The Conservatives have confronted a Labour-run London council with “deep concerns” over the signing off of a school forcing female pupils to wear hijabs.
Barnet Hill Academy, an independent Islamic faith school, requires girls from the age of seven to wear hijabs and will become state-funded from the beginning of September after the local authority approved its application last month.
Voluntary-aided (VA) schools are maintained and funded by local authorities, while their governing bodies retain control over areas including staffing and admissions.
The decision prompted concern from Laura Trott, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, and Joy Morrissey, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, who have written to the Barnet Council questioning whether the school’s uniform policy is appropriate for a state-funded institution.
Writing to Labour Barnet Council leader Barry Rawlings in a letter seen by GB News, the pair wrote: “This is fundamentally wrong, and I would urge you to insist the school withdraws this appalling policy immediately.
“We are extremely concerned about the relationship between the school’s policy and its obligations now as a publicly funded school to admit children of other faiths or no faith.
“Barnet Hill Academy’s published uniform policy states that a hijab is ‘compulsory’ for girls from Year 3 and lists it alongside other required items of school uniform. Nowhere does the policy state that non-Muslim pupils are exempt.”
Repeated non-compliance may result in a child being sent home and required to return in full school uniform, although a council spokesman has said the policy is “legally compliant and non-compulsory for non-Muslim pupils”.
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“That qualification appears nowhere in the published policy”, the letter continued, adding: “This apparent discrepancy raises serious questions about the scrutiny undertaken by the council before approving the school’s entry into the state-funded sector and the basis on which it has assured the public that the policy is legally compliant.”
The pair of Tory frontbenchers urged the council to clarify its position and to provide the operative policy supplied to parents, pupils and staff, explaining why that exemption of non-Muslim pupils is not stated in the published uniform policy.
They questioned whether the absence of a clearly stated exemption might discourage families of another faith or no faith from applying to the school and whether the policy itself represented a breach of the Equality Act.
Barnet Hill Academy, which caters for children aged three to 11, has operated since 2006.
Joy Morrissey, Conservative MP for Beaconsfield, questioned the council’s decision
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HOUSE OF COMMONSDepartment for Education figures show it has 158 pupils, despite having capacity for 400.
Before applying for VA status, the school charged annual fees of more than £6,500 and submitted its proposal to Barnet Council in May.
The council approved the change on August 4, saying the application had undergone the required scrutiny and met the relevant standards and criteria.
In its assessment, the council said there was a “very limited level” of state-funded Islamic primary provision across London, with provision unevenly distributed and largely concentrated outside Barnet.
Barnet Hill Academy will become state-funded from the beginning of September
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A council spokesman told the Telegraph newspaper Barnet Hill Academy would become the borough’s first VA Muslim school, alongside 15 VA Church of England schools, 14 Catholic schools, 22 Jewish schools and one Greek Orthodox school.
The council said 12 per cent of Barnet residents identified as Muslim in the 2021 census, making Islam the borough’s third-largest faith group after Christianity and Judaism.
Critics have previously raised concerns about compulsory hijab policies in state-funded schools, arguing requiring young girls to wear the garment can reinforce restrictive ideas about modesty and gender.
Supporters of the hijab, however, regard it as an expression of religious identity and faith, while Islamic organisations have argued wearing it can provide girls with a sense of privacy and belonging.
Barnet Council said no objections were received from residents during the four-week statutory consultation, with representations overwhelmingly supportive.
“School uniform policy is not set by the council,” a spokesman said.
It added such religious dress requirements were “not unusual” in faith schools.
GB News has contacted Barnet Hill Academy and Barnet Council for comment.