Teaching staff claim women are being told to sign new contracts stipulating they must wear the Islamic scarf during lessons.Female teachers at a Muslim school are allegedly being made to wear a hijab - even if they do not practise the religion.
Teaching staff claim women are being told to sign new contracts stipulating they must wear the Islamic scarf during lessons.
Several employees at the Al-Madinah School in Derby have complained to their union about the rules.
Some non-Asian staff have been spotted taking off their hijabs as soon as they were out of sight of the school during the lunch hour.
The row over the headwear is one of several complaints made by staff to their unions about the school.
Al-Madinah, which does not recognise unions, is under investigation by the Education Funding Agency for alleged irregularities over its grants.
Nick Raine, regional NUT officer, said he was "very worried" about the school and the education of the 200 children there.
He said: "It's one thing to have a dress code which we can challenge and quite another to build it into a contract."
The new contracts for staff also include rules about not taking non-halal food into the school and not being allowed to wear jewellery.
The hijab covers the head and chest and is worn by a Muslim female beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males.
NUT officials also claim girls are being forced to sit at the back of classes - which is affecting their education.
Branch secretary Sue Arguile said: "There are worries over practices concerning the discrimination between male and female pupils in the school.
"The girls are being told to sit at the back of the class regardless of whether they can see the board properly."
When the school opened in 2002 it said the timetable would be flexible, with pupils able to learn about all faiths.
Ms Arguile said: "This school was first launched as based on Muslim principles and not as a Muslim school."
Al-Madinah is a new type of free school, which the Government is allowing groups of parents, or interested parties, to set up.
These operate in much the same way as private schools, outside local authority control but qualifying for Government funding.
Ms Arguile added: "If the school is not sticking to the original reasons behind why it was set up, then it does call into question whether public money is being used properly and for its intended purpose."
A Department for Education spokesman would not comment on what stage the investigation had reached.
He said: "We are investigating the allegations and will respond in due course."
The school refused to comment.
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