muslim School To Close - "Grave Concerns"

7th February 2014

Financial irregularities.  Dysfunctional.

Possibly all due to foreign corruption which is now rife in certain "communities".

Secondary education at the troubled Al-Madinah free school will stop in the summer because of government concerns about the quality of teaching.

A report from Ofsted in October found the school in Derby was in chaos, dysfunctional and inadequate and it was placed in special measures.

The primary school will remain open, the Department for Education has said.

The schools minister Lord Nash has written to the school trust chairman to confirm the secondary school closure.

It will close at the end of the summer term with support promised to help the 137 pupils find new schools.


He said: "It was not in the interests of parents and pupils at the secondary school to continue to fund provision which has failed them."

A Department for Education spokesperson said in a statement: "The vast majority of free schools are performing well but where we have found failure we have acted swiftly and decisively.

"We have monitored Al-Madinah very closely since problems came to light last year.

"Based on the current situation we believe the new board - which began work last week - needs to focus efforts on the primary school in order to bring about the level of improvement required.

"The board has accepted our decision to close the secondary school and we have offered our full support in helping pupils to find alternative places before the start of the next academic year."

Arshad Mohammed, who has a daughter in the secondary school, said he was not surprised.

He said: "With all the negative media attention that's been going on in the last year or so the numbers [of pupils] have dropped a little bit… they can't sustain the numbers so it's not financially viable to keep the school running."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26083099

Al-Madinah: The story so far


September 2012: Al-Madinah school opens

August 2013: The Education Funding Agency confirms it is investigating alleged financial irregularities at the school

September: The school faces allegations it is imposing strict Islamic practices

1 October: Ofsted visits Al-Madinah after the DfE asks for an inspection to be brought forward and findings are so bad the school is closed over "health and safety concerns"

7 October: The school reopens

8 October: Education Minister Lord Nash lays out 17 concerns about the school, including segregation of the sexes, and says it will close unless "unacceptable" teaching standards improve

14 October: The school amends its policy to make clear women do not have to wear head scarves

17 October: The school is described by Ofsted inspectors as "dysfunctional"

25 October: Muslim community leaders in Derby call for the school governors to resign

22 November: Lord Nash announces a new education trust will be brought in

12 December: Ofsted reports "no signs of improvement" following a monitoring inspection

31 January: Barry Day of the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust (GDFT) takes over as the school's chairman

7 February 2014: Lord Nash announces secondary education will stop at the school

close them any other school would have been forced to close..