A Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Islamic school has re-started classes after the lockdown.

Students have a variety of issues including Autism and Global Development Delay. The classes have a ratio of one teacher to each student.

Zakiyyah Choudhury, a course tutor said: “We run classes once a week and provide our utmost best for our students. We teach Islamic studies through creative and practical activities and we follow rigorous lesson plans and have received special training.”

The training looks to reinforce the existing Education Health Care Plan (ECHP) provided by professionals and work alongside learning plans devised by schools.

“We teach the five pillars of Islam, biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s), Arabic and various other subjects.” Zakiyyah said.

Mansur Khan, course leader at Madinatul Ilm says he was inspired by the Blackburn based Tuyoorul Jannah – a specialist provider of supplementary Islamic education which is the only one of its kind in the UK.

He said: “Due to the lockdown we faced a struggle in providing quality education for children with special needs.

“Tuyoorul Jannah provided us with the training and tools we needed to provide classes for children with SEND.”

Nabeela Ahsan is the mother of Hamza who has an intellectual disability called Fragile X Syndrome. She explained: “Hamza lives in his own world as our world doesn’t concern him. He is seven years old, but his understanding is that of a three year old. He still wears nappies and has poor muscle tone so he falls down all the time and is always anxious.

“He has learned to make invocations and he walks around the house with his Ipad listening to Shaykh Sudais - the Imam of the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia - and copies us praying. When I found out about the SEND classes I put down Hamza’s name immediately.  I truly believe it is due to the mercy of Allah that we got a place.

“Hamza has limited understanding but he still gets excited before his class starts. He wakes up at seven in the morning and wants to get ready and counts the minutes before the class. We are so blessed to find a place like it.” She added.

“Hamzah has learned a lot although he has difficulty retaining information. His attention span is not more than three minutes, for an institute to take on a child like that is commendable.”

Another student, Aafiyah Shaan, 9, lives with autism and Global Development Delay which means that academically she is behind and looks like a three year old as she is small in stature. She also has sensory issues so all the food she eats she will smell it beforehand.

Her father, Ali Shaan, said: “She is set in her ways and follows routines which have been set for her and doesn’t like change. At the madrassah they take a creative and fun approach to teaching so Aafiya enjoys the classes. The classes are playful but enjoyable and educational. Among other activities, they do colouring and arts and crafts.

“Madinatul Ilm is doing a great service to the Oldham community as they take a different approach to teaching Islam to a neglected segment of the community.”

Zubair Mangera, the co-founder of Tuyoorul Jannah in Blackburn which presently has 48 students, said: “My inspiration happened when I taught my wife’s brother, Talha Patel, at a mainstream Islamic school where he was excluded and ignored by teachers and other students alike.

“It was very unfair so my wife and I started SEND classes. My wife was also inspired to help others with special needs as her brother lived with Microcephaly – a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected.

“We started off as just an afterschool club which grew as we found there was a massive demand from parents of special people. Ever since, we haven’t looked back.” He said.

For anyone interested call Mansur Khan, course leader at Madinatul Ilm – 07305065443 or info@madinatulilm.co.uk