A complaint that the Madani High School in Leicester has unlawfully discriminated against pupils from Shia Muslim backgrounds by giving preference to pupils from Sunni backgrounds in its admissions has been upheld by a report from the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. The Office of the Schools Adjudicator is the government agency that determines disputes about schools’ admission arrangements.
School inspector Dr Elizabeth Passmore found that the Muslim faith school had contravened section 49 of the Equality Act 2006, which outlaws schools from affording pupils different benefits on the basis of religion and belief, because its religious character has been designated as ‘Muslim’, rather than of a Muslim denomination. Consequently the school is only allowed to discriminate against pupils from non-Muslim backgrounds.
The inspector also found that the school was breaking the Schools Admission Code by showing preference to children in care from non-Muslim religious backgrounds over those from non-religious back grounds.
BHA Education Campaigns Officer Paul Pettinger said ‘The schools adjudicator is right to insist that admissions to state schools should be as broad and inclusive as possible. That is in the best interests of parents, pupils and society now and in the future.
‘However, if it is right that schools such as this should be prevented from discriminating against those of different groups within a faith, then it is only right that schools should also be prevented from discriminating against those deemed to be of another faith or of no faith.
‘It is completely illogical to prevent schools from discriminating on the basis of religion and belief in some cases, and then to permit it in others. The law should be changed to outlaw all discrimination on this basis in state funded schools.’
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For information or comment please contact Paul Pettinger.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief.