A Muslim secondary school has vehemently denied allegations it suspended a boy pupil for speaking to a girl after the Government ordered an investigation into the claims.

The headteacher of Al-Khair School in Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, insisted reports in the Sunday Times that a teenager had been removed from classes for breaching its “Islamic ethos” were “totally misleading”.

The story prompted the Department for Education to ask Ofsted, which rated Al-Khair “good” following an inspection last year, to “urgently investigate” the independent school.

The newspaper’s report quoted a parent of the boy suspended as saying: “How are these kids going to integrate in the wider shape of society when they have to work in the same places that [people of the opposite sex] are working? This is totally nonsense. 

“To me, as a Muslim parent, if my daughter or son goes to a Muslim school and she or he speaks in good manner to any boy or girl, regardless of what background, it doesn’t matter, because I believe this is not against my religion. What is this nonsense policy? I cannot understand it.” 

But Aisha Chaudhry, Al-Khair headteacher, said the teenager had been suspended for “something far more serious” than “harmless communication”.

She said: “This weekend's story was totally misleading. The school would never under any circumstances suspend a pupil simply for talking to a member of the opposite sex. 

“This was not harmless communication, but something far more serious, which we had to act on.

“I am confident any school would have done the same.”

A statement posted on Al-Khair’s website the pupil had been removed from classes because of a “serious and sensitive matter which caused considerable distress to another pupil”.

The school declined to give further details, citing “confidentiality and privacy”, but the Croydon Guardian understands police were recently called over long-running behaviour – including emails and social media messages - that led to the boy’s suspension.

Al-Khair’s behavioural policy explicitly forbids “communication which is not in line with our Islamic ethos through any medium” and pupils are segregated by sex for some classes.

It ranks “free-mixing” between “non-mahram” pupils - those who are not close relatives - as a “high level” offence alongside arson, racism, bullying, swearing and assault.

It states high-level offences are punishable by suspension or exclusion.

The school said Ofsted inspectors who visited in September examined the policy and the specific case that led to the pupil’s suspension and “agreed we had taken appropriate and proportionate action”.

The inspectors’ subsequent report rated Al-Khair “good” overall and said the school’s handling of personal development, behaviour and welfare was “outstanding”.

It added: “Older pupils are reflective about the values of their faith and consider that, while boys and girls are taught separately at the secondary school, they are offered the same opportunities and treated as equals.”

However, a Department for Education spokesman said: “We are clear that gender segregation of this type has no place in our schools and that boys and girls must be allowed to communicate.

“The Secretary of State has asked Ofsted to urgently investigate this incident.

“If the school has breached its duties under the Equality Act or the Independent School Standards we will not hesitate to take immediate action.”

Al-Khair said it planned to report the Sunday Times to press regulator Ipso over the January 24 article, which it labelled “utterly misleading and inaccurate”.

It added: “The paper was clearly informed that the action was not for 'innocent communication' as alleged but for a considerably more serious and sensitive matter which caused considerable distress to another pupil.

"Furthermore, the paper ignored offers to meet to get the full facts before publishing.

"It is regretful that the Sunday Times chose to publish a deliberately simplistic and misleading article."

A spokesman for Ofsted said: “All independent schools are now expected to teach fundamental British values and make sure they are preparing their pupils for life in modern Britain.”

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