Hair discrimination in schools

New guidance from the EHRC equality watchdog says that pupils should not be stopped from wearing their hair in natural Afro styles at school.

It warns that as race is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act, a person must not be discriminated against because of their hair or hairstyle if it is associated with their race or ethnicity.

Teaching unions have backed demands for an end to discrimination against Afro hairstyles in schools. In 2020, Michelle Cordington-Rogers, then national president of the NASUWT teaching union, said that “our children should be judged on their ability, not which direction their hair grows”.