The government today dismissed calls from Britain's leading Islamic group for schools to do more to accommodate Muslim pupils who want to wear a headscarf or grow a beard.

The Muslim Council of Britain accused state schools of failing to respect the wishes of Muslim children when organising sex education, changing rooms and religious assemblies.



In new guidance for state schools launched yesterday, the MCB criticised headteachers for refusing to take account of "legitimate and reasonable requests" from parents and pupils.

The MCB urged heads to build prayer rooms and individual changing cubicles and allow girls to wear a headscarf and full-length loose skirt if they wish.

Boys should be allowed to grow beards for religious reasons and pupils should not be told to remove religious amulets, the guidance said.

However, the Department for Education and Skills distanced itself from the document.

A DfES spokesman said: "This is not official guidance and is not endorsed by the government, nor does it have any binding power whatsoever on schools.

"The Department for Education and Skills has no involvement with the document produced by the MCB.

"We have already provided schools with a wealth of official guidance, which makes clear they should take into account, and recognise, the needs and cultural diversity of all their pupils regardless of their background."

The spokesman added: "A good education is one of the best ways of building understanding of the many issues that unite our society.

"It is important that education provides the right ethos which encourages high aspirations, good citizenship and mutual understanding, and that schools recognise the cultural and faith needs of all their pupils."

The guidance was launched as the high court in London backed a school that refused to allow a 12-year-old Muslim girl to wear the niqab full-face veil.

The 72-page MCB guidance document said: "Many schools in England, Scotland and Wales have responded positively to issues related to cultural diversity and to meeting the needs of Muslim pupils.

"However, others have not been receptive of legitimate and reasonable requests made by Muslim parents and pupils in relation to their faith-based aspirations and concerns.

"Many of these issues relate to aspects of schooling such as collective worship, communal changing, swimming, halal meals and sex education.

"It is essential that positive account is taken of the faith dimension of Muslim pupils in education and schooling.

"Unfortunately Muslim pupils are sometimes placed in situations where they feel pressured into acting contrary to their beliefs and conscience and also experience Islamophobic sentiments and comments within schools."

The country's biggest heads' union warned that many of the MCB's demands - such as for individual changing room cubicles for all Muslim pupils - were "undoable".