School asking daughter to remove small cross despite religious symbols policy

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I'm looking for some advice and thoughts!

DD is 15 and at secondary school. She has always worn a small silver cross - at primary school this was never an issue (it was a church school) Up until this point it's not been an issue at secondary school either. The cross is very small and is tucked into her shirt so you would have to be really looking for it in order to see it. She always removes it for PE etc.

Last Monday her head of year saw the cross and asked her to remove it. My daughter replied that it was her cross, and that she didn't want to. She was then approached and asked to remove it every day for the remainder of the week, with increasing threats of sanctions if she didn't comply with the schools 'no jewelry' rule. My daughter kept reiterating that this was her cross, and asked the teacher to speak with me. Finally on Friday I received an email to tell me that my daughter needed to take her cross off.

I completely understand the new jewelry rule but wonder how this sits alongside the responsibility that the school has under the equalities act 2010. In their uniform policy it states that it will 'allow pupils to wear headscarves and other religious or cultural symbols' I would interpret this to include a cross too?

My daughter wears her cross as a sign of her faith and really wants to continue to do this.

Has anyone come across this situation before? If so, what was the solution?

Thank you! I was just about to look this one up too because I knew this had already been decided in court!

BUT Christianity does not require you to wear it.

The rule is about jewellery. This is jewellery.
Just follow the rules, it’s quite simple.

Would you apply that same logic to Sikhs and their bracelets

I once saw a sixth former who had short hair with a cross shaved across his head.

No it isn’t. It’s a cultural choice.

I have a lot of Muslim friends and some wear a hijab and some don’t. They all tell me that it’s a choice and not compulsory.

I also have Christian friends and quite a lot of them wear a cross on a necklace. Still a choice and not compulsory.

If a school has a policy of allowing religious and cultural symbols then the hijab and a cross on a necklace should 100% be allowed even though neither are compulsory.

Yes.

Absolutely not.

A cross is equal to wearing a head scarf in the eyes of the law. Neither are mandated by the religion. Both are belief based and personal and therefore protected.

As a Roman Catholic, I would be incredibly insulted if someone asked me to remove my cross. I wear it all day everyday, in the shower and to bed. I am not taking it off for anyone. I will however tuck it in when needed, for genuine health and safety reasons.

If this young lady is wearing a cross for faith reasons rather than fashion, then shame on anyone who tells her to just remove it. A cross provides comfort. It provides hope. It provides guidance. It’s a symbol of commitment and belonging. I can’t imagine anyone having the nerve to tell a person from a different religious background to just remove their (insert symbol here). It does absolutely matter to the wearer. Crosses generally come on chains. That’s how they are widely worn. End of. If the rest of the school children decide they want to wear a cross on a chain, fantastic! This country definitely needs a return to faith.

………..what point?
Outside PE it is not likely to get hooked on to anyone or anything.

I was going to quote this case too.

Why should she hide her faith or wear it in secret? Would you expect that from someone of another faith?

Muslim headscarves are often pinned with pins too, which it might be argued are not good for PE.

I'm surprised any school has a blanket 'no jewelery ' ban. Where do they draw the line - are earrings allowed? If so, how many, what sort? Watches?

I've worn a medical bracelet for as long as I can remember (which saved my life once), and I definitely wouldn't have removed it if the school cited some random ban on such things.

I think your DD should be allowed to wear it as it sounds more like it's religious discrimination rather than the jewelry itself, which they're hiding it behind.

I think you're comparing apples with oranges...

For Sikhs the 5Ks are an integral part of their religion, so the bracelets they wear (Kara) are equally as important as the others (Kesh-uncut hair, usually covered in a turban, Kirpan-the small ceremonial knife, Kachera-cotton undergarments and the Kanga-a small wooden comb). All of which they are commanded to be always worn by faith and expected to always carry with them.

Thats different to islamic head coverings, which is more a cultural choice and also the Christian cross which isn't widely believed to be mandatory to wear in most Christian sects. Difference being for Sikhs as a huge part of their religion they DO have to wear them other religions are not in the same way

The point is it is a choice to wear it.

There are rules in night clubs about baseball caps due to cctv but that doesn’t apply to all head coverings.
Should they just fallow the rules or no entry?

A cross is equal to wearing a head scarf in the eyes of the law. Neither are mandated by the religion. Both are belief based and personal and therefore protected.

That's nice dear.

However, as with all human rights, the protection is not absolute.

There is no requirement in Islam to wear head coverings any more than there is a requirement for Christians to wear a cross.

‘That’s nice dear’ ….????

Do you advocate for discrimination against one particular group then?

Nail on the head!

All rights in law are qualified.

What is wrong with mentioning headscarf’s?

No, not nail on the head.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a thread before, where people have told people from a minority religious background, how to practice their religion.

Possibly because those religions aren’t generally discriminated against in places like schools. But if they were then everybody would be outraged, and quite rightly so.

That sneering is abusive.

The hijab/kippah analogy isn't the same.

Muslim women and girls who wear headscarves largely do so because they or their family are following a branch of the faith which deems it to be compulsory or at least preferable act. The same goes for Jewish men who wear a kippah.

I have never heard of a branch of Christianity or a Christian priest/members of clergy say that wearing a cross is a compulsory (or even preferable) act as part of faith

I went to a Catholic school for what it's worth