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| Birmingham Islamic faith school guilty of sex discrimination | Birmingham Islamic faith school guilty of sex discrimination |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An Islamic faith school's policy of segregating boys and girls is unlawful sex discrimination, a court has ruled. | An Islamic faith school's policy of segregating boys and girls is unlawful sex discrimination, a court has ruled. |
| The case was heard at the Court of Appeal as Ofsted challenged a High Court ruling clearing the Al-Hijrah school in Birmingham of discrimination. | The case was heard at the Court of Appeal as Ofsted challenged a High Court ruling clearing the Al-Hijrah school in Birmingham of discrimination. |
| Ofsted's lawyers argued the segregation left girls "unprepared for life in modern Britain". | Ofsted's lawyers argued the segregation left girls "unprepared for life in modern Britain". |
| Appeal judges ruled the school was discriminating against its pupils contrary to the Equality Act. | |
| However, the court did not accept the argument the school's policy had disadvantaged girls more than boys. | |
| Midlands Live: Judges rule in favour of Ofsted; Sculptures raised £250,000 for hospital | |
| The three appeal judges heard boys and girls, aged four to 16, attend the school, in Bordesley Green. | |
| But from Year Five, boys and girl are completely separated for lessons, breaks, school trips and school clubs. | |
| In 2016, Ofsted ruled the school was inadequate and it was put in special measures, saying its policy of separating the sexes was discrimination under the 2010 Equality Act. | |
| In November, High Court judge Mr Justice Jay overruled the inspectors, saying that they had taken an "erroneous" view on an issue "of considerable public importance". | |
| Speaking after the Court of Appeal ruling Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, said educational institutions should never treat pupils less favourably because of their sex. | |
| "The school is teaching boys and girls entirely separately, making them walk down separate corridors, and keeping them apart at all times," she said. | |
| "This is discrimination and is wrong. It places these boys and girls at a disadvantage for life beyond the classroom and the workplace, and fails to prepare them for life in modern Britain," she said. | |
| She added the number of similar cases in schools across the country were "in the low 20s". |