Muslim Student Sues Britain’s Strictest School for ‘Banning Prayer Rituals’

Katharine Birbalsingh in her inaugural speech as chairwoman of the Social Mobility Commission on June 9, 2022. PA

A north London school dubbed Britain’s strictest is facing a High Court challenge from a Muslim pupil over a decision to stop prayer rituals.

The student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, alleges that the policy introduced by the Michaela Community School in Brent is discriminatory and has “fundamentally changed” how she feels “about being a Muslim in this country,” a judge heard on Tuesday.

The student claims the decision “banning prayer rituals” also breaches her right to freedom of religion.

London’s Michaela Community School, which is well-known for its strict behaviour policy under headteacher and founder Katharine Birbalsingh, achieves some of the best GCSE results in the U.K., gained via a traditional approach.

Discipline is strict and teachers are expected to be in control of the students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, in their classrooms. All students are held to high academic and behavioural standards, regardless of their home lives.

The hearing was told that the school prayer ritual policy was first introduced in March last year by Ms. Birbalsingh—a former government social mobility Tsar—and later by its governing body in May.

Stop Prayer Rituals

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms. Birbalsingh wrote that their decision to stop prayer rituals “restored calm and order.”

“We have a large number of Muslim pupils. Their positive experiences have helped grow the number of Muslim pupils at the school by 50 percent. My own grandmother was Muslim. But the governing body had to take the decision to stop prayer rituals when some pupils started them, against a backdrop of events including violence, intimidation and appaling racial harassment of our teachers.

“Our decision restored calm and order to the school. We have always been clear to parents and pupils when they apply to Michaela that because of our restrictive building combined with our strict ethos that does not allow children to wander around the school unsupervised, we cannot have a prayer room.”

She added that she “will never separate children according to race and religion.”

‘Their Prayer By Nature Has a Ritualised Nature’

Sarah Hannett, KC, representing the student only to be referred to as TTT, told the court that the policy had the “practical effect of only preventing Muslims from praying because their prayer by nature has a ritualised nature rather than being internal.”

The barrister said it was “a ban uniquely on Muslim prayer,” stopping pupils from praying “at a time as required by Islam,” under which it is part of the “five pillars” of the faith.

Lawyers for the school had argued that proceedings should be held in private due to concerns over past harassment.

Jason Coppel, KC, argued reporting of the case could “give rise to a real and immediate risk of harm to the headmistress, other members of the school staff (and) potentially pupils at the school.”

The court heard the school was targeted with “threats of violence,” abuse and “false” allegations of Islamophobia.

Police were called to respond to claims of bombs being placed at the school, prompting it to hire a security guard and close two days early at the end of term.

‘Serious Risk’

PA Media reported Mr. Coppel said that glass bottles were thrown over the school railings and a brick thrown through one teacher’s window, leaving staff “fearing for their lives. He said that the situation had since “calmed.”

He said Ms. Birbalsingh was concerned coverage of the hearing would cause a “serious risk” of “physical danger to our school community.”

Mr. Justice Linden noted the school had received “disgraceful” abuse but concluded, “I do not accept that the evidence, in this case, establishes a risk to the lives or safety of members of the school staff or the school community that would justify holding the hearing in private.”

PA Media contributed to this report.