Eight-year-old Kaiden Singh has been banned from wearing his Sikh bangle to school as it is considered to be jewellery and against its uniform policy.
He was told by teachers at Summerhill Primary School in Tipton he would not be allowed to wear his Kara – which is a silver bracelet worn by Sikhs as a symbol of faith, serving as one of the religion’s ‘five Ks’.
The school is now facing a backlash from Kaiden’s parents and The Sikh Federation which insists the pupil has a legal right to wear his Kara.
Kerry Rochester, headteacher at the school, said the schoolboy’s parents signed an agreement stating they accepted the school’s uniform policy and that a meeting had been planned for this week to discuss the matter further.
Kaiden was told to remove the Kara when he started at Summerhill last month, according to his father Sunnie.
The Sikh Federation has warned the school could be in for a legal battle if it does not change its stance, citing a similar case in Wales in 2008 when a 14-year-old girl won a High Court discrimination claim after being told to remove her Kara.
Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the Sikh Federation UK, said, “Summerhill Primary School in Tipton may not be aware of the legal ruling. We suggest the school headteacher and governors urgently reverse their decision as legal advice will confirm eight-year-old Kaiden Singh has the legal right to wear his Kara to school.
“If this case ends up in court it could cost the school hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money and also see a few heads role in senior positions at the school.”
Miss Rochester said, “Our school uniform policy does state no jewellery, only ear studs if a child has pierced ears.
“All parents are made aware of this when they send their children to our school. And, as with all parents, Kaiden’s mum and dad signed the school’s agreement form accepting our policies when he started in September.
“We are a bit taken aback by this because we do consider religious items and we had arranged to meet Kaiden’s parents on Wednesday to discuss the matter with them.”
