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A Muslim mother was turned away from a school parents' evening for her son because she was wearing a full-length veil.
Police were called when the 34-year-old refused to leave Our Lady and St. John Catholic Art College, in Blackburn, Lancashire, which she attended herself.
The comprehensive school operates a policy which requires anyone entering the building to remove specific headwear for identification purposes.
She claims the problem first surfaced at a parents' evening two years when she was told she was not allowed into the main hall while wearing her niqab.
The full veil, which covers all the body except the eyes, is worn by a minority of Muslim women in the UK as part of their religious beliefs, to protect their modesty from men.
The woman, who does not wish to be named, said: "I explained that I was willing to take off the veil in front of the female teachers, but not the male teachers.
"A year later the same thing happened when I went to drop my son off at the school. Then this week at a parent's evening I signed myself in and saw two teachers in the library as I was not allowed in the main hall.
"Then I got asked by a senior member of staff whether I was aware of the school's policy on identification."
Since the issue arose in 2007, the school's policy has been amended to include full veils with items such as hoodies and crash helmets that have to be removed before entering the building.
The woman claims that had she been made aware of the change in advance, she would not have enrolled her son at her former school.
She added: "The whole situation has upset me and I don't like going to the school any more because I always leave crying.
"I can understand that people should be identified but I am just a normal person trying to lead a normal life. Why should how I dress make a difference?"
A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed officers were called to the school, but had taken no further action.
Colette Gillen, the headteacher, said the school was rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted for community cohesion, care and guidance.
She said whilst it was acceptable for women to wear veils on a one-to-one basis at meeting, difficulties could arise when people were wandering around corridors or rooms.
A Blackburn with Darwen borough council spokesman said it was for individual schools to implement dress policy, including the wearing of veils.
The town became the focus of national attention in 2006 when its MP Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, suggested the wearing of veils could damage community relations because they were a "visible statement of separation and of difference".
At the same time Aisha Azmi, a 24 year old teaching assistant, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was suspended for refusing to remove her veil in lessons in case male colleagues saw her,
She later lost an appeal against an employment tribunal's decision that she had not been discriminated against on religious grounds.
Her employers, Headfield Junior School, insisted face-to-face communication was essential in her role as a bi-lingual support worker.
Source
Police were called when the 34-year-old refused to leave Our Lady and St. John Catholic Art College, in Blackburn, Lancashire, which she attended herself.
The comprehensive school operates a policy which requires anyone entering the building to remove specific headwear for identification purposes.
She claims the problem first surfaced at a parents' evening two years when she was told she was not allowed into the main hall while wearing her niqab.
The full veil, which covers all the body except the eyes, is worn by a minority of Muslim women in the UK as part of their religious beliefs, to protect their modesty from men.
The woman, who does not wish to be named, said: "I explained that I was willing to take off the veil in front of the female teachers, but not the male teachers.
"A year later the same thing happened when I went to drop my son off at the school. Then this week at a parent's evening I signed myself in and saw two teachers in the library as I was not allowed in the main hall.
"Then I got asked by a senior member of staff whether I was aware of the school's policy on identification."
Since the issue arose in 2007, the school's policy has been amended to include full veils with items such as hoodies and crash helmets that have to be removed before entering the building.
The woman claims that had she been made aware of the change in advance, she would not have enrolled her son at her former school.
She added: "The whole situation has upset me and I don't like going to the school any more because I always leave crying.
"I can understand that people should be identified but I am just a normal person trying to lead a normal life. Why should how I dress make a difference?"
A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed officers were called to the school, but had taken no further action.
Colette Gillen, the headteacher, said the school was rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted for community cohesion, care and guidance.
She said whilst it was acceptable for women to wear veils on a one-to-one basis at meeting, difficulties could arise when people were wandering around corridors or rooms.
A Blackburn with Darwen borough council spokesman said it was for individual schools to implement dress policy, including the wearing of veils.
The town became the focus of national attention in 2006 when its MP Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, suggested the wearing of veils could damage community relations because they were a "visible statement of separation and of difference".
At the same time Aisha Azmi, a 24 year old teaching assistant, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was suspended for refusing to remove her veil in lessons in case male colleagues saw her,
She later lost an appeal against an employment tribunal's decision that she had not been discriminated against on religious grounds.
Her employers, Headfield Junior School, insisted face-to-face communication was essential in her role as a bi-lingual support worker.
Source
No the school did not do the right thing when they would have given the child a place within the school his forms would of shown the childs religous background.....................
