The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has developed new resources to support schools in ensuring their policies on hair and hairstyles are inclusive and not unlawfully discriminatory.

What is the EHRC?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the UK’s national equality body. It is an independent statutory body with the responsibility to encourage equality and diversity, eliminate unlawful discrimination, and protect and promote the human rights of everyone in Britain.

It uses a range of powers to achieve this, including publishing guidance, reviewing the effectiveness of the law and taking legal enforcement action to clarify the law and address significant breaches of rights.
 

Preventing hair discrimination in schools

The EHRC has developed new resources to support schools in ensuring their policies on hair and hairstyles are inclusive and not unlawfully discriminatory.

These resources include the following:

• Guidance on how to stop hair discrimination, with practical examples for schools outlining whether a policy may be discriminatory, based on real-life experiences.
• A decision-making tool to help leaders draft and review their policies
• A video to raise awareness of indirect race discrimination in schools and what should be done to prevent it.