At 8.30am, registration and form time includes Surah Yaseen on Mondays and Surah Kahf on Fridays. It is a small, steady routine that sets the tone: faith is part of the week’s rhythm, not an optional add-on.
Al Islah Girls' High School is an independent secondary school for girls aged 11 to 16 in Blackburn, Lancashire. It is an Islamic faith school, registered for up to 245 students, with a roll of 155 at the time of the most recent inspection. The 2025 Ofsted inspection rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes.
For families, the headline is clear. This is a focused, girls-only setting where religious life and the National Curriculum sit side by side, and where the day runs on clear expectations and careful structure.
On Audley Range, the school’s identity is closely linked to its purpose: an Islamic environment for local girls, with a deliberate emphasis on manners, self-respect and service. The tone described in official reporting is friendly and welcoming, with relationships between staff and students doing much of the heavy lifting. That matters in a smaller school, where a young person is more likely to be known as an individual rather than as a timetable.
The school opened in 1995 and positions itself as a place that combines faith with mainstream academic pathways. You see that blended identity in everyday language. The school speaks openly about shaping confident young women, and it places personal development alongside qualifications rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Leadership is also a visible part of the story. The headteacher, Nikhat Pardesi, presents the school as ambitious for its students, while keeping the message practical: work hard, behave well, and use school as a base for what comes next. For some families that combination will feel reassuring. It is values-led, but also clearly outcomes-aware.
On the GCSE outcomes dataset used by FindMySchool, Al Islah Girls' High School records an Attainment 8 score of 34.7. In the English Baccalaureate, 12.5% of students achieved grade 5 or above, and the school’s average EBacc APS is 3.06 compared with an England average of 4.08.
Results like these are best read with context. This is a small school with a specific intake and a clear ethos; what matters for parents is whether the school’s teaching, support and routines match the child who will sit those exams. If you are comparing options locally, the FindMySchool local comparison tools help you place these figures alongside other Blackburn secondaries without losing sight of size and setting.
Ranked 3,344th in England and 14th in Blackburn for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), the school sits below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England. That does not tell you everything, but it does set an evidence-based baseline for academic performance, and it raises sensible questions about how well different learners are supported to close gaps over time.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
GCSE 9–7
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% of students achieving grades 9-7
The curriculum offer is broad in a straightforward, practical way, with a clear Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4 pathway. Published subject lists include English, mathematics, science, religious education, Urdu, history, art and design, physical education, citizenship, information technology, and personal, social and health education with Islamic theology. At Key Stage 4, options shown include GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition and BTEC Health and Social Care.
The picture in official reporting is of teachers with strong subject knowledge, and lessons that are usually clear and well organised. What families should hold alongside that is a specific improvement point: assessment is not always used consistently well enough to spot gaps and adjust teaching, so some learning can move on before understanding is fully secure. In a smaller school, the expectation is that students are noticed quickly when they struggle; this is an area worth probing in conversation if your child learns best with frequent checking and careful scaffolding.
Reading is treated as a whole-school priority, with a library culture and a “buddy readers” initiative referenced in official reporting. At the same time, the same reporting flags that systems to identify weaker readers are underdeveloped, meaning some students may not get timely support to build fluency and confidence. For families with a child who needs structured reading intervention, this is one of the most important practical questions to ask: how quickly are needs picked up, and what help follows.
For an 11 to 16 school, the next step is immediate and consequential. Students will be looking at sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships and training routes, and the school’s role is to widen options without pushing everyone down the same track.
Careers education is described as a strength in official reporting, including information about apprenticeships and exposure to visiting speakers. The school also uses experiences to make post-16 feel real: a Year 10 taster day at Blackburn College is one example of students being encouraged to explore different subjects and environments before choices become final.
Because the school does not have a sixth form, transition planning is not optional. Students must move on at 16, which can be a positive reset for many, but it does mean families should think early about travel, admissions requirements and the kind of post-16 setting that will suit their daughter’s interests and confidence.
Admissions are handled directly by the school. All applicants are required to sit entrance examinations and have an interview with a senior member of staff, with tests in mathematics and English. The school also states that it accepts girls of average ability and above, and that performance in the entrance tests is taken into consideration when offering a place.
For in-year entry, the school sets expectations clearly: admissions to Years 8 to 11 are based on reports of attendance, behaviour and assessment from the previously attended school. That is a practical filter, and it will matter to families moving mid-phase who need a clean, well-managed transition.
The school states that admissions for September 2026 are open, and it has recently run open days in early October. If you are trying to plan sensibly, use the FindMySchool shortlist tools to keep your timelines and alternatives organised, because a direct-application school can move at a different pace from local authority co-ordinated systems.
Application forms are available through the school, with an online route also offered. The key for families is to treat the process as two parts: first, securing a place through testing and interview; then, checking that the day-to-day culture matches your daughter’s learning style and temperament.
Pastoral care here is closely linked to behaviour and relationships. Official reporting highlights students who feel safe and settle quickly, and a calm culture where students manage their own behaviour and are courteous at social times. Behaviour being judged a standout strength matters for families who want a school day with momentum rather than constant correction.
Personal development is also treated as a planned curriculum, not a poster on a wall. The school’s PSHE and relationships and sex education work is described as reflecting its ethos and values, with messages around equality, healthy relationships and the dangers of drugs. Students also learn about different religions, cultures and perspectives through lessons and visits, which helps anchor “life in modern Britain” as something practical and lived, not theoretical.
Student voice shows up in simple, concrete ways. A Year 10 Wellbeing Ambassadors team has led whole-school workshop assemblies on mental health and wellbeing, including signposting where students can access help if they need it. In a small school, that kind of peer-led leadership can feel more personal and more believable.
Service is not treated as a vague ideal. Official reporting describes students organising fundraising and community-focused projects, including putting together pamper packs for a local women’s refuge and making afternoon tea packs for a charity supporting older people. These are the kinds of activities that build confidence, especially for students who are quieter in lessons but thrive when they are given responsibility.
The school also uses structured leadership roles. Prizegiving at the end of the academic year includes awards for attendance and academic performance, and students are appointed to senior roles such as Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl. For some girls, that visible ladder of responsibility is motivating.
Enrichment is often tied to themed days and curriculum-linked projects. The school publishes a programme of British Life and Culture awareness days, including activities such as a school Bake Off during National Baking Week and a World Maths Day competition. There is also evidence of creative work being celebrated in ordinary weeks, such as Year 9 pottery projects in art.
Trips are positioned as an expectation rather than an optional extra, with the curriculum documentation stating that all students are expected to take part in educational trips. Families who value learning beyond the classroom should ask what that looks like across the year groups, and what costs sit alongside it.
*Bursaries may be available for eligible families.
Basis: per year
The school day begins with doors opening at 8.00am and registration and form time from 8.30am, before five teaching periods and lunch. The published schedule ends at 3.00pm, with whole-school assembly on Mondays.
The school is in the Audley area of Blackburn. Many families will find a car journey or walk the simplest option day to day, and Blackburn railway station is the town’s main rail hub for wider travel connections. If your child is likely to stay for enrichment or support sessions, plan the logistics early, because pick-up routines often shape how sustainable a school feels over a full week.
Entrance tests and interview: Admission is not automatic. Applicants sit English and mathematics tests and have an interview with a senior member of staff, with results taken into account when places are offered. For a child who is anxious about assessment, it is worth discussing how the school makes the process feel fair and calm.
Reading support: Reading culture is a strength, with a library focus and peer “buddy readers”, but official reporting also flags that weaker readers are not always identified quickly enough. If your daughter needs targeted literacy support, ask what screening and intervention look like in practice, and how progress is checked.
Assessment consistency: Teaching is usually clear and well structured, but assessment is not always used consistently to pick up gaps before the curriculum moves on. This matters most for students who need extra consolidation rather than pace; it is a sensible area to explore at a visit.
No sixth form: Students must move on at 16, so post-16 planning needs to start early. The school’s careers programme includes exposure to different routes and settings, but families should still think ahead about the specific sixth form or college path they want.
Al Islah Girls' High School is a small, independent girls’ secondary in Blackburn that combines an Islamic ethos with a mainstream curriculum and a highly ordered school day. Behaviour and relationships are a clear strength, and personal development is treated as a serious part of education, not a side project.
Best suited to families who want a girls-only setting with faith woven into weekly routines, who value calm expectations, and whose daughter will respond well to structured lessons and clear boundaries. The main decision points are admissions testing, how confidently the school supports weaker readers, and the practical reality of moving on to post-16 elsewhere.
It is rated Good overall, with behaviour judged a standout strength in the most recent inspection. The school is small, values-led and highly structured, which can suit students who do well with clear routines and consistent expectations.
Fees are published by the school as £1,500 plus VAT for the academic year, with an admission fee of £30 plus VAT when a place is offered. Families should also factor in exam-related costs, as external examination fees are stated as payable by parents.
Admissions are direct to the school. Applicants take entrance tests in English and mathematics and have an interview with a senior member of staff, with test performance considered when places are offered.
On the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes dataset, the Attainment 8 score is 34.7 and 12.5% of students achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc. The school’s average EBacc APS is 3.06 (England average: 4.08).
No. The school is 11 to 16, so students move on to sixth forms, colleges or training providers after Year 11, and careers planning is an important part of Year 10 and Year 11.
Get in touch with the school directly
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