How to Choose an Islamic Primary School in London

Choosing a primary school is one of the biggest decisions you will make for your child. Choosing an Islamic primary school adds a second question to every visit: will this school take my child's deen as seriously as their reading and maths? Islamic schools in London vary widely in size, fees, Qur'an provision and quality, so the honest answer is that you have to check each school individually. This guide shows you how: the official records to look up before you visit, the questions to ask when you do, and the signals that tell you a school is well run. It applies to any school you are considering, ours included.

Every school in England, state or independent, must be registered with the Department for Education (DfE), and every registered school has a URN, a unique reference number. Before anything else, look the school up on Get Information about Schools, the government's official register. Search by name or postcode and check:

• Registration status: is it an open, registered school? A "school" operating without registration has not been approved to educate children full-time.
• Age range and capacity: does it actually teach the years your child needs, and how large is it?
• Proprietor: who runs the school, and for how long have they run it?
• Inspectorate: which body inspects it (see the next section).

The record takes two minutes to read and anchors everything else. As an example of what you should find: searching URN 149148 brings up Daffodil Preparatory School: an independent co-educational school in Tower Hamlets for ages 5 to 11, registered since 2022.

Read the inspection report, not just the headline

Independent schools are inspected either by Ofsted or, for schools in the main independent-school associations, by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the government-approved inspectorate for association independent schools. Both publish every report free online.

Read the most recent report in full, not just the front page. Look for:

• Safeguarding: is it judged effective? This is the one non-negotiable.
• The independent school standards: are they all met? These cover teaching, welfare, premises, leadership and more.
• The detail on behaviour and personal development: often the clearest picture of daily life.
• The date: a report from a school's first year tells you where it started, not where it is now. If the report is older, or early in the school's life, ask the school directly what has changed since, and expect a specific answer.

We practise what we recommend here: our own inspection history is set out in full, without spin, on our inspections page.

Ask curriculum questions that get real answers

Independent schools are not required to follow the National Curriculum (GOV.UK: types of school), so never assume. Useful questions:

• Do you follow the National Curriculum for England? It sets programmes of study for Key Stage 1 (Years 1–2, ages 5–7) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6, ages 7–11).
• Do pupils sit the standardised assessments, meaning the Year 1 phonics screening check and the end of Key Stage 2 SATs (national tests in reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling)? Independent schools can opt out; a school that chooses to sit them is choosing to be measured on a national yardstick.
• How will I know how my child is doing? Ask how often the school assesses, and how often it talks to parents. Termly is common; more often is better.
• What happens after Year 6? London secondary transfer is competitive. Ask which schools children move on to and how the school prepares them: for example, whether verbal and non-verbal reasoning (the skills tested in many 11+ entrance exams) is taught in class time.

At Daffodil we teach the full National Curriculum alongside Arabic, Islamic Studies and Latin, and enter pupils for all standardised assessments. Details are on our curriculum page.

Qur'an provision: ask how, not just whether

Almost every Islamic school will tell you Qur'an is central. The differences are in the mechanics. Broadly, London schools offer one of three models:

1. Qur'an as a timetabled subject: a regular lesson, like RE, usually taught by class or year group.
2. A structured memorisation pathway inside the school day: ability-based groups working towards hifdh (memorising the whole Qur'an; also written hifz), so no separate evening madrasah is needed.
3. School plus evening madrasah assumed: the school teaches basics and expects families to arrange memorisation elsewhere, which in practice means a second daily commute and a tired child.

Questions that separate the three:

• Are children grouped by age or by ability? Ability grouping means a strong reciter is not held back and a beginner is not left behind.
• How is progress assessed and reported? Ask about weekly assignments and termly assessments.
• How is tajweed (the rules of accurate Qur'anic recitation) taught and corrected?
• How is revision protected, so memorised portions are retained rather than forgotten?

For comparison: our own programme runs in three ability-based levels (Beginner, Pre-Hifdh and Hifdh) inside the school day, with weekly memorisation assignments and termly assessments. The way each school on your list answers these questions will tell you more than any brochure. More on how the model works on our Qur'an and Hifdh page.

Class sizes and the shape of the day

Ask two numbers: the maximum class size and the typical class size this year. Small classes are a genuine advantage at primary age (more reading time per child, quicker spotting of gaps), but "small" should be a number, not an adjective. (Ours is a maximum of 15.)

Then ask about the whole day. Where and when do children pray? Is food halal, and is it provided or packed? What happens at 3:30pm? Is there homework club or after-school care that lets you work a full day? How does the school handle Ramadan? A school that has thought about the rhythm of a Muslim family's year will have quick, concrete answers.

Fees, VAT and the full cost

Since 1 January 2025, private school fees in the UK carry 20% VAT (GOV.UK: VAT on private school fees). When comparing schools:

• Ask for the VAT-inclusive annual total, not the per-term headline.
• Ask what is included (meals, trips, books, clubs) and what is billed on top.
• Ask about registration fees, sibling discounts, payment instalments and the notice period if you withdraw.

A well-run school publishes all of this plainly. We publish ours, including VAT-inclusive totals, on our fees page.

Safeguarding signals you can check yourself

All schools must follow the DfE's statutory safeguarding guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education. Before and during a visit, check:

• Is a named Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), the member of staff responsible for child protection, published on the website?
• Are the safeguarding and other policies on the website, dated, and current?
• Did the most recent inspection judge safeguarding effective?
• On the visit: were you signed in and asked for ID? Do staff notice an unfamiliar adult? Do children look known, greeted by name?

Our arrangements and named DSL are on our safeguarding page.

Your visit checklist

Take this with you to every school on your list:

1. What is your URN, and who inspects you?
2. What did your last inspection say, and what has changed since?
3. Do you follow the National Curriculum, and do pupils sit phonics screening and KS2 SATs?
4. How is Qur'an taught, by age or by ability, and how is progress reported to me?
5. What are your maximum and typical class sizes this year?
6. What is the full annual cost including VAT, and what does it include?
7. Who is your DSL, and where can I read your safeguarding policy?
8. What does 3:30pm–6pm look like for a working family?
9. Which secondary schools did recent leavers go to, and how do you prepare them?
10. Can I see a normal lesson, not a showcase?

No school is disqualified by struggling with one of these. A school that struggles with most of them is telling you something.

Frequently asked questions