Pupils are asked questions about their periods if they don't attend daily prayers at a Barking Islamic girls' school, the schools watchdog Ofsted has found.
Staff at Lady Aisha Academy ask girls if their menstrual cycle is the reason they don't attend prayers after a certain number of days, pupils told an inspector. Under Islamic law, menstruating women and girls are forbidden from praying.
"This personal questioning does not promote pupils' self-esteem and confidence," inspector Carolyn Dickinson wrote in her report, which was published on November 15. "Nor does this practice encourage respect for women, as set out in the Equality Act 2010."
The findings are despite the school - which is on the same site as the Al Madina Mosque - supposedly banning the practice after a visit from the council in April. Ms Dickinson reported the headteacher, Naeem Aslam, wasn't aware it had continued.
Lady Aisha Academy is a private school that charges £3,600 a year for every pupil. [Barking and Dagenham Post] Read more
