Headteacher who won legal fight over prayer ban tells parents ‘if you don’t like it,… [Video]

17 April 2024, 02:20 | Updated: 17 April 2024, 02:32

By Emma Soteriou

The defiant headteacher who won the right to ban prayer rituals at her school has told parents to send their children elsewhere amid concerns over further legal action.

A pupil took legal action against Michaela Community School in Brent, claiming its policy effectively amounted to a prayer ban. The pupil argued the school’s stance was discriminatory and “uniquely” affected her faith due to its ritualised nature.

She argued the school’s stance on prayer – one of the five pillars of Islam – unlawfully breached her right to religious freedom and was “the kind of discrimination which makes religious minorities feel alienated from society”.

The school, founded and led by headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh, who has described herself as …