British court: religious schools are allowed to educate boys, girls separately

November 16, 2016

A British trial court has ruled that religious schools are not barred from educating boys and girls in separate classrooms.

Examining a government inspector’s complaint against a Muslim school, the administrative court judge found that such separation was legal but ruled that “segregation has the tendency to promote social and cultural stereotypes about the role of women in society.”

The judge added:

Segregation in mixed schools in this country is not the practice of government; it cannot be envisaged as any reflection of the mores and attitudes of wider society; it is only capable of being seen as a reflection of the mores, attitudes, cultures and practices of the faith groups who have been permitted to do it.

 

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Further information:

• Is segregating a school by sex necessarily discriminatory? X School v Chief Inspector (Law & Religion UK)
• British Court Says Sex Segregated Religious Schools OK Under Equality Act (Religion Clause)