Abu Bakr Al-Ihsaan Academy in Walsall faced other negative Ofsted findings
Exterior of the Abu Bakr Al-IhsaanAcademy in Palfrey, Walsall
A ‘financially challenged’ faith school trust has failed to replace teachers who have left in the last year and is struggling to keep up with maintenance, creating an unsafe environment, according to Ofsted inspectors.
They also ruled that the private Abu Bakr Al-IhsaanAcademy in Palfrey, Walsall, was separating boys and girls from age 11 without being registered to do so. This broke discrimination laws.
The issue had been subject to two prior warnings from the regulator and failure to rectify the issue was a symptom of ‘inadequate leadership’, they found.
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Proprietor Mohammad Luqman, in a brief comment, said the trust had operated in the same way for over 20 years and that inspectors had ‘got it wrong’.
The school, which charges annual fees of £4,800 to £5,160, has shed over half of its staff in the last year but no new staff had been recruited, said inspectors.
At times the heating did not work in all areas of the school ‘because of financial shortages’, the report added.
Basic fire checks have also not been carried out and the report also noted toilets were ‘unsuitable and pose a risk to pupils’ health and safety’ while ‘exposed long nails and screws’ were found sticking out of walls.
The trust operates a mixed lower school for younger pupils but then segregates boys and girls from age 11 without being properly registered as single-gender settings, says the regulator.
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The inspection focussed on the girls’ school, which was previously rated ‘good’.
It was rated ‘requires improvement’ for the quality of education and its leadership and management were ‘inadequate’.
But it was rated good for behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision.
It also fails to meet all independent school standards.
A total of 173 pupils attend the school.
Inspectors found: “There is currently no capacity in the leadership of the school – as a result, the school is regularly left without any senior leaders on site for significant amounts of time during a school day.”
On the flip side, the inspectors found that staff are “ambitious and aspirational for their pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Adults are committed to helping pupils to do their best.”
They found that pupils behave well in lessons and around school and are ‘welcoming, friendly and work hard.’
They added: “Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending. Staff foster a sense of belonging, resulting in pupils and adults speaking of the school as a ‘family’.”
The school also helps pupils learn about values such as tolerance, respect and diversity. “They understand and respect people from different backgrounds and faiths – pupils say, ‘we are all on our own journey, without judgment’.
Behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision were all rated ‘good’, with praise for the ‘strong’ Reception provision and for fostering strong relationships between staff and pupils and the school and families.
Attendance is high and children with SEND do especially well.
But because of staff shortages, the quality of education, previously rated good, was deemed to ‘require improvement’ while leadership and management was ‘inadequate’.
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The Abu Bakr Trust runs a nursery for children up to four, a primary for children aged five to eight, separate girls’ and boys’ schools for 11-16s, a madrassah for around 2,000 pupils up to 16 and a masjid providing Salah facilities for over 1,500 worshippers, adult classes and alima classes as well as a range of services for the community.
It says it includes the only girls’ Islamic high school in the Black Country.
Inspectors wrote: “The school is acting in breach of its registration and is separating pupils by sex, which amounts to unlawful discrimination.
“This had been explained to the proprietor during two previous inspections.
“However, at the time of this inspection, this practice continued and the proprietor had not acted to rectify the situation.”
They also found that around half of staff, including senior leaders, have left the school since the last monitoring inspection last May, 2024, ‘resulting in significant staff shortages’ without new staff appointed.
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“The proprietor has not set a clear strategy for holding themselves and staff to account. They have not ensured that there is adequate financial support and have failed to meet their statutory obligations to ensure the health and safety of pupils,” they found.
“Some areas of the premises, such as some toilets, are unsuitable and pose a risk to pupils’ health and safety. Other areas pose a risk of injury due to a lack of maintenance.”
This included ‘exposed long nails and screws sticking out of walls that could pose a risk to children’. The school has also failed to comply with statutory fire regulations and there has never been an appropriate fire risk assessment carried out.
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Schools are subject to the provisions of the Equality Act. It is perfectly lawful to operate single sex schools, with correct registration, and there are plenty across the West Midlands that are girls’ or boys’ only.
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However, if a school is registered for mixed genders, like Abu Bakr Al-Ihsaan, it is subject to strict rules.
Government guidance states: ‘Any separation of pupils of either sex that denies them the choice or opportunity to interact socially, or to interact in an educational setting, with pupils of the other sex is likely to involve subjecting the pupils to a detriment because of their sex. This will be direct discrimination and will be unlawful.’
‘This applies even if done for religious or other bona fide reasons and even if the quality of the education provided to boys and girls is the same.’ The exceptions permissible include for competitive sporting activities and certain PHSE classes, while toilet and boarding facilities can also be gender-separated.
We have contacted the school about the report but it was unable to provide a full reply ahead of publication.