A HIGH COURT ruling that upheld a faculty’s decision to ban Muslim prayer rituals doesn’t challenge the principle of freedom of faith or belief, the Church of England’s chief education officer, the Revd Nigel Genders, has said.
Michaela School in Wembley — a non-faith state secondary school — was taken to court by considered one of its female students over the college’s policy, which she argued was discriminatory. There is not any legal requirement for schools to permit pupils a time or place to hope.
On Tuesday, Mr Justice Linden dismissed the case. In his 83-page written judgment, he said: “The claimant on the very least impliedly accepted, when she enrolled at the college, that she can be subject to restrictions on her ability to manifest her religion.”
Of about 700 pupils at the college, about half are Muslim, the High Court had heard. The school, which is rated Outstanding, has strict rules on uniform, silence in corridors, and a ban on groups of greater than 4 gathering during breaks.
In March 2023, about 30 students began praying within the schoolyard, using their blazers to kneel on, the court heard. It also heard that a ban on prayer was issued the identical month owing to concerns a few “culture shift” towards “segregation between religious groups and intimidation throughout the group of Muslim pupils”.
The Headteacher, Katharine Birbalsingh, who arrange the college a decade ago, said on Tuesday that the ruling was a “victory for all schools”, adding: “If parents don’t like what Michaela is, they don’t have to send their children to us.”
The National Secular Society also welcomed the choice. Its chief executive, Stephen Evans, said that it “also serves as a useful reminder that claims of non secular freedom don’t trump all other considerations. If a faculty wishes to uphold a secular ethos, it must be entitled to accomplish that.”
Mr Genders agreed. He commented: “This case doesn’t seem like about banning prayer in schools but pertains to day-to-day decisions of a selected school in its own circumstances.
“We agree that heads and governing bodies of individual schools are best placed to handle these issues locally and would uphold their right to accomplish that. We don’t consider this judgment challenges the principle of freedom of faith or belief, or indeed, collective worship in schools, which we strongly support.”
The student said that, while she was “disenchanted” at losing, “I still feel that I did the best thing in searching for to challenge the ban. I attempted my best and was true to myself and my religion.”
