The Government must step in to set policies on hijabs in schools, the head of Ofsted has suggested.
Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, said it is “worrying” that headteachers can be “bullied” by campaigners into changing their uniform policies.
Her comments come after she threw her weight behind the head of an east London primary school who attempted to ban pupils under the age of eight from wearing hijabs.
Neena Lall was later forced into reversing the ban at St Stephen's School in Newnham after an angry backlash from activists who accused her of Islamophobia.
She became the subject of an intimidation campaign which included a video posted on YouTube comparing her to Hitler.
.... Last month Sir Michael Wilshaw, the former chief inspector of schools, called for the Government to implement an official policy on wearing hijabs in primary schools to stop headteachers from feeling “isolated and vulnerable”.
Sir Michael claimed that the Government’s fear of being politically incorrect has stopped it from providing guidance to schools. “The Government needs to step in. It can no longer say it’s up to the headteachers," he said. [The Telegraph] Read more
