UPDATED: 23/01/2026
London, UK — INSIGHT UK has raised serious concerns over the treatment of Hindu pupils at Vicar’s Green Primary School, London, citing religious discrimination that ultimately resulted in at least 4 children leaving the school.
INSIGHT UK CAMPAIGN:: Concerns about religious discrimination and safeguarding violations at Vicar’s Green Primary School – Write to the Authorities
INSIGHT UK understands the latest case involves an eight-year-old pupil who was challenged by school staff over wearing a Tilak-Chandlo, a sacred Hindu religious symbol worn on the forehead. INSIGHT UK states that the handling of the matter caused significant distress to the child and his family, leaving the parents with no option but to move him to another school.
“The Tilak-Chandlo is not a cosmetic or cultural accessory — it is an integral religious observance for many Hindus” said an INSIGHT UK spokesperson. “Preventing a child from practising their faith, or making them feel ashamed or intimidated for doing so, is wholly unacceptable in a modern, multicultural Britain.”
Sacred Religious Practice Mischaracterised
INSIGHT UK expressed deep concern that the Tilak-Chandlo was reportedly referred to as a “skin mark” or “skin marking” by the school — language the organisation described as deeply offensive, dismissive and culturally insensitive.
“For over one billion Hindus worldwide, sacred markings such as the Tilak-Chandlo, Bindi, Tikka, Tripundra etc. are integral expressions of faith,” the spokesperson added. “To trivialise or mislabel such practices in an educational setting reflects a troubling lack of religious literacy.”
Distressing Treatment of a Child
INSIGHT UK also raised safeguarding concerns, stating that the child was reportedly asked by school staff to explain and justify his religious practice — an approach the organisation described as entirely inappropriate for a minor.
More seriously, it is alleged that the Headteacher monitored the child during break times in a manner the child found intimidating, leading him to withdraw from play and isolate himself from peers.
“No child should feel watched, singled out, or isolated because of their faith, especially not from a person of authority” INSIGHT UK said. “Such experiences can have lasting emotional impacts and raise serious safeguarding questions.”
Removal From School Roles
It was also reported that the pupil was removed from positions of responsibility within the school solely because of his religious practice, an act INSIGHT UK says constitutes direct religious discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, where religion is a protected characteristic.
School Leadership and Governors Unwilling to Understand
INSIGHT UK further states that the parents of the pupil, along with other Hindu parents, made repeated and reasonable attempts to educate and engage the Headteacher and school Governors on the religious significance of Hindu practices, including the Tilak-Chandlo. Rather than engaging constructively, INSIGHT UK felt these efforts were dismissed with unacceptable answers, with school leadership demonstrating an unwillingness to acknowledge or understand Hindu religious observance.
More concerningly, INSIGHT UK understands that the Headteacher and Governors challenged and questioned Hindu practices themselves, behaving as though they possessed greater authority or understanding of the faith than practising Hindus and parents. This approach not only displayed a lack of cultural and religious sensitivity, but also reflected a dismissive attitude towards lived religious experience and parental testimony.
“This was not a good-faith dialogue — it was an imbalance of power, where Hindu religious practices were minimised and ultimately rejected”, said an INSIGHT UK spokesperson.
INSIGHT UK says this refusal to engage meaningfully with Hindu parents significantly contributed to the breakdown of trust and left the family with no confidence that their child’s religious rights or wellbeing would be respected at the school.
Double Standards in Religious Accommodation
INSIGHT UK says the case also exposes a clear and troubling double standard in how religious expression is accommodated at Vicar’s Green Primary School.
The school permits pupils to wear items such as the hijab and turban, rightfully recognising them as legitimate expressions of religious identity, even though such items are not compulsory for all adherents within Islamic or Sikh traditions. However, when assessing Hindu religious practice, the school applied a restrictive interpretation of “non-compulsory” observance to justify prohibiting the wearing of the Tilak-Chandlo.
INSIGHT UK stresses that this approach is fundamentally inconsistent. “A school cannot selectively decide which faith expressions deserve accommodation and which do not,” said a spokesperson. “Applying subjective tests of religious necessity to Hindu practices, while extending accommodation to others, amounts to unequal treatment.”
The Tilak-Chandlo is a sacred and, in many Hindu traditions, mandatory religious observance, including within the Swaminarayan faith. Using a ‘non-compulsory’ standard to restrict Hindu practice — while not applying the same reasoning elsewhere — raises serious concerns about fairness, neutrality, and compliance with equality law.
INSIGHT UK has called on the school and authorities to explain how such inconsistent standards align with its legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, warning that selective accommodation of religion risks marginalising Hindu pupils and undermining trust in public education.
Legal and Human Rights Concerns
INSIGHT UK states that the reported actions may breach:
- The Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination by schools on grounds of religion;
- The Public Sector Equality Duty, requiring schools to foster equality and good relations;
- Department for Education guidance, which permits religious expression in schools where there is no health or safeguarding risk;
- The Human Rights Act 1998, including the right to freedom of religion and protection from discrimination.
“There is no legal, safeguarding, or educational basis for prohibiting Hindu religious symbols worn on the forehead,” the organisation said.
Harassment and Intimidation by School Authorities
INSIGHT UK was also informed of deeply concerning reports that the child was subjected to conduct amounting to harassment and intimidation by those in positions of authority at the school — the very individuals responsible for his care, protection, and safeguarding.
According to these reports, the child was on one occasion isolated from normal school activities into a separate room, where he was questioned about his religious practices and beliefs considering the newly updated school policy.
The Headteacher then contacted the parents and asked them to attend the school to rub off the Tilak-Chandlo themselves.
INSIGHT UK further understands that the school also demanded the removal of the child’s kanthi, a sacred necklace worn by many practising Hindus, made from a thin thread and tulsi or sandalwood beads. The kanthi, like the Tilak-Chandlo, is a recognised and meaningful expression of Hindu religious identity.
These incidents caused the child significant distress and discomfort, raising serious safeguarding concerns and questions regarding unprofessional and unacceptable conduct by school authorities. Such actions, if substantiated, represent a profound failure to protect a child’s emotional wellbeing and religious dignity.
The organisation has been informed that these experiences have left the child traumatised, and that he is currently undergoing therapeutic support as a result.
Calls for Immediate Action
INSIGHT UK has formally called on Vicar’s Green Primary School and local and national authorities to:
- Cease all discriminatory restrictions on Hindu religious practices;
- Scrutinise and eliminate double-standards against Hindu practices;
- Confirm that Hindu pupils may practice and wear the Tilak-Chandlo, Bindi, Tikka and similar religious symbols just like other faiths are accommodated;
- Ensure no child is intimidated, monitored, or disadvantaged because of their faith;
- Review school policies and staff training to ensure cultural sensitivities and practices are understood in relation to the Hindu faith and are in compliance with equality and safeguarding laws.
“This case is not just about one child,” the spokesperson concluded. “It is about whether Hindu children in Britain can practise their faith without fear, exclusion, or humiliation. Equality before the law must apply to all.”
INSIGHT UK CAMPAIGN: Concerns about religious discrimination and safeguarding violations at Vicar’s Green Primary School
Write to The Department for Education, Secretary of State for Education: MP Bridget Phillipson, Minister for School Standards: MP Georgia Gould, MP for North Ealing, Mr James Murray and APPG for British Hindus
1. Go to: https://campaign.insightuk.org/concerns-about-religious-discrimination-and-safeguarding-violations-at-vicars-green-primary-school-london/
2. Fill in the form
3. Send
In the media
- Ealing News: Primary School faces Hindu discrimination claims
https://www.ealing.news/education/primary-school-faces-hindu-discrimination-claims/ - NDTV World: Hindu Student, 8, “Forced To Leave” London School Over ‘Applying Tilak’
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hindu-student-8-forced-to-leave-london-school-over-applying-tilak-10789088 - Times of India: Hindu parents remove son from London primary school in row over tilak-chandlo https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/uk-hindu-parents-remove-son-from-london-primary-school-in-row-over-tilak-chandlo/articleshow/126859619.cms
- Economic Times: Eight-year-old Hindu student forced to change London school over ‘Tilak’
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/eight-year-old-hindu-student-forced-to-change-london-school-over-tilak-chandlo/articleshow/126778563.cms - FirstPost: Hindu student forced to leave UK school over tilak. Is it a case of discrimination?
Article: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/hindu-student-forced-to-leave-uk-school-over-tilak-is-it-a-case-of-discrimination-13970546.html
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNCg-e38e2U - NewsXLive: Tilak Turns Controversial: How a Hindu Child Was Forced Out of a UK School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQK0zVc0i8
- Rediff: Hindu parents pull out wards after row over tilak at UK school
https://www.rediff.com/news/report/hindu-parents-pull-out-wards-after-row-over-tilak-at-uk-school/20260120.htm - London school accused of religious discrimination after pupil challenged over tilak https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/london-school-accused-of-religious-discrimination-after-pupil-challenged-over-tilak/article70531908.ece
