.... In a sign of the tension between the school and local mosques, St Stephen’s had also reported one teacher at the mosque for allegedly striking a child. The resulting police investigation did not lead to a prosecution.
Feelings are still running high. Despite Spielman’s support for St Stephen’s, sources have told The Sunday Times that Wahab met the school’s vice-chairman of governors last week and demanded an apology from the head.
“It’s ridiculous,” said the source. “He’s the one who should be apologising to her. The Department for Education and ministers have got to step in to support schools like this and stop sitting on the sidelines.”
Sources close to the school said it was incorrect to say parents were not consulted when the hijab ban was passed by the governing body in 2016. Parents were told in a newsletter of the policy and new parents were also told about it in face-to-face meetings. It is understood there were virtually no complaints.
But Yunus Dudhwala, another local imam who liaised between the school and the parents over the ban, insisted that parents had not been made aware of the changes to school policies. [The Times (£)] Read more
