Ghulam Haider, 61, was jailed for six years in 2006 after a court heard he brutally raped a 16-year-old at a derelict churchyard

The home of a convicted rapist is being used as an unregulated Islamic school for children.

Ghulam Haider’s wife is teaching around 17 children of primary school age at the madrassa that she runs from their front room at weekends.

Former taxi driver Haider, 61, was jailed for six years in 2006 after a court heard he brutally raped a 16-year-old at a derelict churchyard.

The madrassa highlights a safeguarding loophole around children attending ‘out of school education’ centres, which require no monitoring from education watchdog Ofsted or local authorities.

There is also no requirement for Haider’s wife, Sadiqqa, who teaches classes in their front room, to submit to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

The checks would flag up Haider’s conviction and are intended to prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children.

Ofsted described the madrassa, run from Haider’s semi-detached home in Acocks Green, Birmingham, as ‘deeply worrying’.

The watchdog’s head, Amanda Spielman, has previously warned that Islamic hardliners are preaching extreme doctrines in underground schools across the UK.

Her predecessor Sir Michael Wilshaw said: ‘I raised this issue time and time again when I was at Ofsted.

Unregistered schools by their very nature are outside of the law and I was concerned that they were increasing in number, particularly in cities like Birmingham.

‘The Government needs to think about how both schools outside of mainstream education and madrassas such as this need to be properly regulated and inspected.’

Birmingham City Council said the situation was ‘nothing short of appalling’ and the case highlighted the need for an overhaul of regulations.

Last Saturday, the Mail watched as 17 boys and girls were dropped off at Haider’s home for a two-hour session learning the Koran. Only two of their parents said they were aware of Haider’s past.

Haider's wife Sadiqqa, who teaches around 17 children of primary school age in their Birmingham home at weekends

One father – angry that he had not been told – confronted Mrs Haider, 50, and vowed never to send his daughter back to the lessons.

The father, who would only give his first name, Hussain, said: ‘I’m shocked. I know the teacher, Sadiqqa, she is a good lady and I see him [Haider] sometimes at the house.’

Another father, who paid £25 a month for his son to attend on Saturdays and Sundays, admitted he knew about Haider’s conviction and was ‘concerned’ about it.

He said: ‘When my son comes home he does get questioned. I ask him what the mum is saying and whether the husband is around... I just hope he’s a changed man.’

Other parents seemed unconcerned when informed of Haider’s past. Some said they didn’t even know who was teaching their child.

One mother said: ‘We were recommended the madrassa by people we know. We call the teacher “Sister”.’ Some of the parents said the lessons were free because they knew the family.

There was no sign of Haider – who is understood to work at a dairy – when Mail reporters were watching, but he was seen coming and going in a silver Kia car on another occasion.

Haider was 49 when he was found guilty of indecent assault and rape and put on the sex offender register for life.

When approached last Saturday, his wife said her husband was ‘at work’ and claimed his victim had made up the allegations.

She added: ‘This is not a proper madrassa. All the children are my neighbours and things like that.’ She said the conviction was ‘not right – he didn’t do it’.

When reminded of Haider’s crime, she said: ‘You don’t need to repeat that, I don’t want to go through that again.’ Mrs Haider, who has four children with her husband, said her was ‘not involved’ in running of the school.

Time for lessons: A pupil entering the Haiders' home for a weekend class

The Haiders share the home with one of their daughters and son Ammar, 31, a convicted fraudster who was released from prison on licence in March.

Their home is a short drive from the constituency office of Labour MP Jess Phillips and yards from a junior and infant school.

One neighbour said: ‘The regulations need to be tightened. How can a childminder need to be registered, but classes at a rapist’s house don’t? It’s just not right.’

Lorna Fitzjohn, Ofsted’s regional director for the West Midlands, said: ‘While the majority of these places provide enriching extra-curricular activities and education to children, we remain worried that a minority are putting children at risk of harm by failing to adhere to basic safeguarding standards, or by exposing them to unsuitable or extremist individuals.’

She added that Ofsted could do little without extra powers.

A Birmingham City Council spokesman called for better regulations and said it was working with police and the Government to see what could be done.

There is a vetting system for those working with children in youth clubs, or similar settings, under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

But those running schools under the radar can easily flout the law by saying they are only hosting family friends.

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘No child should be placed at risk and we are committed to protecting them from harm.’

It said there are ‘clear powers’ for police and local authorities to intervene in concerning cases, and a £3million fund had been allocated for local authorities to deal with such cases.