A mother has said she is pulling her teenage son out of the Al-Madinah Muslim free school (USA) after claiming he was forced to cover his head and banned from looking at female students.
Jacqueline Crossley, 53, has said her son, who she does not want to be identified, was the only non-religious pupil at the free school in Derby.
She has now decided to withdraw the 14-year-old from the school after claiming he was forced to join lessons with five-year-olds when he opted out of lessons studying the Qu’ran.
The school was temporarily closed last week due to a ‘health and safety issue’ following inspection.
Ms Crossley said she was told she couldn’t sit near her son at an awards night because women and men would be separated by a partition.
She said: ‘I sent my son to the school because he had been badly bullied at his last school and I felt that a faith school would be a safe place to send him.
‘But it felt as though the bullying was coming from the school, rather than other teenagers. He was discriminated against because he had no religion.
‘At an awards night, I wanted to sit with my son and enjoy the evening.
‘But he said: “No, mum, you can’t, the woman aren’t allowed to sit with the men” – and there was a big partition in the hall so I couldn’t see him. I was stunned.’
Ms Crossley was left furious after she was told her son would get extra tuition in core subjects if he opted out of daily Qu’ran and Islamic study sessions but was instead sent to assist a teacher with a reception class.
She said: ‘I was told that as a multi-faith school, pupils would be able to opt out of lessons which focused on the Qu’ran and Islamic studies, and could spend the time having extra tuition for English and maths.
‘But instead, he was sent down to a class of five year olds, and told to help look after them.
‘At the reception class, he was meant to be helping the children but, most of the time, he told me he was sharpening pencils, making the juice and cutting fruit.
‘It was a complete joke. The school is completely segregated and made me and my son feel so uncomfortable and discriminated against that he can’t face going back there.’
Ms Crossley claimed her son had been told off for looking at female students.
She said: ‘The girls sat at the back of the classrooms, and the boys at the front. My boy was told under no circumstances should he look behind at the girls.’
‘The concept of segregation is totally alien to him. He is used to his comprehensive school, where the girls and boys are mixed and everyone is equal.’
‘Another time, he had his hair cut quite short, and the teachers told him that it was offensive, and tried to make him wear a prayer cap.’
Ms Crossley said a compromise was eventually reached and her son was allowed to wear one of his own hats.
