VICTORY FOR THE BRAVEST HEADTEACHER IN BRITAIN

Katharine Birbalsingh hails landmark court ruling backing prayer ban at her school after claim by Muslim pupil

A HEADTEACHER hit out at ‘bullying identity politics’ yesterday after she won the right to ban Muslim prayer rituals.

Katharine Birbalsingh, who has been called Britain’s strictest head, said the landmark ruling was a ‘victory for all schools’.

and she declared we need the ‘honesty’ to call out ‘deep-seated progressivist racism’ in society. a pupil at her Michaela Community School in Wembley, north-west london, had claimed a ban on prayer rituals was a breach of her human rights and violated the Equality act.

But the High Court yesterday ruled

the ban was both proportionate and justified and that Miss Birbalsingh should be allowed to enforce the school’s secular ethos.

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said it was ‘a victory against activists trying to subvert our public institutions’. She added: ‘The Equality Act is a shield, not a sword, and teachers must not be threatened.’

The case, which was brought with taxpayer-funded legal aid, will have wide implications for state schools under pressure from hardline religious groups. The decision was welcomed by Downing Street, which said ‘heads are best placed to take decisions on what takes place in their school including how to accommodate prayer’.

And Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said it would give all heads the confidence to ‘make the right decision for their school’.

Miss Birbalsingh, the Government’s former social mobility tsar, became known as the country’s strictest head for her uncompromising rules.

She enforces a secular ethos at Michaela, despite 50 per cent of pupils being Muslim, to ensure children can make friends ‘across religious divides’. But according to her evidence to the court, a group of pupils started coordinated prayer rituals in the playground in March last year.

Some also ‘intimidated’ other pupils for refusing to fast during Ramadan, by ‘staring’ and ‘declining to talk to them’. One girl had been ‘intimidated’ into wearing a headscarf, and another had dropped out of the school choir after being told it was ‘forbidden during Ramadan’. The pupil bringing the case, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was given a fixed-term exclusion for being ‘rude and aggressive’ when a teacher told her to put away her prayer mat.

After that incident, a campaign of harassment started from the wider community, according to Miss Birbalsingh.

‘Inclusivity and social cohesion’

An online petition accusing the school of Islamophobia garnered 4,000 signatures, and the court heard accompanying comments directed racist abuse at the teacher involved.

A brick was thrown through the window of another teacher’s home, and the school had a bomb threat which later turned out to be a hoax.

Determined not to give in to threats, Miss Birbalsingh and the governors then officially prohibited pupils from performing prayer rituals.

The girl, supported by her mother, launched action via law firm Simpson Millar, which argued she should be allowed to pray for around five minutes at lunch, on dates when faith rules required it. But yesterday, Mr Justice Linden concluded the ban did not interfere with her religious freedom and helped to achieve the ‘legitimate’ aim of promoting an ethos of inclusivity and social cohesion.

Miss Birbalsingh said in a statement afterwards: ‘There is a false narrative that some try to paint about Muslims being an oppressed minority at our school. They are, in fact, the largest group. Those who are most at risk are other minorities and Muslim children who are less observant.’

She claimed the girl’s mother still intends to send her younger sibling to the school.

Despite catering to a deprived area, Michaela is one of the best performing state secondary schools in the country and rated outstanding by Ofsted.

The pupil who lost the case said: ‘Even though I lost, I still feel that I did the right thing in seeking to challenge the ban. I tried my best and was true to myself and my religion.’

Her mother said: ‘ Her courage in pursuing this matter fills me with pride and I’m confident she’s gained invaluable lessons.’ Comment – Page 14

THE Michaela Community School, in a severely deprived area of north- west London, is a phenomenal success.

Thanks to the policies of Katharine Birbalsingh – ‘ Britain’s strictest headteacher’ – the secondary achieves better results than many private schools.

By focusing on impeccable behaviour, traditional values and secular cohesion, it has transformed the lives of hundreds of children fortunate enough to attend.

But shamefully, Britain’s best performing state school has found itself on trial. One Muslim pupil objected to its blanket ban on prayer rituals and sued in the High Court, backed by the usual human rights lawyers. Yesterday, common sense prevailed, as judges dismissed the girl’s discrimination claim.

They ruled the ban was justified to uphold discipline and prevent religious and racial division – keys to the school’s success. This is a hugely important victory. Schools should not be forced to change their rules even when threatened by activist mobs. Social cohesion has trumped the iniquitous ‘rights’ culture.

But questions remain. Why would a family send their child to an outstanding school, then try to ruin it? And why was the pupil handed £150,000 of taxpayers’ money for what many will consider vexatious legal action?

In the few months they have guaranteed in power, the Tories must ensure no school is again left in this appalling predicament.