Ministers provoked anger among Muslims today after backing headteachers who ban pupils from wearing the full Islamic face veil.
Ministers provoked anger among Muslims today after backing headteachers who ban pupils from wearing the full Islamic face veil.
Schools minister Jim Knight said security concerns and good teaching in class must always take precedence over the rights of children to wear religious dress.
But the Islamic Human Rights Commission said the Government's new guidelines on school uniforms were "shocking".
The row came after a 12-year-old girl lost a legal battle to wear the full-face niqab in class in her Buckinghamshire school last month.
The document, published for consultation, said schools could decide pupils should not cover their faces as teachers "may not be able to judge their engagement" in class or identify intruders.
