Al-Hijrah School is a voluntary-aided Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

ic secondary school based in the Bordesley Green

Bordesley Green

Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles south-east from the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is also a ward in the formal district of Hodge Hill. Neighbouring areas include, Alum Rock, Saltley, Small Heath and Yardley.Heartlands Hospital...

 area of Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is a specialist Science College

Science College

Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...

 with approximately 285 pupils aged 11–16.

History

The school was established by the Al-Hijrah Trust, a charitable organisation that was formed in Birmingham by a group of Muslims led by Mohammad Abdul Karim Saqib on July 17, 1988. The school started in Birmingham Central Mosque

Birmingham Central Mosque

Birmingham Central Mosque, is a mosque in the Highgate area of Birmingham, England, run by the Birmingham Mosque Trust. It is one of the largest Muslim centres in Europe....

, operating in three rented rooms. In 1990, the school moved to new premises at Midland House in Small Heath

Small Heath, Birmingham

Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....

 and, throughout the 1990s, the school continued to grow. In 1997, the Trust acquired the former Cherrywood Grammar School in Bordesley Green premises from the Birmingham Local Education Authority. The purpose-built school building was constructed in 1912 and housed the grammar school, which eventually became a comprehensive school until the buildings were closed in 1994. The building remained empty until it was purchased and an extensive renovation programme funded by the Trust commenced. The new school buildings were opened to pupils on September 1, 1999. In autumn 2001, the school ceased being a private school and received voluntary-aided school status.

Pupils

The 285 pupils are split into separate male and female classes. 75% of pupils are of the Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i ethnic minority group. The school receives over 1,000 applications for 60 places, making it the most over-subscribed school in the United Kingdom.

Future

The school has continued to grow and exceeded its sponsorship target of £30,000 in 2008 for small schools, received £58,000. Due to the success of the school, they are now searching for new premises to allow the school to expand.