How a Row Over Pupils Praying, Put Britain’s Strictest Head in Court
By Tim Clark. 21st January 2024
This weekend, the media has given much time and space to the recent two-day High Court hearing in which the high-achieving Michaela School in Brent, North London, was taken to court by a pupil’s family (allegedly with the benefit of Legal Aid) because of the School’s decision to ban pupils from publicly praying on site. The pupil argued that she was being discriminated against and felt that, as a Muslim, “I don’t feel like I properly belong here”. The School has argued that what had started with a handful of pupils wanting to pray escalated into “a coordinated attempt to intentionally undermine the school rules”, including “violence, intimidation and appalling racial harassment of our teachers. Our decision restored calm and order to the school. We believe it is wrong to separate children according to religion or race and that it is our duty to protect all of our children and provide them with an environment which is free from bullying, intimidation and harassment”. The School maintains that, ultimately, a core of 30 or so pupils were “undermining inclusion and social cohesion between pupils”, citing one Muslim girl who had never worn a headscarf being pressured into wearing one and another girl being pressured into leaving the choir. On social media, the Headmistress said she was in court to defend “the culture and ethos” of Michaela, where “children of all races and religions buy into something much bigger than themselves: our country”.
Katharine Birbalsingh is a dynamic and inspirational headteacher who has earned the respect of colleagues, pupils, and parents. Like all Heads who defend strong school discipline and high standards, she is vilified by some, but the fact that she has created a school in an area of disadvantage which achieves truly phenomenal examination results [its 2023 Progress 8 score was 2.37 — the highest in the country, i.e., on average, pupils attained more than two whole GCSE grades above expected], must prove something: uncompromising standards of behaviour, dynamic teaching, and genuine pastoral care can overcome home and socio-economic difficulties.
If the current court case is the result of a few pupils and/or parents bent on causing trouble and on damaging the social cohesion of Michaela School, then they should be told to go elsewhere. If they do not like what Michaela stands for, they should choose a different school with a more liberal ethos (and, presumably, much worse exam results). Common law has always held that by sending a child to a particular school, parents consent to the uniform, rules, and ethos of that school, particularly if its expectations are clearly set out in the prospectus. The law must protect schools and empower them to maintain discipline, to uphold their standards, and to do what is best for their pupils. If the prayer issue at Michaela is an orchestrated attempt to damage a unique and highly successful school then, hopefully, the ban will be upheld.
On the other hand, however, if this is a genuine case of individual faith and conscience then, surely some form of compromise is possible? In my first headship, we willingly respected the right of Muslim girls to wear headscarves, but we insisted that the headscarves had to be in the school uniform colour (navy blue). In my second headship, we refused requests to permit Muslim pupils to miss lessons to pray, but we set aside a classroom at lunchtime, supervised by Muslim staff, for Friday prayers. The compromise appeared satisfactory to all.
It has been argued that the success of the Roman Empire was partly the result of permitting freedom of worship but on the condition that all showed allegiance to the emperor. Let us hope that something similar is possible in English schools and British society as a whole. Unity and diversity can be compatible or, as the Americans would say, “E pluribus unum” — “from many, one”.
Tim Clark has had a very distinguished career in education. He was a teacher for 32 years and a Head for 18, firstly of a grammar school which he led to be “outstanding” in all areas and to be one of the highest performing schools in the East Midlands. Latterly, he took over an out-of-control academy in the London Borough of Hackney, sited on one of the largest and most deprived council estates in the country. In the words of Ofsted, he “transformed” the academy and left it as a well-disciplined, high-performing school of first choice. In 2019 he moved into education consultancy and professional development training, working with schools across the UK and abroad, most recently in Nigeria and Spain. He stood for parliament against David Blunkett in 2005 and remains an active member of the Party.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Conservative Friends of Education or the Conservative Party. The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice or endorsement by Conservative Friends of Education.
