Al-Madinah School, Derby

Al-Madinah School is a co-educational Muslim faith based free school for pupils aged 4 to 11 located in Derby, Derbyshire, England, and run by the Al-Madinah Education Trust. First opened in 2012 as an all-through (ages 4 to 16) school, it has made headlines for its strict Islamic practices, alleged discrimination to female pupils and staff, financial irregularities and nepotistic practices. Following government concerns about the quality of teaching at the school, it was placed in special measures in October 2013. In February 2014 Education Minister Lord Nash announced that secondary education at the school would cease in the summer of 2014.HistoryThe opening of the school caused controversy, with some in the Muslim community in Derby opposing the scheme.However a high demand for places at the school was reported when enrolment started in 2012.The idea of a segregated religious school was opposed by the Derby Campaign for Inclusive Education (DCIE) on the grounds that education should be inclusive with children from different backgrounds being educated together so they can make up their own minds as to what to believe as adults.There were also concerns amongst the Muslim community regarding the competency of the founders, doublespeak, political agendas, personal agenda and financial irregularities at a previous charity resulting in a public q&a meeting organised by the Derby Community Education Forum, which the founders refused to attend.Al-Madinah School offers Primary education to pupils aged 4 to 11 from the Derby area. Where the number of applications for admission to the school is greater than the amount of places, 50% of places are given to pupils of the Muslim faith, while the other 50% are given to pupils of any faith or none.