UK faculty that tells seven-year-old women to put on hijabs to get authorities funding

Barnet Hill Academy in West Hendon, London, is set to become a state-funded voluntary aided school despite its uniform policy requiring girls from year three onwards to wear a hijab

An independent Islamic faith school, which mandates girls as young as seven to wear a hijab, is on the brink of receiving state funding.

Barnet Hill Academy, located in West Hendon, London, is set to transition from a fee-paying institution to a ‘voluntary aided’ (VA) school and nursery at the commencement of the new academic year. A voluntary-aided school is a state-funded institution, often associated with a church or faith group, where a foundation or trust has substantial control over admissions, staffing and the school’s religious ethos while contributing towards building costs.

The National Secular Society (NSS) has penned a letter to Barnet council expressing concerns about the compatibility of a school receiving public funds while maintaining a uniform policy that obliges girls to wear a hijab from year three onwards.

Stephen Evans, chief executive of the NSS, stated: “It is appalling that taxpayers are being asked to fund a school that forces girls as young as seven to wear the hijab. Women should be free to choose religious dress; young girls should not have it imposed upon them.

“State-funded schools should bring children together, not divide them by faith and, by extension, ethnicity. The council must pause the implementation of this decision and subject this proposal to proper public and democratic scrutiny.”, reports the Express.

The shift to becoming a VA school was approved last week by Barnet Council’s executive director of children’s services, John Anthony.

In a letter to Mr Anthony, Mr Evans penned: “We are deeply concerned both by the substance of this decision and by the procedure through which it was reached.”

The hijab has previously come under fire from campaigners for sexualising children, with the stipulation for girls to don the dress from puberty as a means of maintaining modesty in front of men.

Advocates argue that it enables girls to express their faith and offers privacy at a time when girls can feel self-conscious.

The council is hopeful that the move will generate more school places for Barnet’s Muslim community, responding to what it terms as “a clear and evidenced demand from residents”.

The local authority states it has a legal obligation “to secure diversity in the provision of schools, increase opportunities for parental choice and consider parental representations”.

It asserts there are no plans to alter the school’s age range, capacity, accommodation or nursery arrangements as a result of the council’s involvement.

According to the 2021 Census, Barnet was home to approximately 47,700 Muslims, making up just over 12% of the borough’s population.

A council report stated the borough’s existing school system “reflects the major faiths present in the borough”, with state-funded Church of England, Roman Catholic and Jewish schools already in place. However, it highlighted that Islam is not currently represented within Barnet’s state-funded education sector.

The report stated: “As a result, Muslim families do not have the same opportunity as those of other faiths to access a school aligned with their religious ethos.”

Up until now, Barnet Hill Academy has functioned as an independent, fee-charging institution.

The council contends that this has meant “access is limited to those able to afford the associated fees”, placing the school out of reach for a large portion of the borough’s Muslim community.

Barnet Hill Academy has also been contacted for a response.

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