Home Affairs Correspondent
Bolton Muslim Girls’ School has been recognised for a series of recent inspection outcomes, awards and improvements, alongside securing a £1.5 million Government funding boost to upgrade its facilities and enhance its campus.
The school has been awarded Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Centre of Excellence status, achieved an Outstanding rating in its Section 48 Faith and Ethos Inspection, and secured major capital funding to transform its campus as part of a wider redevelopment programme.
The achievements follow a strong Ofsted inspection in March 2025, which rated the school Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes and Good in all other areas. It marks a significant turnaround from 2022, when the school was previously judged to require improvement.
A further inspection on March 9 and 10, confirmed the IQM award and elevated the school to Centre of Excellence status. The designation is given to schools recognised for strong inclusive practice and their ability to support pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.
Inspectors praised the school in highly positive terms, highlighting its calm and purposeful environment.
The assessor said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to visit Bolton Muslim Girls’ School. The creation of a calm, inclusive, focused place which enables students from all backgrounds and of all abilities to thrive is remarkable. The way in which the school enables the students to achieve outstanding results regardless of economic or academic disadvantage is an indicator of exceptional inclusion.”
The report also commended the school’s pastoral care and the strong commitment of staff in meeting individual pupils’ needs.
The school also secured an Outstanding judgement following a Section 48 Faith and Ethos Inspection carried out by the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS) on April 28. The inspection assessed how Islamic faith and values are embedded across leadership, curriculum, worship, spiritual development and daily school life.
Inspectors found the school’s Islamic ethos was “consistently evident” throughout, praising the role of staff, governors, trustees, pupils and parents in sustaining its vision and values.
Alongside its inspection successes, the school has secured £1.5 million from the Government’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) to refurbish its Mill building.
The work will see the ground floor converted into modern classrooms and office space, replacing temporary modular buildings that have been in use for several years. The redevelopment is expected to provide around 11 new classrooms and increase capacity from about 750 pupils to approximately 900.
School leaders say the project will be delivered in phases to minimise disruption. Headteacher Idrish Patel told The Muslim News the results reflected the dedication of the whole school community.
“We are immensely proud to celebrate these significant achievements for our school community,” he said. “These outcomes reflect the dedication, hard work and commitment of our pupils, staff, trustees—both PMAT & BMWT—governors, parents and the wider community. They affirm our focus on providing an inclusive, faith-centred and high-quality education.
“The IQM Award recognises our commitment to inclusion. The Outstanding Section 48 judgement acknowledges the strength of our Islamic ethos. The successful CIF funding will enable us to significantly enhance our learning environment by creating modern classrooms and office facilities that will support our future growth and development.”
The school’s successes have also drawn praise from local political leaders, with Yasmin Qureshi MP for Bolton South and Walkden describing the institution as a source of local pride. “Bolton Muslim Girls’ School is in the heart of my constituency. It has been achieving great results for years. I am proud of it and congratulate the school on its excellence,” she said.
Editor’s note: A quote from Yasmin Qureshi MP was added to this article following publication.
