Schools that ban hijabs or fasting will get Government backing if they face backlash, says minister

Head teachers facing opposition against controversial bans to prevent 'culture of intimidation' promised support

Lord Agnew of Oulton, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Education, said he would help head teachers make difficult and “sensitive” decisions if they came up against opposition to hijab bans (Getty)

Schools that try to ban pupils from fasting and wearing hijabs will get backing from the Government if they face a backlash, the schools minister has said.

Lord Agnew of Oulton said he would help head teachers make difficult and “sensitive” decisions if they came up against opposition and would “not allow a culture of fear and intimidation to pass through the school gates”.

Writing in The Times on Saturday, Lord Agnew said teachers, school leaders and governors were “completely within their right to make decisions on how to run their schools in the best interests of their pupils [...] and we back their right to do so.”

It comes after a primary school in the London borough of Newham banned girls under eight from wearing the hijab and told parents their children should not fast during the school day in the month of Ramadan.

St Stephen’s primary school's head of governors, Arif Qawi, had taken advice from clerics who said pupils should only fast once they reach puberty. He announced his resignation following complaints from parents.

Lord Agnew said: “We must not allow a culture of fear and intimidation to pass through the school gates. What example do we set to the next generation if we fail to show tolerance and respect in how we engage in these debates? Particularly when these are values we are promoting in our classrooms.”

He gave his personal backing to Neena Lall, the head of St Stephen’s, following the events of last month, saying she had suffered “vitriolic abuse” from opponents to the hijab and fasting ban.

In a stern warning, Lord Agnew said the Government would "not hesitate to take action" if there were allegations of schools promoting religious ideologies that undermine British values or evidence of discrimination in the classroom.

"This can include reforming a school’s leadership, changing an academy’s sponsor or, in the case of an independent school, taking enforcement action which can result in the closure of the school," he added.

"All schools have to take into account the need to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and the mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs."

It follows calls from head teachers who have faced opposition for the Government to go further and provide legal protection from intimidation.

A number were caught up in the alleged “Trojan Horse plots” in Birmingham, in which a number of schools in the city were investigated following claims a plot to control them had been set out by hardline Islamists.

The head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, last week urged schools to adopt a “muscular liberalism” and not cave in to the most conservative or zealous voices in a community when setting policy.