YOUNG PUPILS FACE ‘MORAL CRISIS’

Lydia Playfoot said young girls face a “moral and ethical crisis”.

In a written statement put before Deputy Judge Michael Supperstone QC, Lydia, whose case is being backed by the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, said some at her school had become pregnant and had babies.

She also said that, although she was proud to be a pupil at the school, “the girls know that the school does not afford equal rights to Christians; that is the message given by the school”.

Her head of year initially supported her wearing her ring - “especially as a girl in 2004 gave birth to a baby”.

“Since 2004 other girls have become pregnant and had babies”.

Lydia said: “Many teachers are aware of the ethical and moral crisis among young people who are not given any direction.

“Sexual problems among the girls are not uncommon.”

She said: “We are involved with SRT (Silver Ring Thing) as a movement to promote and educate young people on the issues of sexual purity”.

Her school’s uniform policy was “loosely adhered to with multiple derogations”.

Other pupils at her school were permitted to wear other symbols, both religious - non-Christian - and secular.

She said: “Students have been allowed to wear nose rings, ear rings, tongue studs, badges and have dyed hair.

“The uniform policy is not consistently enforced or applied and the wearing of the SRT purity ring does not derogate any further from any stated objective of the school.”

The fact that other local schools permitted the wearing of a ring illustrated the fact that “such non-intrusive manifestation of religious faith is consistent with accommodation within a uniform policy”.

She argued that prohibiting the rings on health and safety grounds was unsustainable as watches and headscarves would then also have to be prohibited.

“The real reason for the extreme hostility to the wearing of the SRT purity ring is the dislike of the message of sexual restraint which is ‘counter cultural’ and contrary to societal and governmental policy.

“It is this message from the Judeo-Christian position that is suppressed: exemptions are allowed or permitted for other messages.”

Most of the girls at the school did not see the ring as a piece of jewellery, and girls wanting to manifest their faith, either through wearing a headscarf or purity ring, were not bullied in any way but respected for their position by other girls.

She described her school as “a very good school”, but it “doesn’t offer equal rights to Christians”.

Initially most school staff did not think wearing the purity ring breached the jewellery policy and she was supported by school staff and the ring was called “a good idea”.

“The only reason this dispute has escalated is that the school refused to give respect to aspects of the Christian faith they are not familiar with, although they are equally unfamiliar with other faiths”.

She said: “I am pleased to attend the Millais school. There is no reason for me to attend another school for wearing an unobtrusive ring, especially in the light of the non-enforced uniform policy.”

All her friends and contacts were at the school and it was wholly unreasonable to expect her to move school, she said.