‘Britain’s strictest’ school facing judicial review after it banned pupils from praying on its premises, court hears, after privacy bid rejected.

Michaela Community School, frequently referred to as “Britain’s strictest”, is facing a High Court challenge from a pupil over a policy banning prayer rituals.

The free school in Wembley, north London, is subject to a judicial review over the policy, brought by an affected Muslim pupil who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The court heard that about 30 pupils started praying in the playground over a six-day period in March and used blazers to kneel on after they were “prohibited” from using prayer mats.

The school, where around half of its 700 pupils are Muslim, does not have a specific prayer room.

The ban decision was made by headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh, the former government social mobility commissioner, on March 27 last year and was later “remade” by the school’s governing body in May.

In the legal action against the free school’s governing body, the Michaela Community Schools Trust, the student claimed the decision breached her right to freedom of religion.

The pupil told the court the rule had “fundamentally changed” how she feels “about being a Muslim in this country”.

She described the ban as “like somebody saying they don’t feel like I properly belong here”, the hearing was told.

Representing the student, Sarah Hannett KC told the court about half of the schools roughly 700 pupils were Muslim and the policy had the “practical effect of only preventing Muslims from praying, because their prayer by nature has a ritualized nature rather than being internal”.

Jason Coppel KC, representing the school trust, is due to set out the school’s full defence to the legal challenge later on Wednesday.

A ruling is expected at a later date.

The school, opposite Wembley Park station, has been referred to as one of Britain’s strictest with Ms Birbalsingh’s controversial comments and teaching methods making headlines in the past.

Source: BBC