independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
faith school
A faith school is a school in the United Kingdom that teaches a general curriculum but which has a particular religious character or formal links with a religious or faith-based organisation. The term is most commonly applied to state-funded f ...
located in
Luton
Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...
,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, England. The school was owned and operated by a charitable trust (Rabia Education Trust). It was the first Islamic school to offer secondary education in Bedfordshire.
History
Rabia School was established in January 1996 as a girls school with only seven pupils of primary age on the school register in a residential building. In October 2005 the school expanded by acquiring new, bigger premises for a boys school. The school then became a full-time primary and secondary independent school for girls and boys aged 5–16 years. Additionally, the school site also incorporated a
nursery school
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary schoo ...
for children aged 2–5.
Girls and boys attending the school were taught separately in different buildings. The school claimed to offer a mainstream education, but also had courses and subjects tailored to the Islamic faith. Special courses included
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
,
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Aalim courses, and the chance for some pupils to memorise the whole of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
.
An Ofsted inspection in May 2014 rated the school as 'inadequate' and a monitoring inspection in January 2015 found that the school was still not meeting independent school standards. The inspections found that teaching was inadequate, and was undermining British values because of restricted educational opportunities for girls. The school has since claimed that it is addressing the issues highlighted in the inspections. However the school previously criticised the 2014 inspection report as being “strongly politically and media led...especially with the recent fallout of the alleged
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...
inquiry in Birmingham”.
In April 2016 Ofsted chief Sir
Michael Wilshaw
Sir Michael Wilshaw (born 3 August 1946) was the Chief Inspector of Schools In England and head of Ofsted from 2012 until 2016. He is the former Headmaster and now executive principal of Jewish Free School.
Career
The son of a postman, Wi ...
revealed that he has written to the
Secretary of State for Education
The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. The incumbent is a member of the C ...
twice about Rabia School. The letters warn of serious concerns about staff segregation at the school, with male and female staff being segregated during meetings and training. While Sir Michael conceded that the school had improved in many areas, has warned that staff segregation will prevent the school from moving up from an 'inadequate' rating. In May 2016 the Charity Commission announced it was formally investigating the school.
In 2019 the school was banned from admitting new pupils. In November 2020 it was announced that the
Department for Education
The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
A Department ...
would apply to formally close the school due to repeated failings. The school appealed this decision, however it formally closed as a school in September 2021. Rabia Education Trust continues to offer private tuition and support for home schooling.