Muslim Free School Which 'Forced Teachers to Wear Headscarves' Is Slammed as 'In Chaos' and 'Dysfunctional' in Official Report

Al-Madinah school, Derby

MAIL ONLINE: Al-Madinah school in Derby was closed for Ofsted inspection after reports that bosses segregated students and made staff cover their heads / Inspectors' report denounces Islamic school as 'dysfunctional' / Damning verdict calls for Al-Madinah to be placed in special measures / Minister insists Government has taken 'swift action' to address problems / Cameron threatens to shut the school down if it does not improve / Labour says the scandal shows failure of Coalition's free schools policy

A controversial Muslim free school is set to be placed in special measures after a damning official report condemned it as 'dysfunctional' and says that it is 'in chaos'.

Al-Madinah, a free school in Derby, has repeatedly been featured in the Press for allegedly forcing women teachers to cover their hair and making boys and girls sit separately in class.

Ofsted inspectors launched an urgent investigation into the school, and listed a number of serious criticisms in their official report, which was published this morning.

David Cameron said he would be prepared to shut down the school if it does not improve quickly.

A minister told MPs today that the school would not be allowed to 'languish in failure' and insisted the Government had taken 'swift action' to deal with the problem.

The report found that teachers were inexperienced, with many having never taught before, and were overly generous in assessing pupils' work.

It also wrote that boys and girls ate lunch in separate shifts, while older pupils were segregated by sex in the classroom.

'This school is dysfunctional,' the report stated. 'The basic systems and processes a school needs to operate well are not in place. The school is in chaos and reliant on the goodwill of an interim principal to prevent it totally collapsing.'

It continued: 'This is a school which has been set up and run by representatives of the community with limited knowledge and experience. Read on and comment » | Hugo Gye | Thursday, October 17, 2013