Schools in England to Ban Muslim Veils

Schools across England have been given the go-ahead to ban pupils from wearing full-face veils, following new uniform guidelines soon to be released.

The ban will be authorised on security, safety and learning grounds.

The news follows February's High Court judgement to uphold a Buckinghamshire school's decision that a 12-year-old girl would not be allowed to wear her niqab.

The guidelines explain that it is important to accommodate religious clothing in schools, but that it is essential for teachers and pupils to make proper eye contact.

The Buckinghamshire school won its case after arguing that the veil had made communication between the teachers and the pupils very difficult, and was a hindrance to education. In particular, the school argued that the teacher being able to see the facial expression of the pupil was essential to efficient teaching and communication.

Security concerns will also be cited as one of the main reasons behind the guidelines, as schools must be able to identify pupils in order to maintain order and distinguish guests as well as intruders.

The guidelines state: "If a pupil's face is obscured for any reason the teacher may not be able to judge their engagement with learning or secure their participation in discussions and practical activities," the BBC has reported.

The head teacher of the Buckinghamshire school, who cannot be named for legal reasons, called for clear guidance to be given by the DfES: "It's not right that schools should have to be arguing this out case by case. Obviously there's a trade-off between schools retaining autonomy over school uniform decisions, on the other hand we will have some very clear guidance from the DfES within which to work," she told BBC.

She added: "We feel very strongly that this was a matter of principle, that there shouldn't be barriers to communication between students and teachers.

"We also feel the young people in our school should be educated on an equal basis and be prepared for their role as adults in a modern society in which we expect there to be equality between men and women."