By Elham Asaad Buaras
Muslim schools continue to improve in their GCSE results, according to The Muslim News’s most comprehensive Muslim school table. For the third consecutive year Muslim high schools and colleges advanced on their previous results and surpassed the national average.
Seventy two Muslim schools (36 girls’, 23 boys’ and 13 mixed) are featured in the table - seven more than in 2007 and twelve more than in 2006.
68 percent of students who sat their exams in Muslim schools attained at least 5 or more A* to C pass rate in 2008, that is, two percent higher than the national average, two percent higher than the previous year’s result and 10 percent higher than that of 2006.
Seven Muslim schools managed a 100 percent 5 or more A* to C grades.
The results for Muslim schools are even more impressive considering that the majority are not well funded and that children of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin generally achieve lower results than national averages. This is best illustrated in the East End London borough of Tower Hamlets which has 36 percent Muslim population. Only 41 percent of students in that borough attained 5 or more A* to C grades. This is 27 percent lower than the average of six Muslim schools in the area who attained a 68 percent 5 or more A* to C grades.
In London East Academy all the boys in the academy attained 100 percent 5 or more A* to C grades and 72 percent 5 or more A* to C grades, including English and Maths. A spokesman for the Academy told The Muslim News, “We surpassed both the national average and Tower Hamlets average. The school operates with a balance of national curriculum and Islamic sciences.”
On a regional level Muslim schools in the East Midlands attained 75 percent 5 or more A* to C grades which is the highest of all the eight regions represented in the Muslim league table. The East Midlands is closely followed by London and the North West, both regions attained 72 percent 5 or more A* to C grades.
For the first time The Muslim News can include modern language in its league table. 68 percent of students in Muslim schools walked away with one A* to C grade in a modern language that’s a whopping 38 percent more than the national average.
One of two schools with a 100 percent of its students gaining one GCSE in a modern foreign language is Tayyibah Girls School in Hackney East London. “From year 6 we offer languages and we ask parents to support their children at home. We push children to learn at least one modern language from a young age,” said school Head Teacher, Nahhida Qureshi. Unlike previous generations many of the students now opt to certify their parents and grandparents mother tongue languages by sitting exams. “Some students sit the exam for Arabic, Bengali, Turkish and Urdu,” said Qureshi.
Another London Muslim girl’s school which had excellent results last year is Islamia Girls’ High School. Head Teacher, Asmat Ali, told The Muslim News that the number of students applying has increased as the schools results continue to rise.
For the second year running the school attained a 100 percent 5 or more A* to C pass rate. More impressively, the school also attained a 100 percent 5 or more A* to C grades pass rate with the inclusion of English and Maths. “Through the commitment and dedication of the teachers and pupils we have been able to achieve such fantastic results,” said Ali. School officials at the Brent based school will also consider applying for a voluntary aid status.
Winner of Global Peace and Unity event most outstanding Islamic boys school in the South of the UK, Brondesbury College, attained a 100 percent 5+ A*-C result and with 94 percent of students receiving 5+ A*-C grades including English and Maths.
Head Teacher at the college, Daniel Salahuddin Clifton, told The Muslim News, “We attain high results in GCSE’s because we have assembled a quality team of young professional qualified teachers who are committed to the School’s vision. We have already begun to offer AS Level qualifications in many subjects as we believe that our students need every advantage in this competitive world. We have had a steady increase in students since my inception as Head Teacher. Last year, we were delighted to welcome a full compliment of Year 7 students, reaching maximum capacity for the first time in many years. Early signs are that we will repeat this again this year with a record number of new applicants. We have also received a number of new students joining other year groups.” The school offers Arabic to GCSE and AS Level and French as an optional GCSE. Students also have the opportunity to learn conversational Italian.
One of only five voluntary aided schools featured in the table is Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School and 6th Form College in Blackburn which continues to excel with 100 percent of its students achieving 5 or more A* to C and 97 percent achieving at least 5 A* to C including English and Maths.
Principal and Chief Executive of the school, Mufti Hamid, told The Muslim News the outstanding results “reflect the enormous efforts of all of our stakeholders, including our staff, who work tirelessly to encourage and support our learners and our parents, who really support the school and their daughters. However, the real efforts are those of learners; they have really excelled, embraced our vision of educational excellence and broadened their horizons.” All of these successes do come at a cost. The school is significantly over-subscribed with six students having to be refused a place at the school for every successful pupil who is admitted. There are plans to move the school to a new location but that will not happen for another 7 years.
One school which saw its grades drastically decline is Bradford based Darul Uloom Dawatul Imaan with only 18 percent of students attaining 5 or more A*-C grades, that is a drastic drop of 57 percent from its 2007 grades. Explaining why the grades of the usually excelling boys’ schools have declined, school Head Teacher, Mohamed Bilal Lorgat, told The Muslim News that an administrative error saw the results of the newly introduced of a OCR Nationals (exam-free alternative to GCSEs) not submitted in time. “The teaching is of a good standard. Had the entries been made earlier, we would stand at 75 percent,” explained Lorgat.
Source (The Muslim News)