Iqra Academy Review 2026: Independent Islamic girls’ secondary with strong behaviour and a small-school feel

A girls-only independent school with an Islamic ethos, set up to serve Peterborough families and run by the Peterborough Muslim Education Trust. Opened in September 2009, it operates as a day secondary for ages 11 to 19 and is registered for up to 205 pupils, with 92 on roll at the time of the most recent inspection. The July 2025 Ofsted inspection rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management; safeguarding was found to be effective. The school is registered with sixth-form provision, although the inspection noted there were currently no pupils in that phase. For parents weighing affordability, the school publishes an annual fee of £4,200 for the 2024 to 2025 academic year, with payment options discussed at interview.

This is a school that places identity and values at the centre of day-to-day life. The Islamic ethos is explicit, with religious education and faith-informed expectations shaping routines, conduct and the way pupils talk about responsibility. The school’s own language also emphasises British values, with a clear commitment to democracy, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. That combination matters in practice because it gives pupils a moral framework while also setting expectations for engagement with the wider world, including civic awareness and respectful debate.

Small size is a defining feature here. In a setting with a modest roll and a single-gender intake, peer groups can feel close, staff can keep a tight grip on standards, and pupils can find it easier to take on responsibility. The most recent inspection describes pupils as confident and articulate, with strong self-regulation and a calm, purposeful culture. That type of environment typically suits students who want clarity, structure and a strong sense of belonging, particularly if they prefer a girls-only setting for focus and confidence.

Leadership and governance appear to prioritise community connection. The school is run by the Peterborough Muslim Education Trust and positions itself as a community-funded institution, drawing on fees and voluntary contributions. The Principal listed on the school website is Dr Michael Wright, and the school states he has chaired the school leadership team since 2016. In a small independent school, leadership continuity can have an outsized impact, particularly on behaviour, safeguarding culture, staff retention, and the consistency of routines across the week.

The physical setting also shapes expectations. The school’s own history notes that it is around two miles from the city centre and located in an industrial area. For many families, that is neither positive nor negative on its own, but it does affect the daily rhythm. Drop-off, pick-up and independent travel require planning, and pupils may experience the school as a distinct space separate from typical residential neighbourhood patterns.

The headline academic picture in the FindMySchool dataset is mixed, and it is important to read it with context. Ranked 3,121st in England and 16th in Peterborough for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average when viewed through this comparative lens. In plain terms, that places outcomes in the lower tier nationally.

The school’s average EBacc APS score is 3.4, compared with an England average of 4.08. EBacc average point score is one proxy for how well pupils perform across the English Baccalaureate subject suite, and a gap of this size suggests that outcomes in those subjects may not yet match the strongest local alternatives. For parents, the implication is practical rather than abstract: if your child is aiming for a highly academic, EBacc-heavy pathway, it is worth asking detailed questions about set pathways, staffing stability in humanities and languages, and how the school supports pupils to deepen knowledge over time.

The dataset also reports an Attainment 8 score of 43.1, which gives a broader sense of average performance across eight approved GCSE slots. Because published comparator figures do not align cleanly in format, it is best treated as a standalone indicator rather than used for a precise England comparison here.

One additional contextual point comes from the most recent inspection evidence: teaching enables pupils to achieve well in most subjects, but in a small number of foundation subjects the depth and sequencing do not consistently support sustained progress. This is a familiar challenge in smaller schools, where staffing changes, part-time timetables, and specialist coverage can have disproportionate impact. The school’s improvement task, therefore, is not simply to raise outcomes in general, but to ensure that curriculum depth and teacher guidance are consistent across the full subject range, not only in the strongest departments.

The school’s curriculum intent is ambitious. Core academic subjects sit alongside Islamic studies and religious education, and the broader programme includes humanities, arts and practical options. The published prospectus describes GCSE provision including English language and literature, mathematics, science, religious studies and Islamic studies, plus options such as psychology, art, history, geography, and languages including Urdu, Arabic, and modern European languages.

What matters most to parents is how that curriculum lands in classrooms. The most recent inspection evidence points to teachers generally being subject specialists with strong subject knowledge, and to effective checking for understanding so teaching can be adapted when pupils need more support. A useful example is reading: pupils read often and widely, and those who are not fluent receive targeted support to improve. The implication is that literacy is treated as a whole-school priority rather than left to English lessons alone, which is often the difference between pupils merely covering content and pupils gaining access to it.

The school’s stated approach to character education is also tied to learning behaviours. A culture of ambition and mutual respect, with high expectations for conduct, can directly increase learning time and reduce low-level disruption. Where this is done well, it is not about strictness for its own sake; it is about making classrooms predictable and safe so that pupils can participate, take intellectual risks and ask questions without embarrassment.

The key development area identified in official inspection evidence is subject depth in some foundation areas. For parents, this is a prompt for specific questions: How does the school ensure consistent subject expertise across the week? What training and resources support non-specialist teachers? How is assessment used to pinpoint gaps early, not just at mock exam points? Strong answers to these questions indicate that the school is turning a diagnosis into a plan.

Post-16 planning requires particular attention here. Although the school is registered for ages 11 to 19, the latest inspection notes that there are currently no pupils in the sixth-form provision. That does not prevent strong post-16 outcomes, but it changes the mechanism: families should expect that most pupils will move on to sixth forms or colleges elsewhere in the city after GCSEs.

The school’s careers information highlights a structured approach to guidance, including a careers programme with guest speakers, work experience opportunities and visits to employer events. In a smaller school, well-organised careers exposure can be especially valuable because pupils may have fewer informal networks for work experience and professional insight. The implication for families is that the school is likely to support transition beyond Year 11 through advice, preparation and links, even when the teaching provision for Year 12 and Year 13 is not currently populated on site.

If your daughter is aiming for a particular route, such as A-levels with a strong academic suite, a vocational pathway, or an apprenticeship option, it is worth clarifying early how the school supports applications, predicted grades, references and interview preparation, and which local providers are most common destinations in practice.

Admissions are handled directly by the school rather than via the standard local authority coordinated process that applies to state-funded schools. The school publishes an admissions process that includes an application form and, for Year 7 entry, a school transfer test. The admissions page states that the Year 7 transfer test for the September 2026 intake will take place on Saturday 25 April 2026.

The school also promotes opportunities for prospective families to visit and ask questions. A school open evening is advertised for Wednesday 11 February 2026, scheduled from 9am to 11am. For families making an initial shortlist, this matters because ethos and expectations are central here, and you will get the most clarity by asking directly about daily routines, faith provision, behaviour systems, and how the school supports study habits and independent learning.

Because the school is small and independent, spaces and year-group composition can vary year to year. Families should treat admissions as a process of fit as well as availability. The best approach is to clarify early the school’s expectations on uniform, conduct, homework routines, and partnership with parents, and to be explicit about your child’s academic profile and support needs. Where distance is relevant to your decision-making, FindMySchool’s Map Search can help families understand travel practicality from home to school as part of the shortlist stage.

Pastoral strength is one of the clearest themes in the most recent external evidence. The July 2025 Ofsted inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective, which is a baseline requirement but also an indicator of a functioning culture around reporting, training and oversight. Beyond safeguarding, official evidence also points to pupils showing genuine care for one another and to behaviour being consistently strong, with pupils taking ownership of their actions.

Personal development is not treated as a bolt-on. Pupils have structured leadership opportunities, including developing and following a pupil charter. There is also a stated emphasis on community and charity work, which can strengthen pupils’ sense of agency and their understanding of civic responsibility. For teenagers, this is more than values language; it is often a practical route to confidence, public speaking, teamwork and initiative.

SEND support is described as thoughtful and coordinated. Pupils’ needs are identified accurately, and staff work with parents and pupils to understand strengths and aspirations, then tailor support and adapt teaching strategies so pupils can access the curriculum successfully. In a small school, this can be particularly meaningful because early identification and communication with families can happen faster, and support plans can be adjusted without bureaucracy.

Extracurricular life appears to be organised around a few strong pillars: sport, leadership, and structured enrichment. A clear example is football. The school describes a Football Academy and a wider school football programme that competes beyond local fixtures. The point for families is not simply that football exists, but that it is used as a vehicle for discipline, teamwork and confidence, particularly in a girls-only setting where sports participation can be a powerful counterweight to self-consciousness in adolescence.

Cricket is another named strand, with a Cricket Academy and structured after-school sessions. If your child enjoys sport but has not previously seen herself as “sporty”, a smaller school with planned sessions and familiar staff can sometimes lower the barrier to participation.

For students drawn to uniformed youth development and outdoor challenge, there is also a Combined Cadet Force and a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme. These activities tend to suit pupils who benefit from clear standards, progressive responsibility, and the sense of earning status through effort rather than popularity. The school links these programmes to leadership qualities such as resourcefulness and perseverance, and that can translate directly into improved self-management in lessons.

Enrichment is not limited to sport. The most recent inspection evidence references pupils cooking food from different countries, which points to a practical, cultural dimension within the wider curriculum and enrichment offer. Combined with the school’s emphasis on debate, faith understanding and British values, this suggests a school that aims to develop articulate, engaged young people rather than focusing solely on examination technique.

As an independent school, the core funding model is fee-based, supplemented by community support and voluntary contributions. The school publishes an annual fee of £4,200 for the 2024 to 2025 academic year, with payment methods agreed at interview and the option to pay annually or in monthly instalments.

For families planning ahead, it is important to note that the school does not clearly publish a full 2025 to 2026 fee schedule on its website at the time of writing, so prospective parents should confirm the current year’s figure directly before committing. The school’s public information also does not set out a detailed bursary or scholarship framework in a way that allows families to self-assess eligibility, so it is sensible to ask explicitly whether means-tested support is available, what evidence is required, and how decisions are made.

The school publishes term dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, including staff training days and an Eid holiday period in June 2026. This is useful for parents coordinating work and childcare across the year, particularly in households with children at multiple schools.

Daily start and finish times are not clearly published in the same place as term dates, so families should confirm the school day schedule directly. The setting, in an industrial area around two miles from the city centre, makes travel planning a key practical consideration. When shortlisting, think about the reliability of your route in winter, pick-up contingencies, and whether your child is likely to travel independently as she gets older.

• National performance context. The FindMySchool GCSE ranking places outcomes below England average, ranked 3,121st in England and 16th in Peterborough, so families with highly academic GCSE ambitions should ask detailed questions about subject depth and stretch.

• Foundation subject consistency. Official inspection evidence highlights that in a small number of foundation subjects, teaching does not consistently deepen pupils’ knowledge. That can matter most for pupils aiming for higher grades across the full suite of subjects.

• Post-16 route planning. The school is registered to 19, but the latest inspection notes there are currently no pupils in the sixth-form provision, so families should plan early for Year 12 and Year 13 options elsewhere.

• Fees clarity. The school publishes fees for 2024 to 2025, but a full 2025 to 2026 fee schedule and a detailed bursary or scholarship framework are not clearly set out publicly, so budgeting requires direct confirmation.

Iqra Academy will suit families who want a girls-only secondary with an Islamic ethos, strong behaviour standards, and a clear emphasis on character, leadership and respectful debate. The strongest fit is for pupils who thrive in a smaller community, value structure, and respond well to high expectations. Families looking for a large sixth-form community on site, or those prioritising top-tier national GCSE performance indicators, should weigh the data carefully and use open events to test how the school is addressing curriculum depth in every subject.