Muslim school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted despite banning pupils from ‘socialising with outsiders’

27 July, 2015

A private Muslim boarding school in Dewsbury has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted despite the fact that its pupils are allegedly forbidden from ‘socialising with outsiders’, it has  been revealed. In documents obtained by Sky News, the Institute of Islamic Education in Dewsbury was reportedly threatening pupils with expulsion if they were caught mixing with other children, among other draconian requirements. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has condemned these practices and once again expresses its incredulity that Ofsted can give favourable grades to such schools.

The school, situated inside Markazi Mosque compound in Dewsbury, is run by the Muslim sect Tablighi Jamaat, known for its strict adherence to Sharia law. In addition to the stipulation that pupils will be expelled if they fail to stop socialising with children outside the school once cautioned, the school’s Pupil and Parent Handbook allegedly lists a number of other practices and items that are ‘prohibited by Islam’, including portable televisions, cameras, music players and mobile phones. However, in its latest inspection report, Ofsted concludes that the school ‘provides a good quality of education and meets its stated aims very well’, reserving specific praise for the school’s efforts to accommodate the needs of British Muslims.

The findings come just a week after David Cameron gave a speech on the need to tackling extremism and segregation in our schools, and represents yet another example of ‘faith’ schools spectacularly failing to contribute to community cohesion and the promotion of ‘British values’.

The BHA has raised concerns about schools with similar policies to the Islamic Institute of Education before. In November 2014, for instance, the BHA wrote to Ofsted to complain about the ‘good’ rating given to a Jewish girls’ school in Hackney. Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School was found not only to have advised pupils to ignore exam questions on evolution, but had also claimed that evolution, homosexual relationships and social media were not in keeping with its ethos.

Commenting on this latest news, BHA Faith Schools Campaigner Jay Harman said ‘If these reports are true, we are once again left in the position of having to repeat our outrage that yet another “faith” school is seeking to limit its pupils’ rights and freedoms, and being praised by Ofsted while doing so. Allowing schools to have a religious character will always give cover to this kind of thing, so until such a time as religious schools can be scrapped altogether, Ofsted must get tougher on identifying these types of abuses.’

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Read more about the BHA’s campaigns work on ‘faith’ schools: http://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/faith-schools/

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.