 A Muslim girls school in Banbury has won approval from the Government. The Ash-Shifa School in Merton Street has been fully registered with the Department of Education and Skills after a successful Ofsted inspection.
It will now be inspected at six year intervals and intends to work towards beacon status, which is awarded to high-performing schools. It was set up in 2002 by the Ash-Shifa Trust as a result of local demand and is held up as a model faith school adhering to the teachings of Islam.
School development officer Shehzad Najib said: "The trust would like to take this opportunity to thank its volunteers, staff and pupils at the school for their ongoing hard work and to thank the local community, especially the parents of the Ash-Shifa pupils, for its continued and most valued support."
The school is housed in mobile classrooms in the grounds of Banbury mosque and uses science and computer facilities at Banbury School. It has grown from eight to nearly 30 pupils, aged 11 to 14, and is funded through student fees and private donations. But plans to build a larger school on a new site have been hampered by planning setbacks.
Mr Najib said: "We are still looking for a new site at the moment. We need somewhere we can have more activities and classrooms." The Ash-Shifa Trust provides a consultancy service to other schools in the country and educational, social and recreational activities for communities around Banbury.
It has been shortlisted for an award from the Oxfordshire Employers' Race Equality Network (OEREN). The network is organising this evening in celebration of organisations, employers and individuals who have promoted race equality.
Article from the Banbury Guardian
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