Al Kauthar Girls Academy
Same Blackburn with Darwen area and similar girls' selective route
School profile
Verified 17 July 2026
Blackburn with Darwen Private schools
Al Islah Girls' High School
108 Audley Range, BLACKBURN, BB1 1TF
Al Islah Girls' High School is a private secondary-stage school in BLACKBURN, Lancashire, with a published age range of 11-16.
Private school Girls Ages 11-16 No sixth form listed No boarders Individual
- Application ?
- Apply direct to school
- Age range
- 11-16
- Ofsted ?
- All standards Met
- Boarding ?
- No boarders
Al Islah Girls' High School
1
On this page
At a glance
Key facts
- Sector
- Private school
- Gender
- Girls only
- Application ?
- Individual
- Age range
- 11-16
- Boarding ?
- No boarders
- Route check
- Independent schools do not use the local-authority grammar-school catchment model; check the school site for boarding, transport and eligibility rules.
- Ofsted ?
- All standards Met
Overview
Overview
Since 1995, Al Islah Girls' High School has organised its five-year secondary journey around "Respect, Educate and Achieve". An Islamic setting, all-female teaching staff and small classes combine with pupils remaining with the same teacher group across their time there. The result is a deliberately consistent setting for academic progress and personal responsibility.
Years 7 to 9 cover English, mathematics, science, history, religious studies, languages, computing, physical education, PSHE and citizenship. At Key Stage 4, GCSE study sits alongside Cambridge National and Technical Awards in subjects including English, mathematics, science, religious education, history, food preparation and nutrition, health and social care, and information technology. Christianity and Islam form the GCSE religious-education course.
Super Learning Days extend the timetable into enrichment, careers, relationships and preparation for life after Year 11. Theatre visits, college discovery sessions and pupil-led creative projects bring those themes out of the classroom, while Islamic character education runs alongside the academic and vocational routes.
For Blackburn girls aged 11 to 16, Al Islah offers a compact secondary experience rather than an all-through pathway. Its distinctive feature is the way small-group teaching, a dual qualification structure and sustained pastoral contact are held within the same five years.
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Creative writing is tested in this school's current 11+ assessment.
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Key points
Key points
- Assessment route
- Applications are made directly to the school. Check the school's own admissions pages for registration dates, entrance assessment stages, interviews, fees, scholarships and bursaries.
- Places and demand
- Published Year 7 place numbers and applicant-per-place data are not included in GIAS for this private-school seed profile.
- Catchment
- Private-school eligibility is not controlled by the local-authority grammar catchment model; check boarding, day-pupil, transport and any sibling or faith rules on the school site.
- Results
- 31.4% grade 5+ in English and maths and 39.6 Attainment 8
GCSE benchmark
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Blackburn with Darwen and England.
School Local authority England
- Attainment 8
- 39.6
- Grade 5+ English and maths
- 31.4%
- EBacc APS
- 3.41
- EBacc entry
- 71.4%
Attainment 8 trend
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Blackburn with Darwen and England.
School Local authority England
School details
School details
- Sector
- Private school
- School type
- Other independent school
- Funding
- Independent fee-paying
- Application
- Apply direct to school
- Gender
- Girls only
- Age range
- 11-16
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nikhat Pardesi
- Pupil roll
- 119 pupils
- Sixth form
- No
Location and contact
Location and contact
Address
- Address
- 108 Audley Range, BLACKBURN, Lancashire
- Postcode
- BB1 1TF
School leadership
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nikhat Pardesi
School contact
- School phone
- 01254261573
Admissions contact
- Admissions team
- School office
- Admissions contact
- Apa Nikhat
- Admissions email
- head@alislah.org.uk
- Admissions phone
- 01254 261573
Admissions
Admissions
- Application route
- Apply direct to school
- Age range
- 11-16
- Gender
- Girls only
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Day fees
- Annual day tuition before VAT.
- Scholarships and bursaries
- Check school site
- Entrance details
- Applicants sit English and Mathematics entrance examinations followed separately by an interview. Year 7 materials cover English comprehension and writing task and Mathematics arithmetic and reasoning. No age-specific in-year format, current numeric pass mark, weighting or standardisation method is available.
- Admissions note
- Applications for September 2026 are open through the online form or school office. Applicants sit English and Maths entrance tests and attend an interview. Applications to Years 8-11 use attendance, behaviour and assessment information from the previous school. The current priority order, test threshold and offer fee are not available online; confirm them with the school office.
Applications for September 2026 are open through the online form or school office. Applicants sit English and Maths entrance tests and attend an interview. Applications to Years 8-11 use attendance, behaviour and assessment information from the previous school. The current priority order, test threshold and offer fee are not available online; confirm them with the school office.
Independent schools do not use the local-authority grammar-school catchment model; check the school site for boarding, transport and eligibility rules.
Oversubscription and eligibility
Use the official admissions policy for the current priority order and eligibility rules.
Exam and test format
Exam and test format
Entrance route and assessment
Applicants sit English and Mathematics entrance examinations followed separately by an interview. Year 7 materials cover English comprehension and writing task and Mathematics arithmetic and reasoning. No age-specific in-year format, current numeric pass mark, weighting or standardisation method is available.
- Assessment route
- Individual
- Papers and stages
- 3 stages
- Format
- Mixed format
Papers and rounds
-
Round 1
English, Maths, Writing task
Year 7 written entrance examination
Year 7 applicants sit English and Mathematics papers. The official samples cover English comprehension and a writing paper with essay and story choices, plus Mathematics arithmetic and reasoning; the writing sample allows 5 minutes planning and 40 minutes writing, while the reasoning sample allows 50 minutes.
-
Round 2
English, Maths
In-year written entrance examination
All girls sit English and Mathematics entrance examinations. No age-specific in-year format, duration or threshold is available.
-
Round 3
Interview
Senior staff interview
Applicants also attend an interview with a senior member of staff. No score or weighting is available for the interview.
Published assessment components
English, Maths, Writing task and Interview are listed across the school's published assessment routes.
Published
-
English
-
Maths
-
Writing task
Year 7 applicants sit English and Mathematics papers. The official samples cover English comprehension and a writing paper with essay and story choices, plus Mathematics arithmetic and reasoning; the writing sample allows 5 minutes planning and 40 minutes writing, while the reasoning sample allows 50 minutes.
-
Interview
Applicants also attend an interview with a senior member of staff. No score or weighting is available for the interview.
Official papers and familiarisation
Practice paper
English comprehension sample paper
English
Practice paper
English writing sample paper
English
Practice paper
Mathematics arithmetic sample paper
Maths
Practice paper
Mathematics reasoning sample paper
Maths
Mark scheme
English comprehension mark scheme
English
Mark scheme
Mathematics arithmetic mark scheme
Maths
Application
Application
Key dates
Get date reminders-
September 2026 applications
Applications currently open
Very limited spaces are available; no closing date is listed.
How to apply
- 1
Submit the admission form
Use the online form or collect a paper form from the school office or Noorul Islam Masjid, then return it by email, post or in person.
Open the online form - 2
Provide previous-school records for in-year entry
Applications to Years 8-11 are considered using attendance, behaviour and assessment information from the previous school.
Check the application route - 3
Complete the entrance tests and interview
Applicants sit English and Maths tests and attend an interview with a senior member of staff.
View sample papers
Results
Results
Attainment snapshot
- Attainment 8 ?
- 39.6 Attainment 8
- GCSE results
- 31.4% grade 4+ in English and maths
- Grade 5+ English and maths ?
- 31.4% grade 5+ in English and maths
- EBacc average point score ?
- 3.41 EBacc APS
Inspection
Inspection
All standards Met
Latest inspection: 4 March 2025
- Quality of education
- 2
- Behaviour and attitudes
- 1
- Personal development
- 2
- Leadership and management
- 2
Quick summary
- Ofsted inspection outcome: Ofsted's latest independent school standard inspection began on 2025-03-04. The reported outcome is: All standards Met.
- Ofsted safeguarding: The Ofsted dataset records safeguarding as: Yes.
Similar schools and comparisons
Similar schools and comparisons
Nearby schools families also consider
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
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Nearby schools with similar results
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
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Redstone Academy for Girls
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Shortlist comparisons
Related pages and guides
Related pages and guides
Area and ranking pages
Guides and related reading
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How does Al Islah Girls' High School handle admissions?
Al Islah Girls' High School handles applications directly. Check the school website for registration dates, entrance assessments, interviews, fees, scholarships and bursaries.
How do I apply to Al Islah Girls' High School?
1. Submit the admission form: Use the online form or collect a paper form from the school office or Noorul Islam Masjid, then return it by email, post or in person. 2. Provide previous-school records for in-year entry: Applications to Years 8-11 are considered using attendance, behaviour and assessment information from the previous school. 3. Complete the entrance tests and interview: Applicants sit English and Maths tests and attend an interview with a senior member of staff.
When are the key dates for Al Islah Girls' High School?
September 2026 applications: Applications currently open
What does the latest inspection picture look like for Al Islah Girls' High School?
Al Islah Girls' High School is currently rated All standards Met following the latest published inspection dated 4 March 2025.