Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School) Review 2026: Girls-only all-through provision with a clear Islamic ethos

This is a small, girls-only independent school in Bury Park, Luton, spanning late primary, secondary and sixth form ages. The school’s identity is tightly defined, a dual focus on the national curriculum alongside an Islamic curriculum, with daily routines that make faith practice and character education central rather than optional. The most recent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspection (December 2024) confirmed that all Independent School Standards are met, including safeguarding, while also highlighting areas where breadth beyond the classroom could be strengthened.

The clearest theme is structure. School life is organised around strong supervision, predictable routines, and a behaviour culture built through visible systems, including a house system, merits, and postcards home. The practical implication for families is a setting that tends to suit students who benefit from clear boundaries and frequent feedback, particularly those who can find larger or looser environments distracting.

Faith practice is integrated into the day in ways that affect timetable, expectations, and pastoral language. Pupils are given multiple opportunities to pray during the school day, with activities pausing to accommodate prayer. Religious education includes Islam and other faiths, and the school places explicit emphasis on kindness, respect, and managing stress. For many families, that integration is the point, it frames behaviour, relationships, and self-regulation as much as it frames formal religious learning.

A strength of the current model is the way personal development is linked to real-world context. External speakers and local links are used to broaden horizons, and the inspection describes productive relationships with community services and role models. For students who do not see many professional pathways reflected around them day to day, that exposure can matter, particularly when it includes relatable female and Muslim professionals.

The school’s published performance picture looks mixed, particularly at GCSE level. Ranked 3,228rd in England and 14th in Luton for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average overall. The Attainment 8 score is 37, and 6.8% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in EBacc subjects.

At sixth form, outcomes are also below the wider England picture. Ranked 2,215th in England and 6th in Luton for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), 26.92% of grades were A* to B, including 2.56% at A* and 7.69% at A. England averages are higher, 23.6% at A* to A and 47.2% at A* to B, which suggests that families should treat sixth form choice here as a values-led decision as much as a results-led one.

Two contextual points matter when interpreting these figures. First, the school is small, so year-to-year shifts can be pronounced. Second, the inspection evidence describes strong teaching habits and high staffing levels, with individualised support that helps pupils make good progress in day-to-day learning even where headline outcomes are less competitive.

The curriculum aims to cover the expected national breadth while also delivering Islamic studies, and the inspection describes it as broad, with all pupils studying English and modern Arabic, plus ancient Arabic within Islamic studies. The practical benefit for students is sustained language development and consistent reinforcement of literacy, particularly where Arabic learning is important to the family’s educational aims.

Teaching is described as purposeful, with high expectations and strong questioning that keeps lessons focused on key learning points. Feedback is used to help pupils improve, and praise is tied to effort and achievement, which tends to help students who need confidence rebuilt after setbacks. The inspection also notes generous staffing in many lessons, often including an additional teacher, which supports a more individual approach and can reduce the likelihood that quieter students go unnoticed.

Where the school has a clear development priority is practical science. The inspection highlights limited opportunities and resources for pupils to develop essential practical skills in science. For families with students who learn best through hands-on experimentation, it is worth probing how science practical work is delivered, what facilities are available, and how gaps are being addressed.

Support for additional needs is described as proactive. Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are identified and supported, with liaison with external specialists when needed; English as an additional language needs are also identified and supported through vocabulary and language help. In practice, this points to a school that is attentive to barriers that can otherwise compound quickly in small settings.

The school’s leavers destinations data (for the 2023/24 cohort, size 7) indicates that 29% progressed to university and 14% went into employment. With such a small cohort, these percentages can shift substantially from year to year, so families should treat them as a snapshot rather than a fixed trend, and ask directly about the range of post-16 and post-18 pathways currently being supported.

The inspection evidence suggests careers guidance is a meaningful part of the offer. Pupils receive impartial information about different careers, individual support from a careers adviser, and exposure to external speakers. The school’s emphasis on relatable role models, including women in public service roles, is a practical strength for students weighing routes that may not be obvious within their immediate networks.

Oxbridge application and acceptance figures are not available in the current dataset for this school. Parents for whom that pipeline is a priority should ask for recent, specific leaver outcomes and the support structure for highly selective applications.

Admissions information is not consistently published on major public directories, and the school’s own website accessibility has been an identified operational issue in recent years. Inspectors noted that parents had not been able to consistently access up-to-date policies and required information via the website, although leaders updated the site during the inspection period. The practical takeaway is simple, do not rely on older documents you find online, and ask the school directly for the current admissions steps, required paperwork, and the latest policies.

The school does admit pupils outside standard transition points and informs the local authority appropriately when pupils join or leave at non-standard points. That can be relevant for families moving into the area mid-year, or those seeking a change of setting after a difficult experience elsewhere.

Because this is an independent school, admissions are typically managed directly by the school rather than through local authority coordinated deadlines. For families weighing multiple options, the FindMySchool Saved Schools feature can help track which documents you have requested and which questions you still need answered before committing.

Wellbeing is treated as a taught and practised skill, not just a pastoral add-on. The PSHE programme includes strategies for managing stress and anxiety, and leaders are described as taking care to listen to pupils’ views and respond to concerns that pupils raise. The implication for students is a setting that is likely to be supportive for those who need explicit coaching in self-management, particularly during exam years.

Behaviour expectations appear consistent. Bullying is described as rare, with effective responses when issues arise, and pupils are well supervised, including restrictions on unsupervised access to areas of the site. For some students, that level of oversight is reassuring; for others, it may feel restrictive, so it is worth exploring how independence is developed over time, especially for older students.

Relationships and sex education is delivered in line with statutory guidance while also being informed by Islamic values. Pupils are taught about healthy relationships, sexual orientation and identity, and the school uses external speakers for topics such as consent and sexually transmitted infections. Families who want both faith framing and full statutory coverage will want to understand how lessons are handled in practice, including how questions are managed and how parental engagement works.

Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective, including staff training, recruitment checks, and online safety systems with filtering and monitoring.

This is an area where the inspection evidence is frank. There are trips beyond the school, including visits to museums and galleries in London, and the school uses lunchtime activity in a practical way, including revision sessions designed to support learning and lunchtime basketball that builds skills. For students who benefit from academic reinforcement and supervised activity, that model can work well.

However, the inspection also notes that opportunities to develop skills and interests outside the curriculum are limited, and it recommends strengthening the recreational programme. That matters because enrichment is not just about fun; it is often where confidence, teamwork, and leadership are built, and where students discover strengths that change their options at 16 and 18. Families should ask what enrichment currently runs weekly, how often it changes, and what the participation expectations are.

Community engagement is a more distinctive strength than traditional clubs. The school’s outreach work includes engagement with local government and public services, including a visit to the mayor’s office and visits from professionals such as doctors and police officers, alongside charitable activity such as donating food and clothes locally. The implication is a school that tries to connect personal development to civic life, which can be particularly valuable for students building confidence to participate in wider British society.

As of January 2026, the Independent Schools Council listing for the school shows day fees of £1,067 per term (excluding VAT). The same listing indicates that scholarships and bursaries are available, and mentions sibling discounts. Families should confirm the current fee schedule for the 2025/26 academic year directly with the school, including what is included in tuition and what is charged as an extra (for example, examinations, trips, and any additional tuition).

Operational details that parents often want, such as start and finish times, are not reliably available across public sources for this school. The inspection record does highlight strong systems around attendance monitoring, health and safety checks, first aid arrangements, and medical facilities for students who are unwell during the day.

Given the school’s small size and the importance of routine to its model, families should request the current daily timetable structure, expectations around prayer times, homework rhythm, and any transport guidance. For those comparing commute options, FindMySchool Map Search is useful for checking realistic travel times at drop-off and pick-up.

• Extracurricular breadth. The inspection notes limited opportunities for pupils to develop skills and interests outside the curriculum, and recommends strengthening the recreational programme. This may matter for students who need creative or sporting outlets to stay motivated.

• Science practical work. Inspectors highlighted that pupils do not develop practical skills in science as effectively as possible. Families with science-minded students should ask how practical work is delivered and what improvements are underway.

• Results profile. GCSE and A-level outcomes sit below England averages overall, and rankings place the school in the lower performance band in England. Students who need a highly outcomes-driven environment should compare options carefully.

• Website and information access. The inspection describes historic difficulty in keeping the website updated, affecting parents’ access to policies and information, even though this was addressed during the inspection period. Parents should ensure they are using the latest versions of key documents.

This is a focused, values-led girls-only setting where routine, supervision, and a clearly integrated Islamic ethos shape daily experience. Teaching practice and staffing levels support steady progress and strong pastoral oversight, with careers guidance and community links adding practical relevance. The main limitations are the breadth of enrichment and a results profile that, on current published measures, sits below England averages.

Best suited to families who prioritise a faith-centred environment, clear behavioural structures, and a smaller school setting for girls, and who are prepared to be proactive in checking current admissions details and enrichment opportunities.