Michaela Community School has defended banning prayer rituals, saying it helped quell rising tensions which led to a “bomb hoax” and pupils and staff being “intimidated” amid an “unprecedented outbreak of poor behaviour”.
A two-day High Court judicial review hearing against the free school in Brent, west London, has been brought by one of its Muslim pupils, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Her lawyers argue the ban breached equality laws and the pupil’s freedom of religion, claiming it disproportionately impacts Muslim students.
However, the school, often dubbed “Britain’s strictest”, contends the claim should be dismissed and argues the ban was needed to restore “calm and order” and promote cohesion.
