following an inspection.

The Islamiyah Girls’ School is based in Willow Street, just off Whalley New Road, and caters for 181 pupils aged from 11 to 16.

The school was established in 2000 and is owned by the Masjid-e-Sajideen, whose members act as trustees. The mosque itself is based in nearby Plane Street.

An unannounced ‘Progress Monitoring Inspection Report’ by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) took place to check if the school had implemented an action plan following a visit in June 2023.

The inspection, at the request of the Department for Education (DfE) found that the school had met all seven of the regulations set out.

The school provides a mix of Islamic and secular education, the report said.

The governors and school leaders have deemed to have fully implemented all the points of the school’s action plan effectively and appropriate measures are in place to support ongoing compliance, ‘particularly in the case of safeguarding, risk assessment and staff recruitment’.

The January 2024 report said: “The management of safeguarding has improved sufficiently since the previous inspection to ensure that arrangements are implemented effectively.

"This includes those for pupils in need or at risk.

“Senior manager, governors and staff have undertaken additional training successfully.

“This has enabled them to demonstrate sufficient understanding of safeguarding requirements, including how to identify lines of referral and contact points with external agencies.”

“Pupils feels that safeguarding concerns are handled effectively and this is confirmed by safeguarding records.”

The school was said to carry out checks of staff and governors effectively.

The report read: “School leaders have sought appropriate advice on staff recruitment and have redesigned the single central registrar (SCR) of staff recruitment checks effectively.”

The report said the school had an appropriate complaints procedure.

“It includes a three stages at which complaints may be raised and provides appropriate timescales for these," the report continued.

"Scrutiny of the complaints logs demonstrates that the school follow its policy and procedures appropriately.”

The school has also completed the installing of suitable showering and washing facilities required by the previous inspection.

It added: “These became operational in September 2023 and meet the regulatory requirements of pupils aged 11 and over. Pupils confirmed that the new facilities are adequate for their needs.”

The ISI is an independent inspectorate, appointed by the Department for Education to inspect association independent schools in England.

Inspection reports inform the Department for Education on the extent to which the statutory Independent School Standards are met. 

Head teacher Mrs Yaasmin Mubarak said: "The teachers work tirelessly to ensure teaching and learning is kept to an outstanding level, and our GCSE results are testament to this ongoing achievement.

"The school is continuing to thrive due to it's Islamic ethos and this is being instilled in every fragment of our school system."