King Edward VII Sheffield: School responds to anonymous petition over 'Islamophobic' dress code

A petition has been launched on Change.org claiming King Edward VII School is restricting religious freedoms.

It claims the school is “prohibiting students from praying within the school premises” after closing its prayer room “this academic year”.

King Edward VII, a secular school, closed its voluntarily operated prayer room three years ago due to misuse.

It has prompted a letter home to parents by headteacher Linda Gooden, which restates the school’s policies and calls the anonymous petition ‘concerning and misleading’.

Further, while the school has no formal uniform, the current dress code policy prohibits “any clothing specific to prayer and worship of any faith”, including the jubbah.

The petition asserts that teachers are interpreting this to also banning students from wearing abayas and long skirts – items common in Muslim communities that are not specific to prayer.

“Unfortunately, religious discrimination is prevalent throughout this school,” the petition reads, which was started by an account titled ‘IB 2022’, with no name attached to it.

The Star has been unable to contact the account for comment.

It continues: “Previously, the school had a prayer room, but this has been shut down this academic year and students have been prohibited from praying within the school premises.

“They have been told to leave the school building in order to observe a basic religious right.

“Staff at the school have interpreted [the dress code] in an Islamophobic manner targeting a large number of Muslim students, banning them from wearing clothing that is not specific to prayers yet common amongst the Muslim community.

“This is clearly religious discrimination against the large number of Muslim students and this Islamophobic attitude cannot proceed further.

“We want an end to this deliberate attack to our religious right.”

The petition, which was launched on September 15, has gathered 1,222 signatures as of September 23.

It has prompted a letter home to parents by headteacher Linda Gooden.

It reads: “No formal contact has been made with the school by the person who started this petition. I do not know who this person is. The information presented is misleading.

“Instead of a multi-faith prayer room, we encourage the use of other facilities for prayer and worship, located less than five minutes away from the school, for older students. We liaise with local faith groups in our local community and maintain strong links with them.

“Our dress code is appropriate for a secular school and this means that religious dress, including jubbahs, is not allowed. This has not changed.

“The school has always allowed the wearing of abayas and long skirts for our female students because this clothing is part of the students’ cultural tradition. This has not changed.

“King Edward VII School is incredibly proud of its strong partnerships with students, parents, carers community groups and many external organisations and this is why it is very important for me to keep you informed of the facts about our school.”

In a comment for The Star, headteacher Linda Gooden said: “We are a very successful, inclusive School with a strong ethos that values and celebrates diversity. We are a School that is built upon and teaches respect for everyone.

"We respect and treat every young person in our School equally. We value and respect everyone’s right to their faith. Like all secular schools, we are not under a legal duty to provide a multi-faith prayer room. We did have one, but we withdrew it in 2018 because it was not being used for that purpose. Instead, we now encourage the use of other facilities for prayer and worship, less than five minutes away from the School, for older students who wish to pray. We liaise with local faith groups in our local community.

"We have a well-established dress code at our School and on our website which is shared with all students at the start of each academic year. We feel that our dress code is appropriate for a secular School, and I am always very happy to speak with individuals, internal or external to the School, about matters of this nature, including our dress code.

"King Edward VII School is incredibly proud of its strong partnerships with students, parents, carers, community groups and many external organisations and this is why it is very important for me to keep everyone informed about the facts about our School.”