An Islamic state secondary school has been found to be giving preference to children from a private school in its admissions process. The schools adjudicator upheld a complaint against Madani High School in Leicester. The adjudicator found the admissions process was “socially and economically discriminatory”, reducing the places for Muslims from other local schools. Madani High School became part of the state system last year. Following the ruling by England’s schools adjudicator, Peter Matthews, the school will have to change its policy in deciding who should be awarded places when there are too many applicants. The complaint, brought by the city council, was that the school’s over-subscription criteria included giving priority to pupils from the independent Leicester Islamic Academy Primary School. The Madani High School had been part of the Leicester Islamic Academy until it transferred to the state system in 2007 – with the new school replacing the secondary section of the Leicester Islamic Academy. Secondary schools are allowed to designate feeder primary schools under the admissions code, but with the requirement that this must “not disadvantage children from more deprived areas”.
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