What does the court ruling against the right to pray mean for religious practices in schools?

Headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh hailed the decision as ‘a victory for all schools’. John Rentoul looks at the implications

Katharine Birbalsingh argues that the interests of the Michaela school community take precedence over the needs of the individual (Riverdog Productions)

A Muslim student has lost a High Court challenge against her school’s ban on prayer rituals. Michaela Community School in Brent was taken to court by the girl over the policy, which she argued interfered with her right to practise her religion and amounted to discrimination against Muslims.

The non-faith state secondary school argued that its “team ethos” means that the interests of the school community take precedence over the needs of the individual. According to Katharine Birbalsingh, the headteacher, it also involves “aggressively” promoting integration between pupils from different faiths, cultures and ethnic backgrounds while they are at school, as well as minimising the social distinctions between them.

The school has 700 pupils from a diverse range of backgrounds, about half of whom are Muslim. The pupil who brought the case against the school has her anonymity protected because she is under 18.