SCHOOL uniform has always been a battleground between teachers and their pupils, whether it's a grumble over wearing trainers instead of school shoes, skirt hem lines hitched up to the waist or ties tied too small.

But the question of how a school uniform is worn and the message it sends out has never been as contentious an issue as it is now.

A decision taken by French MPs on Tuesday to ban the Islamic headscarf (hijab) and other overt religious symbols from state schools, has added another and more serious twist to the issue of school uniforms.

The French ban has met UK and international criticism with demonstrations in the UK by Muslim women and Sikhs demonstrating in India.

British politicians have also come out in opposition to the decision with students from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

One school where strict uniform rules have been flexible enough to accommodate a variety of faiths is Walthamstow Girls in Church Hill.

Known in the borough as the 'Green School' it has come up with an ingenious way to accommodate religious, cultural symbols and garb into the school uniform.

Each girl is given enough bottle green cloth to make her uniform specific to her cultural needs, which includes a hijab or a shalwar kameez (a tunic and trousers).

Acting deputy head teacher John McCormack, said: "As a school we value what each student brings to the school. We value their culture, values and their experiences. It is because we as a school can support their family values and it makes us a strong school in the long run.

"We do have a strong school uniform code but we are flexible within that. When our new pupils come to us they have an interview with their parents present.

"We give them some bottle green cloth, which is school colours, and tell them we are flexible on how you use this within detailed guidelines.

"All the girls are given a school diary with a code of conduct, which has the rules spelled out clearly, and we will allow them to have a small religious emblem on a chain. But we do not allow jewellery in PE lessons.

"The bottom line is if we respect our pupils' culture and their values that makes us a stronger school, as our girls can feel comfortable.

"We believe in valuing their culture and religion whereever they are from. The possible banning of head scarves in France is not an issue for this school."

Connaught School for Girls in Leytonstone said Sikh bangles and headscarves had always been a part of the school uniform, and it was not an issue.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has voiced his fears that a ban on religious symbols in French schools will spill over to the rest of Europe and encourage attacks on minority communities.

In response to the decision taken by the French authorities, Shiban Akbar, chair of the social affairs committee of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the Guardian: "We want the French Government to revoke the ban. Not allowing the public display of religious symbols is contradictory to the principles of liberalism and secularism.

"The people who have been demonstrating here are not going to stop and if there is anything we can do to help them, then we will do so."

Questions are now being asked on how this is likely to impact on UK schools.

The furore has also caught the media's attention on how different the issue of religion is within our state schools when compared with France.

Christian crosses, Jewish skull caps, Sikh turbans and the hijab have long been present in British schools, and students have been given the freedom to wear religious garb if they choose to do so.

Historically even non-religious state schools have always had hymns and daily prayers.

Icknield High School in Luton tried to ban pupils from wearing religious head wear at the school but was told by the local council it would be breaching the Race Relations Act.

Cabinet member for life long learning Cllr Chris Robbins told the Guardian he had never known a parent or school to raise the issue of religious clothing with him.

He said: "There has never been a problem in this country with what is being called religious symbols in schools.

"I don't believe the decision taken by the French is going to have any effect in this country, and I am not aware of any problems in our schools here.

"We as an authority stand by the idea that a person's religion is their own affair and would not try and stop any public display of that.

"The key issue is that we have a very different cultural background to that in France. We would want to ensure that pupils can choose their own religious direction as long as its not done in an intimidating way.

"Religious symbols are completely compatible with our state education system. No parent or school in the borough has ever raised the issue with me. People are quite content with the way things are."

Arguably Britain is known throughout the world for its religious diversity, and to some extent for its ability to embrace that diversity into its wider culture an idea backed up by most schools in the country.