Girls as young as six have been pictured wearing hijabs at a primary school.
Children at Ribble Drive primary school in Bury, Greater Manchester, wore the Islamic dress after a religious education lesson around two weeks ago.
Pictures of 14 children, some of whom also wore the abaya, a loose-fitting modesty garment, were posted to the school's internal system as part of a collage.
The collection of photos also featured the cover of the children's book The Proudest Blue, about a girl who learns to wear her hijab with pride at her school.
Dr Shadman Zaman, a Bury councillor, told the Daily Mail he was 'shocked' to hear of the claim that the children had been encouraged to wear the religious clothing.
He said six parents and guardians had shared their concerns with him after the incident, some of whom feared they would be 'targeted' if they spoke out publicly.
But headteacher Melanie Kobak told the Daily Mail the school would 'categorically refute' any suggestion children were made to wear the hijab, and that some pupils had asked to try it on and so were allowed to do so.
She also condemned the sharing of images of any of the pupils outside of the school's secure messaging system.
At least 14 children at Ribble Drive primary school, who are believed to be around six years old, wore a hijab following a religious education lesson
The school claimed the girls were not forced to wear the Islamic clothing and said only those who had asked to try it on had done so
Her statement came after Dr Zaman complained directly to the school on October 16 after being made aware of the exercise.
He asked the school 'to reflect more widely on whether asking young children to wear religious dress is appropriate at all'.
And he added: 'This is not a neutral or uncontroversial activity.'
One child's guardian said: 'I am disgusted and fed up of being looked on as racist because I, as her guardian, object to the hijab.'
Referencing what they claimed was a previous similar incident, they added: 'I explicitly said last term when they dressed up in Islamic dress to not do this... as I find it offensive.'
They said for six-year-olds, wearing the clothes was thought of as 'playing dress up' rather than being associated with religious connotations and argued such young children were unable to consent to it.
Dr Zaman also claimed parents had raised similar concerns in a previous school term but that the hijab exercise had nonetheless gone ahead.
In response, the school's business manager told the councillor: 'The headteacher has asked me to reply to say she will not be responding to this email.'
Though the headteacher offered to meet Dr Zaman in person, a meeting date could not be found and Mrs Kobak wrote that she was 'concerned' to hear the school had disregarded parents' and guardians' wishes.
She added one parent expressed their 'unhappiness' to the class's teacher and that this was 'an informal conversation after the activity had taken place'.
'I am not aware of multiple parents raising objections, as suggested in your email, and would therefore be grateful if assumptions were not made about the school's actions without the full facts being established,' she wrote.
And she said the school had a 'clear complaints policy' for parents to use, adding that matters involving individual pupils, parental requests and classroom practice needed to be 'handled appropriately and with due regard to confidentiality'.
Mrs Kobak said: 'Teaching children about religious traditions and practices should not be confused with promoting or requiring adherence to a particular faith.'
And she acknowledged that parents had the right to withdraw their children from religious education, though added no such requests had been received.
After Dr Zaman said he was 'deeply concerned' by the tone of Mrs Kobak's response and challenged some of her points, she responded saying local authority officers would take up the matter.
Bury Council's director of education and skills, Ben Dunne, then wrote to Dr Zaman saying 'no children' at the school 'were asked or instructed to wear any kind of religious dress during an RE lesson'.
Mr Dunne added: 'The class teacher brought a hijab into school to show the children as part of their learning.
'Practical and hands on learning is considered good practice in all schools and with children and young people of all ages, all the more so for early years foundation stage and key stage one children.'
Dr Shadman Zaman, a Reform UK councillor in Bury, Greater Manchester, said he was 'shocked' to find out that the girls had worn the dress. Pictured with party leader Nigel Farage
He added: 'Whilst the teacher was showing the children the hijab and explaining in an age-appropriate way why a Muslim may choose to wear a hijab, a child asked if they could try it on.
'The teacher then allowed that child to try on the hijab, following their request. Other children then followed, and a small number of children tried on the same hijab.
'No child was asked or instructed to do the same, and no child wore the hijab who did not request to do so.'
Asked about consent procedures in place for photographing children, Mr Dunne said the school used a 'secure platform' also purchased by other schools.
But he said it was 'of concern' that the photograph featuring the children wearing the hijab had been shared outside of the school's own platform.
Mr Dunne further added schools were not obliged to share the content of religious education lessons with parents in advance, though teachers may choose to do so if they thought it appropriate.
Dr Zaman, who was born in Bangladesh, said he was the 'proud son of a Muslim mother' who 'prays five times a day, has always stood up for women's rights' but who he had 'never once seen' wearing a hijab or an abaya.
He added: 'Large numbers of Muslim women around the world face domestic abuse and state-directed violence because they refuse to wear the hijab or abaya, because they want to be free.'
And he said: 'Let me be clear about one thing. Learning about Islam, religious textbooks or any faith in a multicultural society is a good thing.'
But he added: 'I can tell you that for many women the hijab is a symbol of oppression, not choice.'
Headteacher Mrs Kobak told the Daily Mail: 'We categorically refute the suggestion that any child was "forced" to wear a hijab.
'This allegation is completely untrue and is particularly upsetting for our hardworking staff, who dedicate themselves to providing a caring, inclusive and respectful education for every child.
'This was an entirely normal Key Stage One Religious Education lesson, delivered in accordance with Bury's Agreed Syllabus.
'Children were learning about Islam, including the fact that some Muslim women wear a hijab and others do not.
'During the lesson, children – boys and girls – were allowed to try on a hijab if they asked to do so. Almost half the class did not ask to try it on.
'There was absolutely no pressure, instruction or expectation for any child to participate.
'As educators, we want children to be curious, ask questions and develop an understanding and respect for people whose beliefs and traditions may differ from their own.
'Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs is a fundamental British value and something that all schools are expected to actively promote.
'Teaching children about different religions and cultures is not about encouraging them to adopt those beliefs, but about helping them grow into respectful, understanding and accepting members of society. These are values we should be celebrating, not condemning.
'Photographs were taken to celebrate the children's learning and shared through ClassDojo, our restricted school communication platform.
'We are deeply concerned and disappointed that an image was subsequently taken from this private platform and circulated publicly, potentially compromising the privacy of young children whose families had trusted us to protect their images.
'It is also important to make clear that Councillor Zaman's concerns were not ignored.
'I responded directly to him on 16 October, and Bury Local Authority subsequently conducted its own enquiries, including consultation with Religious Education specialists.
'In its detailed written response of 23 October, the Local Authority confirmed that no child had been instructed to wear religious clothing and that our RE curriculum complied with the relevant requirements.'
The Daily Mail contacted Bury Council for comment.
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