No school – not even Britain’s ‘strictest headteacher’, Katharine Birbalsingh – should have the right to ban prayer

When it comes to religious freedoms, the UK is going backwards, argues Hira Ali

Headteacher, Katherine Birbalsingh – ‘Britain’s strictest headmistress’ – hailed the result as a ‘victory for all schools’ (Riverdog Productions)

The high court ruling that the prayer rituals ban imposed at what was famously dubbed “Britain’s strictest school” in north-west London was lawful has been lauded as a triumph, when it is anything but.

I fear it is the latest evidence that, when it comes to religious freedoms, the UK is going backwards.

The Muslim pupil who argued the case in north-west London has claimed that the prayer ban that the policy is discriminatory and “uniquely” affects her faith due to its ritualised nature.