Setting Up a Madrasah: A Practical Guide for Community Founders

There are an estimated 2,000 madrasahs operating in the UK, educating approximately 250,000 children in Islamic studies and Quranic learning outside school hours. They vary enormously in quality, governance and accountability. Some are exceptional; others are — despite the best intentions of their founders — unsafe, poorly taught and ineffective. The difference is almost always in how thoughtfully they were set up and how rigorously they are managed. This is the guide to doing it right.

Legal Structure and Registration

Before anything else, the legal structure of a madrasah requires careful consideration. Most UK madrasahs operate as unregistered voluntary settings, which is legally permissible — supplementary education settings do not require Ofsted registration. However, an unregistered setting has no formal accountability framework, no recognised complaints procedure and limited access to funding.

A madrasah wishing to establish formal governance should consider registering as a charity with the Charity Commission (if annual income exceeds £5,000) or as a charitable incorporated organisation. This establishes a governing body with legal responsibilities, provides a framework for financial accountability and creates a formal structure through which quality can be maintained and concerns addressed. Many mosque-attached madrasahs operate under the mosque charity's governance; others are independent. The governance structure should be chosen deliberately, not as a default.

Safeguarding: Non-Negotiable from Day One

Safeguarding is the most critical and most frequently neglected area in newly established madrasahs. Every setting working with children is legally required to have and implement a safeguarding policy, regardless of whether it is registered with Ofsted. Every person working or volunteering with children should have a current DBS Enhanced check. A designated safeguarding lead should be identified and should complete Level 3 safeguarding training. The governance body should have a safeguarding governor who monitors implementation.

The failure to implement safeguarding properly is not merely a compliance failure — it is a moral failure to protect the children in the setting's care. It is also a reputational risk that can destroy a community institution built over years. There is no acceptable reason to delay implementing robust safeguarding from the moment the madrasah admits its first child.

Curriculum: Planning Beyond Tradition

Many madrasahs operate with implicit curricula — a broadly understood sense of what should be covered — rather than written, planned curricula. This creates significant inconsistency: different teachers covering different things in different years, with no coherent progression and no way of knowing what has and has not been taught. A written curriculum — even a simple one — transforms this. For each age group: what Quranic learning is expected? What Islamic studies topics will be covered, in what order? What Arabic, if any? What Islamic manners and ethics?

The content should be reviewed periodically to ensure it remains relevant to British Muslim young people and to incorporate contemporary questions about Islamic practice and ethics alongside classical foundations. Our articles on teaching fiqh, teaching Arabic, and teaching Quran memorisation provide pedagogical guidance for specific curriculum areas.

Teacher Quality: The Highest-Leverage Investment

The quality of teaching is the single most important determinant of outcomes for children in any educational setting, including a madrasah. Many madrasahs recruit teachers on the basis of religious knowledge alone, without considering pedagogical ability or suitability to work with children. A scholar with deep knowledge but no teaching skill or child-appropriate communication will not produce effective learning. Investment in teacher training — including training in basic pedagogy, child development and safeguarding — returns many times its cost in better outcomes for children. Academica Mentoring's CPD programmes for madrasah teachers address these dimensions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a madrasah need to register with Ofsted?

Supplementary schools providing fewer than 18 hours of provision per week do not require Ofsted registration. Most madrasahs fall below this threshold. However, full-time alternative provision (more than 18 hours per week, registered as the child's main education) does require registration and inspection.

What is the best governance structure for a mosque-attached madrasah?

A sub-committee of the mosque charity governing body, with a madrasah-specific committee that has oversight of the educational provision, safeguarding and teacher management. This provides the mosque governance with legal oversight while giving the madrasah operational independence in educational matters.

How do we handle complaints from parents?

A written complaints procedure that is available to all parents from enrolment. It should specify who to contact at what stage, what response time is expected, and how complaints will be investigated. Most complaints in madrasahs are resolvable informally; having a formal procedure provides a fallback and signals that the madrasah takes parent concerns seriously.

What training should new madrasah teachers receive?

At minimum: safeguarding awareness (Level 1 at least), first aid, and basic child development. Ideally: pedagogical training covering how children learn, classroom management, and subject-specific teaching techniques for Quran and Islamic studies. Academica Mentoring's CPD programmes specifically address these needs for madrasah teachers.