Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School and Sixth Form College (TIGHS) is a secondary school for girls in
Beardwood
Beardwood is a village suburb of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is relatively close to the village of Mellor and has a local high school. It lies on the western edge of Blackburn, a few miles away from Blackburn town centre.
In 2013, th ...
,
Blackburn.
[History]
" Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School. Retrieved 29 September 2013. It was founded by the
charitable trust Tauheedul Islam Faith, Education and Community Trust (now known
Star Academies). It serves as the flagship school of the trust.
History
The school opened as an independent school in September 1984 with six teachers and 96 students. The school stated that its first building was "very old" at the time.
[
In 2005, the school became the first Muslim state school in the North West. It had previously been an independent school. The school has been a success in school league tables, with 82% of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at grade C or above in 2007, compared to the national average of 46.7%.
In September 2013 the school moved to a new campus in the ]Beardwood
Beardwood is a village suburb of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is relatively close to the village of Mellor and has a local high school. It lies on the western edge of Blackburn, a few miles away from Blackburn town centre.
In 2013, th ...
area.[
In December 2014 the school converted to academy status.
]
Student dress and personal behaviour
As of September 2013 10% of the school's sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
students wear niqabs. In the same month, ''Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' published a headline stating that girls were forced to wear hijabs outside of school. In response, Mufti Hamid Patel, the principal, said that "It is totally incorrect to say that pupils are 'forced' to wear hijab outside of school."
On 17 August 2014, the Sunday Times published an article describing a 'remarkable transformation at the Tauheedul Islam Girls School' and listed a number of changes the school had made. These included: stricter vetting policies for external speakers, girls no longer being required to wear hijabs (if they didn't want to) and inviting a range of speakers from all faiths to address its pupils.
Awards and nominations
In January 2014, the school was nominated for the Services to Education award at the British Muslim Awards.
References
External links
*
*
Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School
(Archive)
Tauheedul Islam Faith, Education and Community Trust
(TIFECT)
{{authority control
Star Academies
Islamic schools in England
Secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen
Girls' schools in Lancashire
Schools in Blackburn
Educational institutions established in 1984
1984 establishments in England
Academies in Blackburn with Darwen