An East Finchley school was in the dock this week about allegations of racial discrimination.

Two former pupils are suing Bishop Douglass Roman Catholic High School's board of governors, alleging that the former headteacher and head of sixth-form had racially discriminated against the black teenagers when deciding to permanently exclude the pair in 2002.

Rinehart Appiah and Frank Wabwire were 17 and business studies students when they were thrown out of the school, in Hamilton Road, following a fight in the sixth-form common room.

Mr Appiah, a freelance graphic designer, of Westbere Road, West Hampstead, and Mr Wabwire, a shop worker, of Tythe Road, Luton, are claiming that John Meadows, their former headteacher, and Steve Wilkins, then head of the sixth form, did not follow school guidelines in dealing with their case, and generally dealt out harsher punishments to black students.

Judge Crawford-Lindsay QC, sitting at the Central London County Court, heard Althea Brown, prosecuting, also allege that concerns regarding the decision were not investigated and that the pupils were treated differently to their white peers, as the white students involved in the fight, John Benitez and Adam Dacont, were only excluded for several days.

It is also alleged that black students were not allowed to have patterned haircuts, or cornrow' braids, while an Irish student was allowed to dye his hair green for St Patrick's Day.

Other incidents cited in court by the prosecution counsel included that of Mr Wilkins referring to a group of students being noisy as animals', to which he denied allegations that he was racist.

It was also claimed that in 1997 or 1998, white pupils were caught smoking cannabis, one of whom was Mr Meadows' son. In this incident, none of the boys was punished, as the school said it was close to exam times and that their parents had pleaded on their behalf.

"This is a school that uses exclusion to a very great extent," argued Ms Brown. "The claimants say that there has been disproportionate use of exclusions against black pupils."

Contrary to guidelines, a letter sent to Mr Appiah's father, William, on March 6, 2002, neither stated that he was being formally excluded, nor that the Appiahs could appeal against this decision. The appeal was eventually held on May 9, but the governors did not reinstate the students.

Mr Wilkins admitted that he had not checked the guidelines because he was preoccupied with investigating the fight.

Andrew Warnock, defending the governors, claimed that Mr Wabwire and Mr Appiah were involved in the fight, and Mr Appiah had thrown a chair at his classmate, Mr Benitez, something Mr Appiah denies. The governors say the chair hit Mr Benitez on the head and resulted in him requiring hospital treatment.

"My primary concern was to see what had happened in the fight," he said. "I took the view that John had been hurt.

"All actions seemed to suggest that John had taken a leading role in something that wasn't really his argument.

"I felt there was sufficient evidence to suggest that Rinehart had thrown the chair."

The two pupils were not allowed back into the school after the exclusion, and completed their business studies GNVQ via post. They claim the exclusions affected their subsequent grades and that, had they stayed on, they could have taken an advanced course.

The case continues.