By: OnIslam & Newspapers
Source: http://www.onislam.net/
After quarter a century of hard work, a British Islamic high school has been recognized as one of the top 100 schools in UK after achieving excellent GCSE results in summer.
“We were very pleased with our GCSE results in the summer which had gone up by 19 per cent from the previous year, but we didn’t expect this,” Mufti Javid, head teacher of Preston Muslim Girls’ High School, told Lancashire Evening Post on Thursday, February 6.
“We had no idea that we were in the top 100 schools in the country.”
The school received the good news when David Laws MP, the Minister of State for Schools congratulated them on achieving excellent GCSE results last summer.
“When I received the letter marked House of Commons I had no idea what it was. I was thrilled to read the letter and pleased to be able to pass on what it said to all of our parents, staff and pupils,” Javid said.
A letter to the headteacher from David Laws MP said the school was one of the top 100 performing non-selective state funded schools in England.
“Your school is clearly equipping its pupils for success in both further study and future employment,” the letter said.
“The results are a shining testament to the hard work and success of your staff, governors and pupils.
“I would like to offer my thanks to you and all at your school for your pursuit of the highest standards of educational achievement,” it added.
This achievement is not the first for Islamic schools in UK.
In February 2013, Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School was rated as the highest-achieving learning institutes in Britain.
In March, the school was shortlisted for ‘Secondary School of the Year’ by the Times Educational Supplement annual awards.
In May, the school was rated as “outstanding” following an Ofsted inspection, the first and only secondary school in the Borough to receive such an award.
In their report, inspectors praised “highly effective” teaching, a “culture of high expectations” and “exceptionally polite and considerate” students.
In London, the Tayyibah Girls’ School topped 22 schools in Hackney with a whopping 100 percent of all students achieving 5 + GCSEs at grades A*-C (including English and Maths) a 17 percent improvement on its 2011 results.
Great Credit
The school officials praised the recognition as a “great credit” to the spirit of the school.
“This is a very happy and safe family school,” Javid said.
“I am exceptionally proud of all of our pupils and everything that they do.
“It’s nice to have our achievements recognized in this very public way and I know that our parents and the community will be delighted with the way the school has developed.”
He added that the achievement crowned years of hard work since the school opened its doors 25 years ago.
“The school has come a long way from its from very humble beginnings. It opened 25 years ago as an independent school and joined the state sector in 2011,” he said.
“Back then it occupied two rooms in an old mill building and had only a handful of pupils and two part time teachers. In those days the school had little money and only a few resources.
“It is amazing to see the transformation that has taken place. To be recognized as one of the top 100 schools it is a dream come true. Who would have thought it?”
British Muslims are estimated at 2.7 million.
There are 400,000 Muslim students in British schools, according to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
About 7,000 state schools in Britain are faith schools – roughly one in three of the total – educating 1.7 million pupils.
Of the 590 faith-based secondary schools five are Jewish, two Muslim and one Sikh – the rest are Church of England, Roman Catholic and other Christian faiths.