The headteacher of a school facing legal action over a ban on prayer rituals has defended the policy, arguing that it was vital in order to “maintain a successful learning environment where children of all races and religion can thrive”.
The case against Michaela community school in Brent, north-west London, which has been the subject of a two-day hearing at the high court in London this week, has been brought by one of its Muslim pupils, who claims the ban is discriminatory and is seeking to have it overturned.
Michaela’s founder, Katharine Birbalsingh, often described as the strictest headteacher in Britain, said she had to introduce the ban after a number of pupils began praying in the playground, against what she described as a backdrop of “violence, intimidation and appalling racial harassment of some of our teachers”.
Jason Coppel KC, representing the school trust, told the court on Wednesday the prayer issue had triggered “an unprecedented outbreak of poor behaviour among pupils” at the school, which is famed not just for its exceptional exam results, but its ultra-strict disciplinary code.
Things escalated when members of the public became involved in a “concerted campaign” on social media over the school’s approach, including an online petition with thousands of signatures that has since been taken down.
In school, Coppel said the prayer sessions led to growing segregation between non-Muslim and Muslim pupils in the playground, and that a number of Muslim children were observed by teachers applying peer pressure to other Muslim children, encouraging them to be more observant.
In one alleged incident described to the court, a child who had never previously worn a headscarf was pressured to wear one. A Muslim girl was said to have dropped out of the school choir after she was told by other Muslim children that it was haram (forbidden), while a number of other children were told they were “bad Muslims” for not praying and had begun to pray, according to written arguments before the court.
Coppel said the head, who founded Michaela in 2014, was dedicated to promoting social cohesion in the school. To that end, pupils eat at a “family lunch”, food is vegetarian so that it is acceptable to everyone regardless of faith, and teachers supervise “guided” socialisation in the playground to ensure that groups of children mix.
In a statement posted on social media, Birbalsingh said the school – one of the best performers in England – was in court to defend “the culture and ethos” of Michaela, where “children of all races and religions buy into something bigger than themselves: our country”.
Previously, the court, sitting before Mr Justice Linden, heard there had not appeared to be any great appetite for prayers at the school, where about half of the pupils are Muslim. In March last year, however, a growing number of children began praying during their lunch break, increasing from a single child to 30 in a matter of days.
“During that week a number of children brought in prayer mats without seeking permission to do so … This was a coordinated attempt intentionally to undermine the school’s rules,” written arguments before the court said.
In a post on X, Birbalsingh said: “We have a large number of Muslim pupils. Their positive experiences have helped grow the number of Muslim students at the school by 50%. My own grandmother was Muslim.
“But the governing body had to take the decision to stop prayer rituals when some people started them, against a backdrop of events 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.”
Earlier, the judicial review hearing was told that the ban, introduced last March, had fundamentally changed how the pupil – who cannot be named – felt about being a Muslim in the UK. Not being able to pray at school made her feel guilty and unhappy.
It was “like somebody saying they don’t feel like I properly belong here”, according to her lawyer, Sarah Hannett KC, who said prayers would only take five minutes and could take place in a classroom.
A ruling is expected at a later date.
