Conservative MPs have voiced "deep concerns" over a school they say is "forcing female pupils to wear hijabs" in England. Barnet Hill Academy, an independent Islamic faith school in West Hendon, London, is set to transition from a fee-paying institution to a state-funded "voluntary aided" school at the start of the new academic year.
MPs' letter to Barnet Council
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott and shadow minister for women and equalities Joy Morrissey branded the situation as "fundamentally wrong" in a strongly-worded letter to Labour-run Barnet Council. The letter criticises the decision to grant taxpayer funding to a school that they say "forces girls as young as seven to wear the hijab".
"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," they stated.
The letter went on to say: "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."
Council defends policy
The school's guidelines indicate that pupils failing to comply with the uniform policy could be sent home and required to return wearing the full school uniform, reports the Express.
A council spokesperson, however, insisted the policy was "legally compliant and non-compulsory for non-Muslim pupils". Ms Trott and Ms Morrissey highlighted that this stipulation "appears nowhere in the published policy" and cautioned that the inconsistency "raises serious questions about the scrutiny undertaken by the council before approving the school's entry into the state-funded sector".
Secular society criticism
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, described it as "appalling that taxpayers are being asked to fund" the institution.
He continued: "Women should be free to choose religious dress; young girls should not have it imposed upon them. State-funded schools should bring children together, not divide them by faith and, by extension, ethnicity. The council must pause the implementation of this decision and subject this proposal to proper public and democratic scrutiny."
Census data from 2021 revealed that Barnet's Muslim population stood at approximately 47,700, representing just over 12% of residents in the borough. The Express has approached Barnet Hill Academy for comment.
