Al Madina School for Girls Review 2026: A small, academically focused girls’ secondary in Barking

This is a compact independent girls’ secondary (Years 7 to 11) in Barking, built around a clear priority: orderly learning, strong expectations, and a GCSE curriculum that keeps breadth through the English Baccalaureate suite. The school’s GCSE profile sits above England average on several headline indicators, and FindMySchool’s 2024 outcomes ranking places it within the top quarter of schools in England.

Governance and identity have also been in motion. Public information indicates the school was set up in September 2023, yet its registered inspection history for the same URN includes a January 2023 standard inspection that judged the provision Good. For parents, the practical takeaway is to read the most recent inspection report carefully for day to day indicators that tend to stay stable through rebranding, such as curriculum coverage, behaviour, and safeguarding culture.

For families comparing options locally, the key question is fit. This setting will appeal to parents who want a smaller roll, a structured approach to learning, and an environment designed specifically for girls from age 11 to 16.

The strongest theme across official evidence is clarity of expectation. Lessons are designed to proceed without unnecessary interruption, and staff reinforce standards of conduct consistently. That matters more in a small school than it does in a larger one, because routines and relationships are inherently more concentrated. When behaviour is predictable, teachers can spend time on explanation and checking understanding, rather than managing low level disruption.

A second theme is ambition for pupils’ outcomes, expressed through curriculum choices rather than marketing language. The inspection evidence describes a balanced set of national curriculum subjects in Years 7 to 9, and an expectation that GCSE choices remain broad in Years 10 and 11, including the subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate. For many families, that breadth is reassuring, particularly if a child is not yet certain which subjects will become strengths by Key Stage 4.

Pastoral culture is described through pupils’ sense of security and the quality of relationships. In small schools, this can be a genuine advantage, because adults often know pupils well and can intervene early if engagement drops. The same characteristic can feel intense for a very private child who prefers to blend into the background. The best way to test fit is to ask how form time works, who checks homework routines, and how the school identifies pupils who are quietly struggling rather than visibly unhappy.

Leadership information in the public record now lists Abbas Aziz as headteacher. The school also describes an Executive Principal role in publicly visible staff information. For parents, what matters operationally is who holds day to day accountability for teaching quality, behaviour standards, and safeguarding oversight, so it is worth asking how responsibilities are divided across senior staff.

FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking places the school at 1,069th in England and 5th within Barking and Dagenham, which corresponds to performance above England average and comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England on this measure. This ranking is a FindMySchool calculation based on official outcomes data, designed to support like for like comparison.

On the published GCSE indicators supplied here, Attainment 8 is 50.1. The school’s average EBACC APS is 4.88, and 29.4% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across the EBACC components. These figures suggest a cohort that is making credible headway across the academic core, with room for further strengthening in the proportion securing stronger grades across the EBACC basket.

Because the school is 11 to 16, there is no A level performance data to interpret, and the “what next” conversation after GCSE matters more. Parents should ask how subject guidance works in Year 9 and Year 10, what the school uses to identify best fit GCSE options, and how it supports pupils who need additional help to secure the core benchmarks in English and maths.

Families comparing nearby schools may find it useful to use FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools to view GCSE indicators side by side across Barking and Dagenham, particularly if you are weighing travel time against marginal differences in outcomes.

Teaching is described as clear and knowledge rich, with teachers introducing new concepts explicitly and supporting pupils to build towards more complex content. A practical indicator of this approach is the emphasis on coherence, pupils learn content in an order that builds understanding rather than jumping between topics. This tends to suit pupils who like predictable structures and benefit from routine retrieval and practice.

The same evidence also highlights a developmental edge: checking deeper understanding consistently enough to catch misconceptions early. For parents, this is worth exploring because it affects how quickly pupils can recover if they misunderstand a foundational concept in maths, science, or languages. Useful questions include how often low stakes assessment is used, how feedback is delivered, and whether pupils are regrouped for targeted support.

Reading is positioned as a priority, with systems to identify pupils who need additional help. The inspection evidence notes that staff training for supporting weaker readers with precision was an area to strengthen. In practice, parents should ask whether there is a structured intervention programme, who delivers it, and how progress is monitored, particularly for pupils entering Year 7 below age related expectations.

Where Students Go Next

The school is a Year 11 endpoint, so the key transition is into sixth form college, school sixth forms, or other post 16 pathways. The most useful information for families is usually not a generic university pipeline, but the practical support offered at Year 10 and Year 11: careers education, subject suitability guidance, and help with applications for sixth forms and colleges. Official evidence indicates a planned programme of personal, social and health education and citizenship, including careers education, advice and guidance, alongside enterprise activities and financial education.

The school does not publish destination figures that are available in the supplied dataset, so it is sensible to treat progression as an individual conversation rather than a headline statistic. Parents should ask which local sixth form routes are most common, what GCSE thresholds are usually needed for those routes, and how the school supports pupils aiming for more selective sixth form options.

Admissions are handled directly by the school rather than through local authority coordinated secondary transfer. The published outline describes an application form, an entry test with a £50 fee, and a registration meeting. In small independent settings, this process is typically designed to check academic readiness, ensure the family understands expectations, and confirm that the school can meet the pupil’s needs within its staffing and support model.

Specific deadlines for 2026 entry are not clearly available from accessible official sources at the time of research, and independent schools sometimes adjust admissions windows depending on capacity. A sensible approach is to treat Year 7 entry as the main intake point and to ask early about waiting lists, mid year places, and how the school handles late applicants.

Where distance based allocation is central for many state schools, independent admissions tend to depend more on availability and the school’s assessment outcomes. Families can still use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand practical travel time from home, especially if daily logistics will determine whether an after school programme is realistic.

Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective in the most recent published inspection report for the URN. Pastoral care in a small school often rests on two operational pillars: adults noticing changes quickly, and pupils feeling confident enough to raise concerns early. Parents should ask how concerns are logged, who the designated safeguarding leads are, and how the school works with external agencies when additional help is needed.

Personal development is supported through the PSHE and citizenship programme, including age appropriate content on online safety, relationships, and consent. These topics are increasingly central to girls’ secondary wellbeing, and the practical question is how the curriculum is reinforced through routines, assemblies, and consistent language around respect and boundaries.

The evidence base points to enrichment that is purposeful rather than glossy. Pupils take part in trips and educational visits, including visits to London museums and sports venues, and there are opportunities for residential stays. For many pupils, this kind of structured, supervised enrichment broadens experience without requiring families to source opportunities independently.

Student leadership appears to be a meaningful strand. The inspection evidence references roles such as prefects and school council, and involvement in charity events. For pupils who grow in confidence through responsibility, these roles can be a strong fit, particularly in a small school where leadership opportunities can be more accessible than in a large cohort.

After school provision is described as being weighted towards academic support, with leadership working to broaden the range of clubs available. For some families, that focus is a positive, especially if homework routines need structure. For others, it may be worth asking what is currently offered beyond intervention sessions, and how the school decides which clubs run each term.

The school publishes weekday opening hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm, which is a helpful proxy for the span of the day even when lesson start and finish times are not clearly available from accessible sources. Parents should confirm the teaching day, supervision arrangements at the start and end of day, and whether any breakfast or after school provision is available.

For transport, Barking Station is the main public transport anchor point locally, with Underground and London Overground services. For most families, the practical question is less which line exists and more whether the walk from station to site is manageable for a Year 7 pupil in winter, so it is worth doing a timed trial run at drop off time.

Fees & Financial Aid

Fees for 2025 to 2026 are published on the school’s fees page as an annual amount calculated from 01 July 2025 to 20 June 2026. The annual fee is shown as £4,320 excluding VAT; VAT is £864; total due including VAT is £5,184.

Information on bursaries or scholarships is not clearly accessible from official sources at the time of research. Parents who need financial support should ask directly whether any means tested assistance is available, how it is assessed, and whether support is reviewed annually.

• Small cohort intensity. A smaller roll can mean strong relationships and quicker support, but it can also feel close knit. Pupils who prefer anonymity may find the social environment more concentrated than in a larger school.

• Enrichment mix. After school activity is described as being focused heavily on academic support, with work underway to broaden clubs. Families prioritising a wide menu of non academic clubs should ask what runs each term.

• Clarity on identity and leadership roles. Public records list Abbas Aziz as headteacher, and other public facing information references an Executive Principal title. Parents may want a clear explanation of who leads teaching quality, pastoral systems, and day to day operations.

A small independent girls’ secondary that prioritises a calm learning environment, a broad GCSE curriculum, and structured support. The academic profile sits above England average on FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, and the latest inspection evidence for the URN aligns with a school that is orderly and safety conscious.

Who it suits: families seeking a girls only setting from 11 to 16 with clear expectations, a strong emphasis on the academic core, and a smaller cohort where staff can keep a close eye on progress. The main question to resolve is whether the current enrichment offer matches your child’s interests beyond the classroom.