Muslim groups in Derby have called for the resignation of all trustees and governors at Al-Madinah School.
The call came yesterday after the chairman of the trustees, Shazia Parveen, announced she was stepping down for the “best interests” of the children.
She said she would go “as soon as the transition is over”, which could mean after November 1.
This is the date by which the trustees are required to come up with a plan to prove they are fit to run the school and how they will ensure it improves – otherwise funding will be withdrawn.
The school, which has sites in Friar Gate and Nelson Street, with 416 pupils aged four to 16, was told by Ofsted inspectors it was “dysfunctional”, “in chaos” and “inadequate” and was placed in special measures.
Yesterday, in a joint statement, Derby Jamia Mosque, the Pakistan Community Centre, Derby Islamic Centre and charity JET said the school had been set up to be “a beacon of excellence in education” but due to “complete mismanagement” was “a national embarrassment”.
It said the Muslim community of Derby had been thrust into the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
The statement said: “We believe the position of the trustees and the governing board has become untenable, the vision and principles on which they ‘sold’ the school to the parents, pupils, central government and the wider community have not been adhered to. As organisations that represent over 80% of the Pakistani Muslim Community in Derby, we strongly urge that the trust and governing body offer their resignations to the Department of Education; this would then allow the department to consider alternative options and ensure minimum disruption for the pupils. Though it has to be accepted that some of the national media reporting has been unfair, inaccurate and disproportionate, creating a negative image of the school.”
In Ms Parveen’s statement, she said the school acknowledged its weaknesses and had taken the Department for Education’s recommendations “very seriously”.
Shahban Rehmat, a trustee, read out Ms Parveen’s statement in front of the school yesterday morning.
It said: “Over the last few years, I have sacrificed my own time, family and health for this noble cause – to help educate the children of our communities.
“Much has been said about our school. We, the governing body, have tried our best; we acknowledge the weaknesses within our school and have taken the DfE’s recommendations very seriously.
“We are highly committed to delivering quality education in our school, a trust that we have taken from the community.
“Therefore, I plan to step down from my position as chairman of the governing body as soon as the transition is over and this is clearly for the best interests of our children.
“We are working on a transition strategy that will lead to a permanent long-term solution.
“This interim period will allow us the opportunity to restructure the trust, modify the governing body with people who bring varied skills equalled by having the interest of our children and their education, not self-interest at heart, all with a view to significantly raising the level of leadership and management at Al-Madinah School.
“In conclusion, we are ready to learn from our mistakes but not willing to fail our students.”