Barnet Hill Academy, London (Image: -)
An independent Islamic faith school that requires girls as young as seven to wear a hijab is set to receive state funding. Barnet Hill Academy, in West Hendon, London, is set to change from being fee-paying to a ‘voluntary aided’ (VA) school and nursery from the start of the new academic year.
A voluntary-aided school is a state-funded school, often linked to a church or faith group, where a foundation or trust has significant control over admissions, staffing and the school’s religious character while contributing towards building costs. The National Secular Society (NSS) has written to Barnet council to raise concerns about the compatibility of a school receiving public money whilst maintaining a uniform policy that requires girls to wear a hijab from year three onwards. Stephen Evans, chief executive of the NSS, said: “It is appalling that taxpayers are being asked to fund a school that forces girls as young as seven to wear the hijab.
Campaigners argue that the hijab is oppressive (Image: Getty)
“Women should be free to choose religious dress; young girls should not have it imposed upon them.
“State-funded schools should bring children together, not divide them by faith and, by extension, ethnicity. The council must pause the implementation of this decision and subject this proposal to proper public and democratic scrutiny.”
The transition to becoming a VA school was signed off last week by Barnet Council’s executive director of children’s services, John Anthony.
In a letter to Mr Anthony, Mr Evans wrote: We are deeply concerned both by the substance of this decision and by the procedure through which it was reached.”
The hijab has previously been criticised by campaigners for sexualising children, with the requirement for girls to wear the dress from puberty as a means of preserving modesty in front of men.
Supporters argue that it allows girls to demonstrate their faith and provides privacy at a time when girls can be self-conscious.
The council hopes the move will create more school places for Barnet’s Muslim community, responding to what it describes as “a clear and evidenced demand from residents”.
The local authority says it has a legal duty “to secure diversity in the provision of schools, increase opportunities for parental choice and consider parental representations”.
It says there are no plans to change the school’s age range, capacity, accommodation or nursery arrangements as a result of the council becoming involved.
According to the 2021 Census, Barnet was home to around 47,700 Muslims, accounting for just over 12% of the borough’s population.
A council report said the borough’s existing school system “reflects the major faiths present in the borough”, with state-funded Church of England, Roman Catholic and Jewish schools already available.
But it noted that Islam is not currently represented within Barnet’s state-funded education sector.
The report said: “As a result, Muslim families do not have the same opportunity as those of other faiths to access a school aligned with their religious ethos.”
Until now, Barnet Hill Academy has operated as an independent, fee-paying school.
The council argues this has meant “access is limited to those able to afford the associated fees”, putting the school beyond the reach of much of the borough’s Muslim community.
Barnet Hill Academy has also been approached for comment.