Overview

Striking a balance between dress codes which, on the one hand, support effective teaching and learning and promote positive behaviour and discipline and, on the other, respect racial and cultural origins, can be a major challenge for education institutions.

In a recent case the High Court was asked to determine whether St Gregory’s Catholic Science College’s rules prohibiting boys from wearing their hair in cornrows amounted to unlawful discrimination on sex and racial grounds. This briefing from Eversheds discusses the wider impact of the ruling.

The case concerned G, an 11 year old of African-Caribbean ethnicity, who was due to commence his secondary education at St Gregory’s Catholic Science College. Since birth G has not cut his hair which he keeps in cornrows, in accordance with family tradition.

Whilst the School’s written uniform policy did not explicitly prohibit cornrows for boys, the cornrow ban was outlined at an introductory meeting at the School in September 2009, which G missed. African-Caribbean girls were permitted to wear their hair in cornrows as the School recognised that this helped keep long hair neat and under control.