Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School and Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School are among the highest achieving schools in the country (Photo: Tauheedul Education Trust)
Elham Buaras
For the fifth consecutive year, Muslim schools featured in the Department of Education (DfE) league table have surpassed national GCSE and equivalent exam averages, according to exclusive analysis by The Muslim News.
The success of Muslim schools is made more remarkable when considering new tougher exams in English and Maths assessed using a 9-1 grading system were introduced last year. A grade 5 or higher is considered a ‘strong pass’ whilst a grade 4 is regarded as a ‘standard pass’.
74 % of Muslim schools achieved a higher percentage of pupils attaining grade 5 or more in English & Math GCSEs than the national average of 39.6 %.
73 % of Muslim schools also achieved a higher English Baccalaureate (EBacc) pass rate at a grade 5 or above, than the national average of 19.7 %.
And 75 % of Muslim schools attained a higher Attainment 8 score than the national average of 44.6%.
DfE league tables place Blackburn-based Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School and Sixth Form College (TIGHS) and Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School (TIBHS) among the highest achieving schools in the country.
For the second year running and the third time in four years, TIGHS achieved the highest value-added (Progress 8 Score) in the country (+1.81), while TIBHS attained the third highest in the country with +1.55 up from a score of +1.16 last year.
Progress 8 is the main performance measure and reflects the value that schools add to the progress of students compared to their peers of similar prior ability across the country.
82 % of TIGHS students at the school achieved a ‘strong pass’ in English and Maths (national average 44.6 %), while 76 % achieved EBacc. The school’s attainment 8 score of 64.5% is the 7th highest amongst non-selective schools in the country.
TIGHS is ranked highest in the country for results by students with low prior achievement at primary school. 67 % of students from with low prior achievement achieved a ‘standard pass’ in both English and Maths at TIGHS. For TIBHS the pass rate stood at 58 % of pupils. Nationally, only 10 % of students achieve this result.
TIGHS is ranked highest in the country for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, those living in low-income households or who are in care. Three-quarters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved a ‘strong pass’ in English and Maths at TIGHS. Nationally, only a quarter of such students achieve this result.
In a statement to The Muslim News Hamid Patel, Chief Executive of Tauheedul Education Trust, which runs both schools, explained: “As exams became much tougher this year, the Government figures show that we are continuing to achieve amazing results with our students – regardless of their prior ability and background. What’s really impressive is that some of our most vulnerable learners – those who have performed poorly at primary school and those who are in care or from low-income families – have achieved so well. That shows how we are really transforming lives.”
Feversham College in Bradford celebrated excellent results. The Progress 8 (+1.02) score placed the college in the top 3% of schools nationally. The percentage age of students achieving English and Maths at Grade 5 was 49%, that’s 13.9% above the local average and 9.4 % above the national average. A spokesperson for the college told The Muslim News, “2017 was another successful year for our GCSE students who achieved some outstanding results. The dedication of our students, staff and College directors, ensured that students at Feversham College continue to achieve outstanding results, and performed very strongly when compared to both local and national figures.”
Darul Uloom Islamic High School in Birmingham also excelled, with 94 % of students attaining grade 5 or more in English and Math GCSE. Head Teacher Abdul Jalil Shaikh told The Muslim News, “41 % of the students became full Hafiz of Qur’an, 59 % completed and passed our Alimi course. Therefore 100 % of students gained dual qualifications – Islamic and GCSEs.”
50 % of students at Lantern of Knowledge Independent Boys Secondary School achieved EBacc at grade 5/C or above, the local average for Waltham Forest is 19 %. And 70 % of the boys attained grade 5 or more in English & Math (28.6 % higher than the national average).
Head Teacher Abdullah Keekeebhai told The Muslim News, “Alhamdulillah we are pleased once again to see Lantern of Knowledge School pupils performing consistently well in their GCSE exam results year on year and this is a testimony to the continuous dedication of staff and management of our school.”
A whopping 93 % of students at Tower Hamlets-based Jamiatul Ummah School achieved a grade 5 or more in English & Math GCSEs, a remarkable 48.7 % higher than the national average.
A spokesman for the boys’ school told The Muslim News, “100 % of pupils taking Religious Studies have achieved A*- B (9-6) grades (47.1 % higher than national average); 93 % of pupils taking Science have achieved A*- B (73 % higher national average); 85 % of pupils taking ICT have achieved A*- B (40.9 % higher than national average); 78 % of pupils taking Mathematics have achieved A*- B (48.1 % higher than national average); 70 % of pupils taking English have achieved A*- B (40.6 % higher than national average).”
Manchester Islamic High School for Girls continues to surpass national and local averages. The school’s attainment 8 score of 63.1 is the third highest in Manchester, the result is 19.7 % higher the local average. 77 % of the girls achieved a grade 5 or more in English & Math GCSE, also the third highest result in Manchester. Mrs Mona Mohamed, Head Teacher, told The Muslim News, “This is a result of the hard work, commitment and determination of all students, staff and parents. Well done to all students and best wishes for a successful career path.”
The 2017 GCSE and Equivalent Performance table of Muslim Schools will be featured in the next issue of The Muslim News.