Muslim mum suing posh Kensington secondary school for discrimination after being ‘banned from wearing a full face veil on their grounds’
A MUSLIM mum is suing a posh Kensington School after allegedly being told she couldn’t wear a face veil on its grounds.
Rachinda Serroukh, 37, claims she was discriminated against by prestigious Holland Park School in London, when she was told she had to remove the veil because of school policy.
The school is dubbed the ‘socialist Eton’ and former pupils include politician Hilary Benn and Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston.
Serroukh was attending an open day ahead of her 11-year-old daughter joining the school in September when she says she was taken into a room by a teacher and told her traditional Muslim dress was against school policy.
The single mum-of-three claims when she refused she was asked to leave the school via a back entrance.
She told the Guardian: “I had had no problem from security at the school gate when I entered the school and nobody there had mentioned a policy.
“I was very shaken and was in a state of shock about what had happened, I had never experienced anything like this before.
“I have experienced name calling in the street from strangers about my veil but nothing like this had ever happened before. When I got home, I just broke down.”
In an e-mail seen by The Guardian, the school’s deputy head Ross Wilson said the school did not have a policy banning face veils.
He said: “It has not been necessary to date for the school to have this requirement stated in written policy.
“Given the concerns you have raised, we are now considering a written amendment to our health and safety policy to include this specific requirement and will follow the normal protocol of seeking the approval of the governing body.”