English inspectors have been told to question Muslim school girls if they are wearing hijabs or similar head scarf’s, according to Ofsted. The head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman and the chief inspector had said that this move was arranged so that they can tackle situations which show that wearing a Hijab can be interpreted as sexualisation of young girls aged four or five.
A meeting had taken place between the head of Ofsted and the campaigners who are against wearing a hijab in school, including the co-director of the Social Action and Research Foundation, Amina Lone. The inspectors will be talking to the school girls, asking them why they wear such garments to school, in a bid to address the concerns of sexualisation of school girls and to assess whether the schools are promoting equality for their children.
However, if there are any parents or even members of the public that are concerned about fundamentalist groups that are influencing school policy or breaching the equality law, then we urge you to make a complaint to the school. And if the school does not act on these complaints then the claims can be forwarded directly to Ofsted.
Ofsted and the Department of Education have been required to teach fundamental British values. Many schools across Britain have raised concerns about these issues including Islamic, Christian and Jewish schools. An Islamic faith school in Birmingham, Al Hijrah had been involved in a legal battle after they were classed as inadequate by Ofsted due to the strict segregation between boys and girls.
In 2014, Ofsted’ had inspected an Islamic faith primary school. However, the inspection was derailed after parents complained that the inspectors were questioning young children about their attitudes towards homosexuality. Harun Khan, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, had stated that it is extremely concerning that Ofsted will be targeting young Muslim girls who wear a headscarf.
This clearly shows that British women that choose to wear a headscarf are free to wear this, but if you do, then you are classed as a second-class citizen. Many British women that wear a headscarf have been known to do well in education.
