Ofsted has condemned Newham Council for its lack of support for the primary at the centre of a row over its decision to ban pupils from wearing the hijab.
The criticism comes in a letter outlining the findings of a special extra Ofsted inspection of St Stephen's Primary, in the East London borough, at the end of last month.
It was conducted because Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman (pictured) was concerned about "a potential breakdown in trust between school leaders and parents" after the media reported the primary's decision to remove the hijab from the uniform for girls aged 7 and under.
Headteacher Neena Lall also tried to stop young children fasting at school in case they became ill. But she ended up withdrawing the hijab ban after it led to her being abused and compared to Hitler. [Tes Global] Read more
