Report says governors at “chaotic” Muslim free school have been told to resign or school will be closed

Posted: Wed, 20th Nov 2013

The Derby Telegraph is reporting that the governors at the Al-Madinah Muslim free school have been told to step down and let another sponsor take over or the school will be closed.

The paper says that it understands that another sponsor is waiting in the wings to take over but if the governors refuse to step aside the state funding will be cut, effectively forcing it to close.

However, because of the bureaucracy involved, it could take a year for the school to be closed down, leaving the 412 pupils studying in a school that has been described in an Ofsted report as "dysfunctional" and "chaotic".

The Derby Telegraph says a likely sponsor for the school could be Greenwood Dale Trust Foundation, which already has control over former Sinfin Community School, now renamed the City of Derby Academy, since earlier this year in May. The foundation has more than 20 academies under its belt and has taken on similarly challenging projects in the past.

This week Channel 4 published a Department for Education document showing that there had been financial irregularities at the school with accusation of conflicts of interest.

Tags: Faith schools