New resources have been released for school policymakers
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)School students should not be stopped from wearing their hair in natural Afro styles, according to guidance released on Thursday from the national equality watchdog.
A person must not be discriminated against because of their hair or hairstyle if it is associated with their race or ethnicity, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said.
This includes natural Afro hairstyles, braids, cornrows, plaits and head coverings, amongst other styles.
Uniform policies that ban certain hairstyles, without the possibility for exceptions to be made on racial grounds, are likely to be unlawful, the EHRC said.
It has released new guidelines and resources to help school leaders crack down on hair discrimination, including practical examples of discrimination based on real-life experiences.
The EHRC began to improve resources on hair discrimination following contact from a group of stakeholders, including the All Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education.
It comes after the EHRC funded the legal case of London student Ruby Williams in 2020, who was repeatedly sent home from school because of the “excessive volume” of her Afro hair.
Ruby, who was 14 at the time, said she felt “humiliated” when she was sent home by Church of England’s Urswick school in Hackney, for letting her afro hair grow naturally.
“The reason I was given is that my hair might block someone seeing the whiteboard or teacher,” the teenager told the Independent at the time.
Ruby was awarded a payout of £8,500 in an out-of-court settlement.
“Discrimination based on hair can have serious and long-lasting consequences for victims and their families,” Chief Regulator Jackie Killeen said.
“As Britain’s equality regulator, we want to put a stop to pupils being unfairly singled out for their appearance in schools.”
L’myah Sherae, Founder and Chief Coordinator of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education, said: “We want Black children across the UK to know that they can be genuinely proud of their identity, not penalised for it.”
Discrimination can range from describing someone’s hairstyle as inappropriate or exotic through to outright bans on certain hairstyles and bullying. Many of those affected say that their schools lacked understanding about Afro hair and the care it needs, the EHRC points out.
The Equality Advisory and Support Service has received 50 calls since 2018 reporting potential cases of hair discrimination.
Court cases and research indicates that hair-based discrimination disproportionately affects students with Afro-textured hair or hairstyles, the EHRC said.
