LEADERS at the North West's first Muslim state school have pledged to carry on improving after a flying start with record GCSE results.

Previously privately-run Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School in Bicknell Street, Blackburn, reopened under local authority control in April, making it only the sixth state-funded Islamic high school in Britain.

The 310-pupil school now receives the same level of support and is subject to the same national curriculum guidelines and inspection regime as other publicly-funded schools.

Staff have now confirmed that its GCSE pass rate at A* to C has shot up since last year from 76per cent to 96per cent - one of the highest marks in the borough.

Delighted deputy head Robert Berry said: "The school has made a great start since joining the LEA family of schools and we hope to build further on the excellent standards the school has enjoyed in its 20-year history.

"The students and staff were overjoyed to learn that they had achieved a 5 A* - C pass rate of 96per cent, the best in the school's history.

"This has come about through sheer hard work from the young people and teachers, combined with the introduction of new and challenging teaching techniques, mentoring, and the targeting of particular subjects for extra revision, some of which took place at the weekends and in the holidays."

Since operating under the council umbrella, the school has also implemented a new school week, with 24 hours of teaching completed from Monday to Thursday, allowing an early finish at midday on Fridays, the Muslim holy day.

"This has proved very popular with both students and staff, who can return refreshed on Monday morning," Mr Berry added.

"Friday morning is also a time when all students can engage in extra-curricular activities, and the staff can enhance their professional development."

In the run-up to the GCSEs the school chose to do away with a period of study leave.

Instead pupils worked until the last minute and some days would do an exam in the morning and stay on for lessons in the afternoon.

The decision to move into the state sector followed a council report stating there was a growing trend for Muslim parents to place children in independent Muslim schools and the only way to ensure better links with the community was to provide a Muslim school within the local education authority.