Discrimination rules ‘could put girls v boys on the rugby field’

Social affairs correspondent

GIRLS could be told to play rugby alongside boys in the wake of a landmark school segregation ruling, the head of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) has warned.

Neil Roskilly, chief executive officer of the ISA, said that co-educational schools where boys and girls are separated for lessons, sports clubs or other activities could come under scrutiny following last week’s Court of Appeal decision that an Islamic faith school in Birmingham was being discriminatory by entirely separating boys and girls.

He said: “It seems to come down to registration. If there are boys’ and girls’ grammar schools on either side of a main road, which are registered separately, that seems to be fine. But if they are in the same school and happen to be under the same DFE registration number, that’s where it is a problem.

“The question is going to be asked as to where this might go.

“In an afternoon club, where the children are separated out and the girls go off any play hockey and boys go off and play rugby, there is a concern that could be seen as discriminatory.”

Last week Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of education at Ofsted, said there were around 20 faith schools in similar situations to Al-hijrah, the school which judges ruled on last week. But in a letter published in The Times on Monday, Mr Roskilly said he was concerned that schools which used a “diamond” model, where pupils are separated by gender in different classes at different ages, could be particularly affected.

The letter said: “As well as faith schools that educate boys and girls separately, many state and private schools follow diamond models, where separation occurs at particular key stages, often to avoid the ‘distraction’ of the opposite sex. Inspectorates will be checking to see if these arrangements are discriminatory, by not allowing equal access to the curriculum and the wider education provided.”

While there are fewer than 20 such diamond schools in the UK, Mr Roskilly estimated that hundreds of schools separated children by gender for at least some lessons, such as sports.

A spokesman for Ofsted said: “We need to consider the judgment in detail and discuss its implications with the Department for Education.”

‘Boys’ and girls’ schools on either side of a road seem to be fine. If they are in the same school there is a problem’