Education Secretary: Prayer policy ruling should give headteachers ‘confidence’
A High Court ruling that a school’s ban on prayer rituals is lawful should give “best-placed” headteachers “confidence” in making decisions for their pupils, the Education Secretary has said.
The Michaela Community School in north London successfully defended a legal challenge brought by a Muslim pupil over the school’s policy after she claimed it was discriminatory and “uniquely” affected her faith due to its ritualised nature.
However, the school, founded and led by headteacher , a former government social mobility tsar, argued its prayer policy was justified after it faced death and bomb threats linked to religious observance on site.
