STANDARDS at a school with a large proportion of pupils coming from disadvantaged backgrounds have been labelled outstanding

Ofsted inspectors visited Islamiyah School in Willow Street, Blackburn, in July and a report detailing their findings is full of praise for staff and pupils.

It was found to be outstanding in all areas, having been judged good at its previous inspection in 2016.

Reporting inspector Neil Dixon said standards and results were well above the national average, despite a large proportion of the pupils coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The independent school for girls aged 11 to 16 costs £1,400 per year and has 262 pupils on the roll.

It offers both secular and Islamic education.

Mr Dixon said: “Leaders are highly ambitious for the school and its pupils.

“They have ensured that the quality of education that the school provides has improved strongly since the last inspection, so it is now outstanding in all areas.

“Pupil attainment is outstanding. From their different starting points, pupils make excellent progress in a wide range of subjects.

“By the time they leave the school, the proportions of pupils achieving strong and standard passes in English and maths GCSEs are significantly above the national average.”

Mr Dixon added: “The very high quality of work in pupils’ books and the school’s own highly detailed assessment information show that current pupils are making similarly strong progress to reach high levels of attainment.”

Headteacher Yusuf Seedat said: "The positivity at the school is all reflected in the report. I am extremely pleased all the hard work of teachers, governors and pupils to make this happen has been rewarded.

"We want to make our pupils good citizens and this report shows we are succeeding in our objectives.

"We have a broad and balanced curriculum and provide a quality education for all our pupils."