BY MEGHANN BIGG

OFSTED chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has told inspectors in England that they can fail schools for allowing face veils if they are proving to be a “barrier to learning”.

Sir Michael said that inspectors could downgrade schools, or rate them “inadequate”, if they thought wearing a veil was having an effect on teaching.

As a student at a school that is welcoming to all cultures, I do find this issue to be interesting.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has said these decisions should be in the hands of individual schools and the Muslim Council of Britain said Ofsted did not need to resort to the “megaphone of the media to show that it is flexing its muscles”.

Head teachers' groups are of the opinion that Ofsted inspectors should not be judging schools on dress codes.

Leora Cruddas of the ASCL head teachers’ union reiterated this position, saying that “inspectors should focus on what schools achieve rather than what people wear”.

I personally think that Ofsted should really judge a school on the basis of its curriculum abilities, activities and how the teachers are approaching and teaching the syllabus, not on the different cultures of the students.

They should embrace all.