Jameah Academy Review 2026: Faith-led independent education for girls in Leicester (ages 5 to 16)

A small all-through girls’ school that combines the national curriculum and GCSE study with Islamic studies and spiritual reflection. The leadership frames school life around an explicit values model, STRIVE, and a stated ambition to develop both spirituality and academic success.

For families seeking an Islamic ethos and a girls-only setting through to Year 11, that clarity is a major draw.

The tone is set by a faith-led ethos that is consistently articulated in the school’s own communication. The head teacher highlights a focus on STRIVE values and a priority of developing taqwa, described as piety and God-consciousness, alongside learning.

Governance also appears closely connected to the day-to-day culture. The chair of governors presents the school as rooted in Islamic values and strongly oriented to partnership with families, with an emphasis on pupils’ spiritual, social, emotional, and physical development as well as the academic.

For parents, the practical implication is straightforward. This is not a lightly faith-flavoured school. Families comfortable with explicit Islamic framing of school life, and who value a girls-only environment, are likely to find the cultural coherence reassuring. Those seeking a more secular setting should treat the ethos as a key deciding factor.

At GCSE level, results place the school above the national midpoint in FindMySchool’s results. Ranked 1,470th in England and 19th in Leicester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance is positive, though not as high nationally as the older top-25% wording suggested.

Not all phase-specific measures are available for the primary years. Practically, this means parents should use visits, work scrutiny, and conversations with staff to understand how early reading, writing, and mathematics are taught and assessed in the younger years, rather than expecting a neat set of comparable published indicators.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view GCSE measures side by side with other schools in the Leicester area, which helps translate a single rank into a more rounded shortlist decision.

Curriculum planning is designed to run coherently from primary through to secondary, with attention to literacy and vocabulary development across subjects. The offer combines schemes of work aligned to the national curriculum and GCSE study with Islamic studies and structured spiritual reflection, so pupils and students experience a blended academic and faith curriculum rather than two parallel tracks.

Teaching practice is described as structured and feedback-rich, with subject specialists using frequent oral feedback to move learning on. Examples referenced in external review include sustained language development through reading resources and writing, as well as subject-specific progression in Arabic grammar and an iterative drafting process in art.

At GCSE, the subject offer has broadened in recent years through the introduction of options including business studies and computing. The implication is greater choice for students whose strengths sit beyond a narrow academic core, while still keeping the overall curriculum aligned to the school’s ethos and expectations.

With education running to age 16, the main transition point is Year 11. Careers education is positioned as a planned programme, including access to an online platform and a work experience programme, with staff providing individual guidance to Year 11 students about post-16 course and college choices.

The school also uses encounters beyond the classroom to develop readiness for the next stage. Examples referenced include engagement with local sixth-form college careers fairs and structured life-skills preparation for younger pupils approaching the primary to secondary transition. The practical implication for parents is that post-16 pathways should be considered early, since there is no in-house sixth form continuity.

Admissions are school-led and staged. The first stage requires a completed application with requested documents and the latest school report before an application can be considered. For in-year entry, there is no fixed window, availability is linked to capacity. For entry into a new academic year, the school advises submission by the December beforehand, with applications considered from the Spring term.

The second stage is an admissions test for applicants who meet entry criteria at stage one, and families are told they will only be contacted if the application progresses to that stage. The assessment model varies by age. For Key Stage 1, the test is described as a numeracy, writing, and reading screening. For Key Stages 2 and 3, it includes Maths and English plus a digital test that yields a standardised age score for key areas of learning, and the school is explicit that an invitation to test is not a guarantee of an offer.

For families planning an application, the key operational point is timing. Because the school frames the main intake planning around submissions by December, it is sensible to treat early autumn as the point to begin gathering documents and arranging the next steps.

Pastoral expectations are closely tied to values and behaviour, with a focus on respectful relationships and clear conduct standards. The personal, social, health and economic programme is described as broad, including health themes such as healthy eating and the risks associated with smoking and substance misuse, as well as personal safety input from external services.

Religious observance is accommodated as part of routine, and relationships and sex education is described as using a framework intended to respect Islamic beliefs while reflecting statutory expectations. For many families, this is a significant part of the school’s fit, since it shapes both curriculum content and how sensitive topics are handled.

Bullying prevention and response are treated as a core safeguard, with students taught about what bullying is and why it is harmful, and incidents described as relatively few. Support structures include access to trusted adults and mentoring, alongside mechanisms designed to encourage students to raise worries.

Extracurricular life has a distinctive practical flavour, with a strong emphasis on values-in-action projects rather than a purely competitive clubs model.

A clear example is environmental work. The school publishes detail on an Eco Club linked to Eco-Schools, including pupil leadership structures and community-facing activity. One project referenced is participation in a Litter Less campaign that involved multiple litter picks and follow-up writing to local councillors about public bins. The educational benefit is not only environmental awareness, but also persuasive writing, local citizenship, and student agency.

STEM enrichment appears to be organised around activity weeks and competitions, including practical build challenges such as a balloon car, a straw bridge, and constructing a chair from cardboard, alongside a Key Stage 3 biology competition. For pupils who learn best through making and testing, this is a meaningful complement to classroom science.

Financial education is another concrete strand. The school describes MoneySense workshops supported by NatWest volunteers, with younger pupils covering spending, saving and giving, and older primary pupils exploring fraud and identity theft through a “detective” model. The implication is that personal finance and online safety are treated as practical life skills rather than occasional add-ons.

Wider enrichment also includes structured days and civic learning. Examples referenced externally include culture day, inter-faith day, and a Learn with the Lords scheme exploring democracy and Parliament, alongside charitable activities such as clothing collections and fundraising bake sales. For students, these are the kinds of experiences that build confidence in speaking, presenting, and engaging with public life.

Fees are published as an annual breakdown for 2025 to 2026, showing amounts inclusive of VAT. The total combined annual fee is £3,420 for primary and £3,600 for secondary. The published schedule also includes monthly standing order options by year group, which some families will find more manageable for budgeting.

The fee summary does not set out bursary or scholarship arrangements in a way that can be stated reliably here. Families who may need fee support should ask explicitly about any means-tested assistance, any discounts, and what is included in the published fee (for example, resources, trips, or enrichment).

The school publishes term and holiday dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, including inset days and Islamic holidays; families should expect the calendar to align with both educational and religious commitments.

• Senior enrichment breadth. External review notes that opportunities for older students to develop interests through recreational clubs and activities are relatively limited compared with what many parents expect at secondary level. If wide co-curricular choice is a priority, ask for an up-to-date clubs list by year group.

• Confidence in speaking up. Support structures such as mentoring and wellbeing mechanisms are described, but building students’ confidence to share worries with trusted adults is identified as an area to develop. Parents should explore how concerns are raised and followed up in practice.

• Post-16 planning. With education running to age 16, families need a clear Year 11 transition plan to sixth-form or college, including subject availability, travel, and application timelines.

• Cost and VAT exposure. Fees are relatively moderate in independent-sector terms, but VAT is explicitly shown within the published fee schedule, and families should be clear on what is included and what sits as an extra cost.

A focused independent all-through girls’ school where Islamic ethos, values education, and a structured curriculum are deliberately intertwined. GCSE outcomes are strong on FindMySchool’s measures, and the wider programme includes well-defined strands in environmental action, STEM activity weeks, and practical financial education.

Best suited to families who want a girls-only setting with clear Islamic framing through to Year 11, and who value close family partnership and a strongly guided culture. Families who prioritise a very broad secondary clubs programme should probe enrichment breadth for older students before committing.