Katharine Birbalsingh - Interview

Tom Rogers talks to Michaela Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh.

[@just_another32]

If a family wants their child to go to a school with prayer rooms then there are plenty of schools offering that. Why change this school when many parents and pupils like it this way and would want it to stay this way?

[@bigmike4067]

That's not true. The Majority of parents and students are Muslims. They would have no objections to the school having a prayer room or being able to pray. School is there to serve the local community, not ban them from praying if they don't offer prayer rooms. It is in an area with a very high Muslim population and over 50% majority of its pupils are Muslims. Why locate yourself in an area with a high Muslim population if you have problems accommodating Muslims? Like hundreds of other schools in the area and across the country that have prayer rooms for their Muslim students and others and try to accommodate them with no issues, why is this one school banning their Muslim students from praying? The Excuses are pathetic and they cannot admit this is really an anti-Islam attitude. There were similar stupid bans against Black hairstyles. Are you now saying Black Parents should accept Schools maintaining White European Hair Standards for Black Pupils?

[@just_another32]

@@bigmike4067 No, don't put words into my mouth please - I have enough of my own. I am saying that KB has chosen to run her school this way, and parents have a choice about whether to send their child to a school that is run that way and doesn't have prayer rooms. This seems perfectly reasonable to me. Although of course I can understand the other argument - which is that this could be considered indirect discrimination - because it is a ban that affects the muslim students (those of whom wish to pray) more than the students of other faiths. I am very interested to hear what the judge rules. Having followed KB for a few years, I am a big fan of her philosophy / approach of not dividing by race or religion. I hope the school wins the case. But I think the only grounds that could happen on is that there are other schools in the area which parents could send their children to if they want a school with prayer rooms. In this way, it is not an issue of discrimination but of choice and freedom. Removing the one school (presumably) that doesn't have a prayer room and has an entirely different ethos (of not dividing by race or religion) takes away that option from those children and parents who want to attend KB's school and benefit from it with its current ethos.

[@HadiAlwahab]

we have 400 pupils muslim in our school - how come our 1 prayer room is fine and organised

[@matthewdomine9865]

Michaela has separate lunchtimes for each year group so they wouldn’t need to house 350 Muslim pupils praying at the same time. Therefore her only real argument is null and void. I have visited the school and they have plenty of rooms that could be used during lunchtimes.

[@Hannah-oz8cu]

I've been there too, but I disagree. The logistical headache would be enough, even without the ethos and the external threats. Everything there is so finely tuned. It would be an extra burden on staff.

[@matthewdomine9865]

Well currently the school is breaking the law so they’ll have to change something.

[@Hannah-oz8cu]

I thought the case was still being heard?@@matthewdomine9865

[@Hannah-oz8cu]

Alternative solution - give funding to double the size of the building, hire more staff, and have a green area outside. Oh, and a staff car park. Then open five more schools on the Michaela model in major UK cities, and start a training school for teachers that doesn't charge them £9000 to recommend "Pedagogy of the Oppressed". @@matthewdomine9865

[@jexpiperUK]

​@@matthewdomine9865They would only be breaking the law if the court rules against them. Stop getting ahead of yourself.