A Muslim student at a London school has lost a High Court challenge against its ban on prayer rituals.
Michaela School in Wembley was taken to court by the girl over the policy, which she argued was discriminatory.
The non-faith state secondary school previously told the High Court that allowing prayer rituals risked “undermining inclusion” among pupils.
The free school’s founder and head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh said the ruling was a “victory for all schools”.
In an 83-page written judgment dismissing the student’s case, Mr Justice Linden said: “The claimant at the very least impliedly accepted, when she enrolled at the school, that she would be subject to restrictions on her ability to manifest her religion.”
About half the school’s roughly 700 pupils are Muslim, the court previously heard.
Students are expected to adhere to strict rules including focusing on teachers extensively during lessons and remaining silent in corridors, as well as observing restrictions on uniforms. The school is rated as outstanding by Ofsted.
In March 2023, up to 30 students began praying in the school’s yard, using blazers to kneel on, the High Court heard.
Pupils are not allowed to gather in groups of more than four, including in the school yard.
The school introduced the ban in the same month due to concerns about a “culture shift” towards “segregation between religious groups and intimidation within the group of Muslim pupils”, the court was told.
There is no legal requirement for schools to allow pupils a time or a place to pray.
This judgment supports the right of individual schools, head teachers and school governors to make a decision about what is best for their own pupils.
Some schools already set aside space for Muslim pupils to pray, others do not, but there is no overriding legal obligation to do so. The ruling has implications for every state-funded non-religious school in England.
