An independent Muslim school created following the closure of Oxford's only single-sex girls' state school has been judged "very successful" in its first Ofsted report.

Teacher Shabnam Sabir-Abbasi takes a class

But the Iqra School, which is campaigning for state funding, warns it faces an uncertain future and needs to raise £2m to secure its current accommodation in Littlemore.

Oxfordshire County Council last year turned down a request for a state-funded Muslim school following a year-long review.

The Faith in Our Schools report recommended several measures to accommodate different faiths in mainstream schools, including providing prayer rooms.

The Iqra School has moved premises three times since opening in September 2002, but hopes to buy the former Lawn Upton Middle School building in Little- more where it is currently based.

All middle schools, along with Milham Ford girls' school, were closed as part of the city schools reorganisation from a three tier to a two tier system.

Iqra, which charges modest fees for a private school of £1,500 a year, started with five Year Seven girls and now has 50 girls in Years Seven and Eight. From September, there will be 70 girls on the roll in Years Seven to Nine.

It is hoping the positive Ofsted report will encourage more families to enrol -- as well as persuading Oxfordshire County Council to provide funding and support.

A quarter of places are reserved for non-Muslim pupils -- although there are none at the moment.

It teaches National Curriculum subjects, along with Islamic studies and Arabic.

Volunteers within the Muslim community help with fundraising and administration and provide hot meals for pupils.

Deputy headteacher Shabnam Sabir-Abbasi, who has taught in Oxford state schools previously, said: "Behaviour is a problem in Oxford schools. We have a society where there's no respect for teachers.

"Here, there is respect and good discipline and I can do what every teacher wants to do, which is focus on teaching."

Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell said to be viable as a state-funded Muslim secondary, the Iqra school would need at least 1,500 pupils.

He said: "We closed Milham Ford because we had 400-500 children rattling around a huge school. There are not enough pupils to make a state Muslim school viable. We are not allowed to give the Iqra School financial assistance because it is independent.

"We would support working with our current secondary schools to see if it's possible to meet most of their needs by providing single-sex classes and prayer rooms."

Pupils said they felt safer at the school than in the mainstream sector and were more able to concentrate on learning.

Mahdiyya Iqbal, 13, said: "At my old school, teachers used to shout at pupils. Here the manners towards teachers are really good. We all get along with each other. There's no peer pressure about wearing a headscarf because we all wear the same."

Hojjat Ramzy, a leader of the Islamic community and school committee member, said: "There is a demand for this school. The Ofsted report is very encouraging and we hope that the LEA now recognises what we have to offer and gives us support."