School uniform and appearance policies that ban certain hairstyles without exceptions on racial grounds are “likely to be unlawful”, the equality watchdog has said.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said pupils should not be stopped from wearing their hair in natural Afro styles or in braids, cornrows, plaits and head coverings and other styles in school.
It will publish new resources for schools today. They are endorsed by World Afro Day and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education, and are meant to help school leaders “ensure hair or hairstyle policies are not unlawfully discriminatory”.
It follows the high-profile case of Ruby Williams, a student who in 2020 won an out-of-court settlement of £8,500 after she was repeatedly sent home from school because she had Afro hair. The case was funded by the EHRC.
