An Independent girls’ school in the borough of Hackney received a ‘good’ Ofsted rating this month after its 2019 inspection resulted in an ‘inadequate’ rating.

Tayyibah Girls’ School in Stamford Hill aims ‘to provide education to the highest possible standards in an Islamic environment’.

Ofsted inspectors found behaviours and attitudes at the school to be ‘outstanding’ at this year’s inspection whilst the quality of education, leadership and management and personal development were all deemed ‘good’.

The school’s last Ofsted inspection took place in 2019 when its overall effectiveness was rated inadequate.

Notably, inspectors found examples of inappropriate literature in the school’s library which staff were unable to account for or explain.

According to the Ofsted report, the contents of the books promoted intolerance towards women and people of different races.

An excerpt from one of the books read: ‘The Muslim woman does not seek work outside the home unless her community needs her to work in a specialised area such as befits her feminine nature”.

This, as well as a need for greater focus on strengthening teaching skills, likely lead to the unsatisfactory rating.

Brian Oppenheim, lead inspector of the 2022 inspection said: “Leaders and trustees have improved the school since the last inspection.

“They have tackled the weaknesses and the curriculum has been upgraded to better meet pupils’ needs.”

The report outlined improvements such as a wider range of books being studied in English lessons, the reorganising of the Maths curriculum to maximise pupil’s learning and improved adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities based on identifying their needs accurately.

Opportunities to broaden pupils’ experiences such as membership to the school council, multi-cultural day and the opportunity for Year 11 students to act as prefects, were noted by inspectors.

Staff receive regular safeguarding training surrounding radicalisation and extremism, domestic violence, and female genital mutilation to help them identify if a pupil is at risk.

Additionally the report mentioned staff’s knowledge of the signs that a pupil may be experiencing anxiety and what action to take if they are concerned.