Ofsted inspector didn't speak to ANY pupils during check on Muslim girls' school after he was told it wasn't allowed because it they were celebrating Eid

• Ofsted admits 'mistake' at the Zakaria Muslim Girls' High School in Batley
• Inspector was given access to senior but not children because of Eid
• Its 147 pupils, members of the orthodox Deobandi sect, were off limits

An Ofsted inspector sent to a Muslim girls' school for an emergency inspection was stopped from speaking to any students because it was during Eid, it was revealed today.

The schools watchdog has admitted one of its staff made a 'mistake' at the Zakaria Muslim Girls' High School in Batley last year.

The inspector was told he could not speak any of the 147 pupils at the school, which is run by members of the Deobandi sect, which teaches an orthodox view of Islam.

Ofsted said it had taken 'appropriate action' against the inspector, who is understood to be no longer working there. 

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Inspection: Children at Zakaria Muslim Girls School in Batley, West Yorkshrie,  were not able to talk to Ofsted because it was Eid. Pictured are founders Shabir Daji (left) and Yusif Jasat (right)

Revealed: This is the section of the report that reveals that Eid prevented the inspection team speaking to the 147 students

He was told that the Muslim children were celebrating the religious festival Eid and accepted they could not talk, event though discussions with pupils form a key part of an inspection.

Instead he only spoke to senior managers and the head teacher at the independent school in West Yorkshire.

HOW CONSERVATIVE SECT HAS BECOME THE MOST POPULAR IN UK

The Deobandi sect was founded 150 years ago in south Asia and Deobandi seminaries produce 80 per cent of UK-trained Islamic clerics.

The movement takes its name from the town of Deoband in northern India, but has spread around the world thanks to the movement of populations.

Leaders in the sect tend to promote a conservative interpretation of Islam, although they have also spoken out against violent extremism in the past.

One Deobandi scholar, Masood Azhar, drew adoring crowds on a visit to Britain in the 1990s where he urged young people to 'prepare for jihad', and is now wanted for his involvement in a deadly attack on an Indian military base.

A website promoting the Deobandi sect says loyalty is owed only to the global brotherhood of Muslims while integration into British society is denounced.

It states that to befriend a non-Muslim risks pollution while those considering marrying a Christian or Jew are warned that their ‘repulsive qualities will filter into Muslim homes’.

The report, dated in October last year, said: 'It was not possible to talk to students during this visit as they and the staff were celebrating the festival of Eid.'

The school, which was established in 1982 and costs up to £1,300 a year for day pupils, was initially found to have met Government requirements for safeguarding students on issues such as radicalisation and female genital mutilation.

A second inspection was carried out in December following the error, an Ofsted spokesman said. 

The school teaches 11 to 16 year-olds. 

She said: 'We can confirm that an inspector failed to speak with students during an inspection of Zakaria Muslim Girls High School in October 2015.

'This was a mistake and we have taken appropriate action regarding the inspector.

'We carried out another inspection of the school in December 2015 and we are in discussion with the Department for Education about further monitoring of this school.'

Sky News reported that the school is one of three facing further action following an investigation it has carried out into the Deobandi sect.

One website promoting the sect says that a woman’s place is in the home and urges Muslims to reject unIslamic pursuits such as music, singing, dancing, watching television, playing chess, reading novels watching drama and watching football.

A Department for Education spokesman said: 'As soon as concerns were raised we launched urgent investigations and while these are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

'Extremism has no place in our society and it is vital all schools are providing a high quality, broad and balanced curriculum.

'Where schools are not doing this and are focusing on ideological indoctrination instead, we will not hesitate to take action including closing the school or working with the police if necessary.