Our school is not allowing my child to wear their kara, kirpaan or dastaar.
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It is the legal duty of all UK schools to allow Sikh pupils to wear their kara (steel bracelet) and dastaar (turban), as these are articles of faith fundamental to Sikh religious practice. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools must not discriminate against pupils based on religion or belief, and this includes making reasonable adjustments to accommodate religious observance.
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We recognise that school uniform policies play an important role in promoting unity, equality, and discipline within the school environment. When a child is enrolled, parents are generally expected to accept and comply with the school’s uniform policy. However, schools also have a legal responsibility to ensure that such policies do not indirectly discriminate against pupils on the grounds of religion or belief.
For practising Sikhs, wearing the kara and dastaar is not a cultural preference—it is a core aspect of their faith. As such, schools must allow these articles to be worn as part of the pupil’s uniform. Refusal to do so, without a compelling and proportionate justification, is likely to be unlawful.
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In specific circumstances, such as during physical education, science labs, or design and technology classes, health and safety regulations may require that the kara be covered with a sweatband or soft wrist covering to prevent injury. Importantly, schools cannot require the kara to be removed, only made safe. The same applies to the dastaar, which should not be removed unless there is an exceptional reason, something which is extremely rare and would need to be legally justified.
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If you have concerns about this or need advice on how to approach a school matter regarding religious articles, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
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A letter you can send to the school regarding the wearing of a kara can be found here.
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A letter you can send to the school regarding the wearing of a dastaar can be found here.
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Please remember to log any submissions with us so we can keep a record of incidents nationally. This will help us to improve our services, inform policy and establish patterns which can then be escalated for all in order to reduce incidents. Without the data, it is always difficult to substantiate a case for change for all and for future generations.