Faith school continues to segregate girls despite Ofsted criticism

An independent faith school is segregating girls from boys despite previous warnings this is unlawful, an inspection report has revealed.

Abu Bakr Al-Ihsaan Academy, an independent Islamic school in Walsall, operates a separate provision for girls aged 11 to 16 despite being registered as a mixed school from ages four to 16, according to an Ofsted report published yesterday.

The report, from an inspection conducted on May 16, says separating pupils by sex "amounts to a detriment" to the girls in the 11 to 16 provision, because "they do not have an opportunity to interact with pupils of the opposite sex during the school day".

This amounts to "unlawful discrimination" because the school is acting in breach of its registration.

It also amounts to a detriment to boys as they are not permitted access to the 11 to 16 provision, Ofsted said.

The school was also found to be segregating pupils during its previous inspection in November. According to the inspection report, school leaders said they are "taking steps to address this" by applying for a separate unique reference number for the 11 to 16 provision. This would result in a new girls' school.

But in May inspectors found the leaders had not applied for a separate reference number for this provision.

A landmark ruling in 2017 established that segregating male and female pupils within the same school amounts to unlawful sex discrimination. Al-Hijrah school, a state-funded Islamic school in Birmingham, segregated boys and girls for religious reasons for all lessons, break and lunchtimes, school trips and school clubs.

Several other Islamic schools have been found unlawfully sex-segregating pupils since the ruling, including Markazul Uloom and The Imam Muhammad Adam Institute School in 2019, and Redstone Educational Academy in 2020.

Some Islamic authorities believe it against Islamic rules for unrelated men and women to freely mix.

National Secular Society head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "It was worrying that this school is continuing to unlawfully segregate girls from boys, despite warnings from Ofsted.

"Religious beliefs cannot excuse sex discrimination. If this school continues to put its religious dogma before the law and the welfare of its pupils, it must be shut down".