An education rooted in Islam

At Rochdale Islamic Academy Girls, Islam is not an addition to education – it is at the heart of it.

We want our girls to achieve academically and be prepared for the opportunities of the wider world, while remaining firmly grounded in their Deen. This means giving them knowledge of Islam, but also helping them understand how that knowledge shapes their choices, character, relationships and everyday lives.

From the remembrance of Allah SWT and daily Salah to Tarbiyyah, Islamic Studies, Halaqahs and the conversations that matter to young Muslim women today, faith is woven naturally into the RIAG school life.

Islamic values are reflected in the everyday things: how we speak to one another, how we respond to difficulty, how we treat our teachers and friends, how we conduct ourselves and how we use the knowledge Allah SWT has enabled us to acquire.

This is what we mean by an education rooted in Islam.

Our aim is simple: for our girls to leave RIAG equipped for both their deen and duniya, inshaAllah.

At RIAG, we remember Allah SWT in all that we do.

There is something very special about the environment at RIAG.

It’s an environment in which Allah SWT is remembered throughout the day. The Prophet ﷺ taught us that when people gather to remember Allah SWT, tranquillity descends upon them, mercy envelops them and the angels surround them.

With this in mind, we strive to make RIAG a place in which the remembrance of Allah SWT is familiar to our girls; heard in our classrooms, assemblies and gatherings; and reflected in the way we speak, learn and treat one another. With the remembrance of Allah, the environment at RIAG is one to be experienced.

Tarbiyyah Pathway

Tarbiyyah is about much more than acquiring Islamic knowledge. It is about allowing that knowledge to soften the heart, strengthen Imaan and influence the way we live.

Our Tarbiyyah Pathway is designed around the needs of our girls as they grow through secondary school. Drawing directly upon the Qur’an and Sunnah, it gives students clarity in their Deen and helps them distinguish the teachings of Islam from practices that may arise from culture or custom.

Students explore areas including Aqeedah, Fiqh, Hadith and Tafseer, alongside contemporary matters affecting Muslim girls today. Questions around identity, friendships, modesty, social pressures, relationships, social media and maintaining one’s faith in an ever-changing world can be discussed openly and sensitively.

Tarbiyyah takes different forms because not every conversation belongs in a lesson. It happens through assemblies, classroom learning, smaller halaqahs, individual conversations and those important moments when our girls simply need guidance.

Knowledge with a greater purpose: We want our girls not only to know their Deen, but to understand it, love it and increasingly put it into practice insha’Allah.

Salah and Dhikr

The school day is busy: lessons, assessments, friendships, responsibilities and deadlines! Salah brings everything back to what matters most.

Daily congregational Salah is woven into life at RIAG, giving our girls the opportunity to pause their studies, make Wudhu and stand together before Allah SWT. Zuhr Salah is offered throughout the year, with provision also made for Asr during the winter months.

The remembrance of Allah SWT extends throughout the school day. Every lesson begins with Du‘a, encouraging our girls to begin their learning by turning to Allah SWT and seeking beneficial knowledge. We also teach and regularly draw attention to the daily Adhkar, helping students understand and become familiar with the remembrances taught to us through the Sunnah and how they can become part of everyday life.

On Fridays, our girls recite Surah Al-Kahf, establishing another beautiful Sunnah within the school life. Dhikr and Du‘a are therefore not reserved for Islamic Studies lessons – remembering Allah SWT is part of the daily life at RIAG. We want our girls to become accustomed to beginning with Allah, turning to Allah and thanking Allah throughout their day.

These practices are repeated not simply because they form part of the school timetable – our hope is that through consistency, they become beautiful habits of the heart; habits our girls choose to carry beyond RIAG, into their homes, further education, careers and inshaAllah, their future families.

“The school day may end at RIAG; the habits formed should not.”

Insha’Allah.

Halaqahs & Questions Answered

Alongside formal Islamic learning, RIAG creates opportunities for halaqahs and year-group discussions, where students can speak openly about matters relevant to their age, experiences and the challenges they may be navigating.

Our Halaqahs are deliberately kept small and personal, bringing together students from both younger and older year groups. This gives our older girls an important opportunity to become positive role models and mentors, sharing their experiences and supporting younger students as they begin to navigate some of the same stages of growing up. In turn, younger girls benefit from the reassurance, friendship and example of Muslimahs who have walked that path just a few years before them.

Each Halaqah is supported by a supervising teacher, who helps guide discussion, ensures that the space remains safe and respectful and provides clarity where needed in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. It creates a beautiful sense of sisterhood across the school – girls learning with, supporting and looking out for one another Alhamdulillah.

Dedicated form time gives students an opportunity to raise questions and share experiences. This helps us understand the issues and challenges affecting each year group, allowing us to respond through tailored Tarbiyyah sessions and discussions that address what our students genuinely need guidance on.

Some questions may be about ibadah; others may concern friendships, identity, social media, growing up, pressures from wider society or simply something a student has heard and does not understand.

We would rather our students ask, discuss and understand than leave important questions unanswered or seek answers from unreliable sources.

“Our aim is not to shelter our students from the wider world, but to prepare them to enter it knowing who they are –

a confident Muslimah, firm in her belief”

ISLAMIC & RELIGIOUS STUDIES – GCSEs

Islamic Studies is a dedicated part of our curriculum and provides students with structured, age-appropriate Islamic learning throughout their time at RIAG.

Students follow the iSyllabus curriculum, building knowledge and understanding that ultimately supports their study towards the Pearson Edexcel GCSE in Islamic Studies.

This gives the subject the academic rigour it deserves while ensuring our girls leave with a stronger understanding of their own faith.

Islamic Studies & Religious Studies GCSEs – Why do we teach both?

They serve different and important purposes.

Islamic Studies allows our girls to study their own Deen in depth, strengthening their understanding of Islamic beliefs, teachings and practice.

Religious Studies broadens that learning by introducing students to other religions, beliefs and worldviews. Understanding the beliefs of others equips our girls to engage respectfully and confidently with the diverse society in which they live, while being secure in their own Islamic identity.

The Confident Muslimah

Eventually, every RIAG student moves on to the next stage of her journey. Our measure of success cannot be GCSE results alone.

We want our girls to leave academically prepared but also secure in their identity as Muslimahs – understanding their Deen, recognising Salah as an anchor and having the confidence to uphold their values when challenged.

As they pursue further education, careers and ambitions, we want them to know that success in the duniya does not require compromise in their deen. We hope the habits nurtured at RIAG remain with them: remembering Allah, seeking beneficial knowledge, returning to the Qur’an and Sunnah and striving to turn ‘Ilm into ‘Amal.

Confident in her Deen. Prepared for her Dunya. Mindful of her Akhirah.

Perhaps our girls say it best. As she prepared to leave RIAG, Abiha Rizwan shared these words:

“I’ve achieved nine 9’s and two 8’s which I am really happy about.

I just want to give my gratitude, of course first to Allah; all praise and thanks is to Allah because the ability to retrieve information and to remember everything – that of course comes from God alone.

Then I want to give a big thank you to all the staff at RIAG. The guidance that my teachers gave me, I don’t think can ever be replaced.

Also, a big thank you to my parents. It’s all thanks to them that I am where I am.

Abiha Rizwan – Head Girl, House of Khadija 2026

Watch full video here

The only thing I have left to say is – All roads lead back to RIAG!! Thank you so much to this school for the past five years for being my foundation, my rock and for being the reason I am the person I am today because school is not just about the paper that you leave with, it’s about the person that you leave as; and I think I am happy with the person I am today and it’s because of everyone here.”

More than just Islamic Studies.

It’s a way of life.

More than just a school.

“Inspiring the next generation of believing women to excel in Islam and achieve academic success”