Bolton's top performing school has lost its outstanding rating to be downgraded to requires improvement.

Bolton Muslim Girls School was said to require improvement in all but one area - with personal development of pupils graded as good.

Headteacher Idrish Patel said he was confident the school would once again be outstanding, adding the findings of the inspection is an opportunity to 'improve and be even better'.

Despite the grade, the inspection team led by Stephen Ruddy found that "senior leaders, trustees and governors are driven to provide equality and high ambition for all pupils at this school. They are determined to overcome any social disadvantage or risk of gender inequality".

The report stated: "Many pupils like attending Bolton Muslim Girls’ School. They told inspectors that they feel happy and secure here. They make friends easily. Pupils are quick to embrace newcomers to their school. Pupils learn to understand and value people’s differences."

Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieved success.

The young people were described as confident and sociable, with pupils settling down well to work, with inspectors commenting: "Pupils are exceptionally keen to do well in class. Their concentration in lessons helps them to learn and remember more."

Bolton Muslim Girls School is Bolton's top performing school based on provisional GCSE results

Bolton Muslim Girls' School opens its new build in former mill

Pupils were said to be 'well prepared to participate in modern Britain' with inspectors reporting that the union flag is a 'centrepiece of the school site'.

The report stated:"Senior leaders care deeply about the education and well-being of each girl that attends this school."

Staff were said to be proud to work at the school.

But the inspection team found that "despite leaders’ intentions, the breadth of subjects that pupils study is limited.”

Inspectors added:"However, sometimes pupils fall out. Some of them are reticent to report their concerns about the behaviour of others to some teachers. They say that they do not trust some adults in school to listen to and resolve these incidents well.

Mr Patel said: “It’s disappointing but we see this as an opportunity to improve and be even better and ensure that meet the new challenges and the framework Ofsted requires all the schools in the country to meet.

“Prior to Ofsted we had a curriculum review. We were already working on the recommendations and that’s been recognised by Ofsted in the report.

“The work is underway. We are very optimistic and ambitious when the next time comes around for Ofsted to come and visit.”

The school’s leadership team and governors are confident about turning it around. They see this report as an opportunity to “go a step further, rather than look back”, Mr Patel said.

“Next time we are confident that if we don’t get ‘outstanding’ then definitely ‘good’. The work is already ongoing,” he added.

Parents and pupils have been made aware of the result and although Mr Patel admits it was “difficult for parents to accept”, there is a wider context that should be considered before making judgement.

“Eighty per cent of schools that have been inspected that were an ‘outstanding’ school have been downgraded to ‘good’ and 21 per cent of schools have been downgraded to ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.

“It’s a new framework. If it was the old framework and they were going off outcomes and progress – we’re the top performing school in the borough.

“Unfortunately, the focus has now changed. It’s more on the breadth and the range and width of the curriculum that they focus on.

“We are broadening the curriculum. It is a quick fix which we have already started doing.

“Even if we have a visit in 12 month we can say, ‘look, this has already been addressed’.

“It’s not as if it’s beyond repair.”