Britain’s strictest headteacher defends faculty’s ‘prayer ban’
- Katharine Birbalsingh has stopped prayer rituals at Michaela Community School
- She revealed a passionate assertion on X, previously Twitter, to defend stance
Britain’s strictest headteacher has mentioned she was compelled to implement a ‘prayer ban’ after lecturers have been racially harassed.
It comes amid a a High Court problem from a Muslim pupil who alleges the coverage is discriminatory.
Katharine Birbalsingh – a former authorities social mobility Tsar – launched the ban at Michaela Community School, in Brent, in March final 12 months.
She defended her faculty’s ‘prayer ban’ amid Today she launched a prolonged assertion on X, previously Twitter, to defend her stance on stopping prayer rituals on the premises after lecturers have been attacked and focused with ‘appalling’ racial harassment.
She mentioned the outright ban had ‘restored calm and order’ and its ‘strict ethos’ to not permit kids to wander round unsupervised meant ‘we can not have a prayer room’.
‘At Michaela, these from all religions make sacrifices in order that we will keep a secure secular group,’ she mentioned.
Katharine Birbalsingh, the founder and headteacher at Michaela Community School, launched a prolonged assertion on X in a passionate defence of the ‘prayer ban’ she imposed
The scholar, who can’t be named, alleges that the coverage launched by the Michaela Community School is discriminatory and had ‘basically modified’ how she feels ‘about being a Muslim on this nation’, a choose heard
Ms Birbalsingh – whose grandmother was Muslim – went on to passionately clarify how she felt it was improper to separate kids in response to their faith and race and mentioned all of them eat vegetarian meals ‘in order that we will break bread collectively at lunch’.
In what gave the impression to be a thinly veiled swipe, she mentioned: ‘We all make sacrifices in order that we will reside in concord.’
She added: ‘Multiculturalism can solely succeed after we perceive that each group should make sacrifices for the sake of the entire.
‘We permit our kids freedoms of all kinds, so long as these freedoms don’t threaten the happiness and success of the entire faculty group.’
The pupil, who can’t be named for authorized causes, mentioned the college’s stance on prayer is ‘the type of discrimination makes spiritual minorities really feel alienated from society’, a choose was advised.
Her attorneys declare the ban ‘uniquely’ impacts the Muslim religion over different religions as a consequence of its ritualised nature and guidelines round prayer.
Today the High Court listening to was advised governors on the north London faculty backed the coverage ‘on the premise of misinformation and errors’.
The faculty is opposing the authorized motion over the choice to introduce the ban amid the college being focused with abuse and harassment over its strategy to faith.
In May, governors reconsidered the choice and voted 11-1 to ban prayer on the college premises, the pupil’s lawyer, Sarah Hannett KC, mentioned in written arguments.
She mentioned the method of decision-making was ‘remarkably poor, affected by factual errors and paid no weight to the intense threat of alienating Muslim college students’.
The barrister mentioned the ‘sole supply’ of knowledge given to the governing physique gave the impression to be from Ms Birbalsingh – a former authorities social mobility tsar who based the high-achieving free faculty.
Ms Birbalsingh defined the explanations behind the ban and mentioned ‘all of us make our sacrifices in order that we will reside in concord’
Ms Birbalsingh let a documentary movie crew inside the college to indicate how her methods work
While he was Mayor of London, Boris Johnson took half in a historical past lesson with pupils on the faculty throughout a go to in 2015
Gavin Williamson photographed with head trainer Katharine Birbalsingh on the faculty
Ms Hannett mentioned there was ‘no session of any Muslim pupils, mother and father or spiritual organisations previous to taking the choice’, main the governing physique to proceed on the premise of ‘factual errors’.
She mentioned this included the ‘not right’ argument that permitting college students to hold prayer mats can be ‘an entire change in the best way the college works’, with the lawyer including that pocket mats have been ‘extensively used’.
Governors have been additionally given an ‘incorrect’ abstract of ‘Qada’, which isn’t a ‘saving up’ of prayer or an equal to praying on the right time however a ‘means of in search of forgiveness for not praying when one ought to’, the courtroom was advised.
Ms Hannett mentioned there appeared to have been no investigation of the declare that Muslim kids who didn’t wish to pray had confronted ‘intimidation’.
She mentioned ‘there was no consideration of a much less intrusive ban’, corresponding to utilizing a classroom, including that ‘numerous faculties within the UK allow prayer with out a difficulty’.
The faculty doesn’t have ‘a completely secular atmosphere’, with beards permitted for spiritual causes, women allowed to put on a hijab, and sixth formers beforehand capable of pray in a classroom, Ms Hannett added.
She mentioned the ban had created a ‘sturdy sense of Muslim group id that was not beforehand there’, with the pupil, referred to solely as TTT, saying: ‘Muslim college students now know {that a} requirement of their faith isn’t revered by the college or seen as essential sufficient to even have interaction in a dialogue about the way it could be facilitated.
‘I discover this extraordinarily unhappy and troublesome, and I’m not alone. It is the type of discrimination which makes spiritual minorities really feel alienated from society.’
In her written case define, Ms Hannett challenged what she mentioned have been arguments from the college – which has ‘a system of clear and relentlessly enforced guidelines’ – over the coverage’s ‘reputable goals’.
While chair of the social mobility fee, Ms Birbalsingh was criticised for saying women do not take pleasure in physics and claimed kids from low-income households ought to set their sights decrease – after which she stepped down
These included that it helped protect the ethos of the college which seeks to take away distinctions between pupils, that it promoted its behavioural coverage, and prevented threats and intimidation.
Yesterday, the courtroom heard that the ban emerged within the wake of a gaggle of pupils being seen to wish outdoors within the playground and amid harassment focusing on the college.
Jason Coppel KC, representing the college belief, mentioned college students praying outdoors contributed to a ‘concerted marketing campaign’ on social media over the college’s strategy to faith, together with a since eliminated on-line petition attracting 1000’s of signatures.
The courtroom heard the college was focused with ‘threats of violence’, abuse, ‘false’ allegations of Islamophobia, and a ‘bomb hoax’, however that the scenario has since ‘calmed’.
The faculty’s authorized workforce had argued that the listening to needs to be held in non-public because of the alleged ‘actual and fast threat of hurt’ to employees and pupils, however the choose listening to the case, Mr Justice Linden, rejected their arguments whereas additionally ruling that the headmistress and college may very well be recognized.
Mr Coppel is because of set out the college’s full defence to the authorized problem afterward Wednesday.
A ruling is anticipated at a later date.
The listening to continues.
