(Photo: Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School & Sixth Form College)

Elham Asaad Buaras

Four Muslim schools – three of which are run by the same trust – have made the top 10 progress 8 nationwide list, making them the best schools in improving the progress children make between the end of primary school and the end of secondary school.

Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School & Sixth Form College (1st), Bolton Muslim Girls School (5th), Eden Girls’ School Coventry (6th) and Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School (10th) have the highest value-added Progress 8 (P8) scores in the country. And for the sixth consecutive year, Muslim schools have surpassed national GCSE and equivalent exam averages for English, Maths, English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and ‘attainment 8 score’, according to an exclusive analysis by The Muslim News.

The success of 89 Muslim schools (29 boys, 39 girls and 21 mixed) featured in The Muslim News performance table is made more remarkable when considering the biggest reform of GCSEs has resulted in exams being made harder.

(Source: The Muslim News/National average attained by the Dept of Education, National  average is for all state-funded schools)

This was the first year when new tougher exams in important subjects such as Science, Languages, History and Geography – assessed using a 9 to1 grading system – were completed by students across the country. A grade ‘5’ or higher is considered a ‘strong pass’ whilst a grade ‘4’ is considered a ‘standard pass’. Tougher exams in English and Maths were introduced a year earlier.

The Department of Education league tables places Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School & Sixth Form College (TIGHS) among the highest achieving schools in the country. The Blackburn-based school posted a P8 score of +1.91, the highest value-added score in the country (national average -0.02). That means every pupil at the school achieved, on average, nearly two grades higher than an average pupil in other schools with the same prior attainment. TIGHS achieved an ‘Attainment 8’ score of 67.5 the fifth highest amongst non-selective schools in the country. And 84 per cent of students achieved a ‘strong pass’ in English and Maths (ranked 7th amongst non-selective schools).

93 per cent achieved a ‘standard pass’ in English and Maths, ranked 12th highest. Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School is featured in the top 10 of many indicators, 76 per cent of its students achieved the EBacc, the 4th highest nationally and over 50 percentage points higher than the national average. TIGHS is one of the best schools in the country for results by students from disadvantaged backgrounds and with low prior achievement from primary school. 73 per cent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved a ‘strong pass’ in English and Maths, ranked 9th nationally among non-selective schools. Nationally, around a quarter of students achieve this. And 63 per cent of students with low prior achievement achieved a ‘standard pass’ in English and Maths, ranked 5th highest nationally. Around one in ten such pupils achieve this nationally.

In a statement to The Muslim News Hamid Patel, CEO of Star Academies (formerly called Tauheedul Education Trust) which runs the school, explained, “As exams became much tougher in several subjects 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.”

Star Academies, which is running three of the four Muslim schools that made the top 10 Progress 8 list, is celebrating having more schools placed in the top 70 in the country than any other multi-academy trust.

Among the excelling Star Academies schools are Eden Girls’ School Waltham Forest and Eden Boys’ School Bolton.

Eden Girls’ School Waltham Forest is ranked 12 in the country with a P8 score of +1.29. A grade 5 or above was reached by 76 per cent of the girls in GCSE English and Maths compared to 42.9 per cent locally and 94 per cent of them were entered into the EBacc compared to 48.3 per cent locally. Its average score was 5.64 compared to 4.06 locally. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 59.8 for pupils based on how well pupils have performed in up to eight qualifications, is also well above the local average of 46.1. Shahina Ahmad, Principal of Eden Girls’ School Waltham Forest, told The Muslim News she is “proud” of her students and the “total commitment of our staff to ensuring every single student achieves their full potential.”

Eden Boys’ School Bolton is ranked 70 in the tables with a P8 score of +0.96. A grade 5+ was reached by 78 per cent of the boys in GCSE English and Maths and 90 per cent of them were entered into the EBacc, compared to 33.10 per cent locally. Its average score was 5.48 compared to 3.84 locally. The School’s Attainment 8 score of 60.2 for pupils based on how well pupils have performed in up to 8 qualifications, is also well above the local average of 44.6 and national state school average of 46.5. The School’s Principal, Shabir Fazal, told The Muslim News: “Following on from our outstanding Ofsted report last year, these exceptional outcomes prove total commitment of our staff to ensuring every single student achieves their full potential.”

Al-Burhan Grammar School convincingly surpassed Birmingham’s average in all the measures featured in The Muslim News performance table. 80 per cent of the students achieved a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and Maths GCSE, double Birmingham’s average of 40.1 per cent. And 55 per cent attained an Ebacc with 9-4/A*-C, 31.1 per cent higher than the local result. A spokesman for the all-girls school told The Muslim News, “Our hard-working and dedicated teachers actively encourage pupils to do their best. We have small class sizes and this enables us to give pupils individual attention. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive and they strive to achieve their very best”.

Pupils in Feversham Academy in Bradford continue to achieve outstanding results and performed very strongly when compared to both local and national figures. The P8 (+0.71) score was significantly above the national average and the percentage of students achieving English and Maths at grade 5+ was 15 per cent above the Bradford average of 36.2 per cent. “We would like to congratulate all the girls on these results. They were a culmination of hard work by all involved, including staff and parents, and we wish them every success in the future,” Principal Sajida Muneer told The Muslim News.

Preston Muslim Girls High School (PMGHS) with 84 pupils, came out top with an Attainment 8 score of 64 ahead of the national average of 49.9. The school also had a Progress 8 score well above the national average of 1.29. Last year, the school was recognised as having the highest progress scores in Lancashire, placing them 15th in the whole country. The Headteacher Mufti Javid, told The Muslim News, “I would like to congratulate all the girls on their hard work and dedication. PMGHS has been recognised as an outstanding school by Ofsted and nationally recognised for its high standards and these pupils have had to work exceptionally hard for what they have achieved. I am certain that their excellent GCSE results and all-round education will equip them well for future successes.”

In Peterborough, Iqra Academy is celebrating a great academic year. The Academy achieved impressive results as 56 per cent of students accomplished a pass (grade 4+) in both English and Maths and 89 per cent achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grades 4+. The Academy has also achieved a P8 of 0.88, the highest in Peterborough and its Attainment 8 Score of 45.4 places it fourth in Peterborough. Iqra Academy saw particular success in Arabic, in which 100 per cent of students achieved A*-C.

Among the top performing students were two Syrian refugees who, with the support of the school, both achieved A* grades in Arabic. Significant achievements were also seen in Religious Education and Urdu, with 100 per cent of students achieving a good pass grade (4-9) in both, and English, with 89 per cent of students achieving a grade 4 or above in English Language and 78 per cent in English Literature.

South of the country Mazahirul Uloom London Secondary School, has surpassed the Tower Hamlet’s results. 71 per cent of the students achieved a grade 4+ in English and Match GCSE 6.7 per cent higher than the local average.

The current GCSE results are not only a significant improvement on the last few years but are not only competing with but also outstretching other local schools.

Principal Shaykh Imdadur Rahman Al Madani paid tribute to the schools Head Teacher, Khalil Goddard, saying, “The school takes great care over the wellbeing of students and staff, placing the happiness of students at the top of their priorities list. Far from detracting from examination success, this approach has clearly had a positive effect. The school is forward-looking and progressive and sees no reason why the results they have achieved should not continue.”

Summary of performance of Muslim schools in the 2018 GCSEs exams
National average = all state-funded schools:

• THE AVERAGE ATTAINMENT 8 SCORE
(includes qualification in English, maths, 3 Ebaccs – including sciences, computer science, history, geography and languages, & 3 other qualifications.)
Muslim schools average: 50.1
National average: 49.9
77 % of Muslim schools > national average
77 % of Muslim schools > their local average

% ATTAINING GRADE 4+ IN ENGLISH & MATHS GCSEs
Muslim schools average: 72.7
National average: 64.2
73 % of Muslim schools > national average
82 % of Muslim schools > their local average

% ATTAINING GRADE 5+ IN ENGLISH & MATHS GCSEs
Muslim schools average: 52.3
National average: 43.3
72 % of Muslim schools > the national average
75 % of Muslim schools > their local average

2018-GCSE & equivalent-ks4 results of all Muslim schools CLICK HERE