Defiant headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh tells parents 'if you don't like it, ... trends now

A defiant headteacher of a school which has won the right to ban Muslim prayer rituals has told parents 'if you don't like it, don't come to us' amid the threat of further legal action.  

Katharine Birbalsingh, who has been called Britain's strictest head, said the landmark ruling was a 'victory for all schools' as she hit out at 'bullying identity politics'.

The Government's former social mobility tsar also declared we need the 'honesty' to call out 'deep-seated progressivist racism' in society. 

A pupil at her Michaela Community School in Wembley, north-west London, had claimed a ban on prayer rituals was a breach of her human rights and violated the Equality Act.

But the High Court yesterday ruled the ban was both proportionate and justified and that Miss Birbalsingh should be allowed to enforce the school's secular ethos.

After claiming victory, Miss Birbalsingh said: 'If parents do not like what Michaela is, they do not need to send their children to us.'

In a lengthy statement, she also questioned why the Muslim pupil received '£150,000 in legal aid' to fight her case - and fears the family may launch further action.

She asked: 'Can it be right for a family to receive £150,000 of taxpayer-funded legal aid to bring a case like this?  

She claimed the pupil's mother, who helped her daughter bring the case, intended to send another child to the school. 

Ms Birbalsingh alleged: 'At the same time, this mum has sent a letter to our lawyers suggesting that she may take us to court yet again over another issue at the school she doesn't like, presumably once again at the taxpayer's expense.'

A representative for the family said the figure included in Ms Birbalsingh's statement was incorrect, with the pupil's capped legal aid costs being lower than that sum. The representative did not comment on the suggestion of further legal action.

Elsewhere in her statement, Ms Birbalsingh said: 'If our families did not like the school, they would not repeatedly choose to send their children to Michaela.

'At the two welcome events that all parents must attend before sending their child to Michaela, I run through everything that makes Michaela different to other schools: constant supervision, family lunch, silent corridors, no prayer room, easy ways to get detention, strict uniform etc.'

She then said if parent's don't like what the school is, they should not send their children there. 

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said it was 'a victory against activists trying to subvert our public institutions'. She added: 'The Equality Act is a shield, not a sword, and teachers must not be threatened.'

The case, which was brought with taxpayer-funded legal aid, will have wide implications for state schools under pressure from hardline religious groups. 

The decision was welcomed by Downing Street, which said 'heads are best placed to take decisions on what takes place in their school including how to accommodate prayer'.

And Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said it would give all heads the confidence to 'make the right decision for their school'.

Miss Birbalsingh became known as the country's strictest head for her uncompromising rules.

She enforces a secular ethos at Michaela, despite 50 per cent of pupils being Muslim, to ensure children can make friends 'across religious divides'. But according to her evidence to the court, a group of pupils started coordinated prayer rituals in the playground in March last year.

Some also 'intimidated' other pupils for refusing to fast during Ramadan, by 'staring' and 'declining to talk to them'. 

One girl had been 'intimidated' into wearing a headscarf, and another had dropped out of the school choir after being told it was 'forbidden during Ramadan'. 

The pupil bringing the case, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was given a fixed-term exclusion for being 'rude and aggressive' when a teacher told her to put away her prayer mat.

After that incident, a campaign of harassment started from the wider community, according to Miss Birbalsingh. 

An online petition accusing the school of Islamophobia garnered 4,000 signatures, and the court heard accompanying comments directed racist abuse at the teacher involved.

A brick was thrown through the window of another teacher's home, and the school had a bomb threat which later turned out to be a hoax.

Determined not to give in to threats, Miss Birbalsingh and the governors then officially prohibited pupils from performing prayer rituals.

The girl, supported by her mother, launched action via law firm Simpson Millar, which argued she should be allowed to pray for around five minutes at lunch, on dates when faith rules required it. 

But yesterday, Mr Justice Linden concluded the ban did not interfere with her religious freedom and helped to achieve the 'legitimate' aim of promoting an ethos of inclusivity and social cohesion.

Miss Birbalsingh said in a statement afterwards: 'There is a false narrative that some try to paint about Muslims being an oppressed minority at our school. 

'They are, in fact, the largest group. Those who are most at risk are other minorities and Muslim children who are less observant.'

She claimed the girl's mother still intends to send her younger sibling to the school.

Despite catering to a deprived area, Michaela is one of the best performing state secondary schools in the country and rated outstanding by Ofsted.

The pupil who lost the case said: 'Even though I lost, I still feel that I did the right thing in seeking to challenge the ban. I tried my best and was true to myself and my religion.'

Her mother said: 'Her courage in pursuing this matter fills me with pride and I'm confident she's gained invaluable lessons.'

Secular campaigners said the ruling serves as a reminder that claims of religious freedom 'do not trump all other

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