A YOUNG Sikh has been removed from a Finchley school after he was banned from wearing a religious dagger.

The 14-year-old was told not to carry the 13cm kirpan blade at the Compton School, in Summers Lane, after governors ruled it was a health and safety risk.

They suggested the boy should wear a 5cm version of the knife welded shut, but this was rejected by the family on the grounds it would not be a genuine kirpan.

The governors are holding a place open for the student, but the boy is believed to have accepted a place at a private school after spending four weeks at home.

His parents have taken out a loan to pay for the £6,000-a-year school fees.

The boy's elder brother, Ravjeet, said: "We knew that no school in Barnet would take my brother as they would be bound by the same legal advice given by the council's lawyers.

"We looked at schools in other boroughs, even though it meant my brother would have to travel an hour each way to school or live away from home.

"Even that was a challenge as schools had a waiting list and it was too late to join school in the 10th year, as most schools took new admissions at Year 7."

Bhupinder, his father, added: "We were hopeful that a Sikh faith school in Hayes, the Guru Nanak Sikh School, would accommodate my son.

"However, they too turned us away saying they have a long waiting list."

A statement released by the board of governors said: “The school’s governing body has spent the past two years trying to reach an agreement with the family and to establish the appropriate nature of a religious artefact that can safely be brought into school.

“During this period of time, along with the local authority, we have examined potential compromises after looking at how this issue has been dealt with in other schools, education authorities and elsewhere within the Sikh community and taken legal advice."

Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs legal director, condemned the decision. She said: "The Compton School's decision is a blow to religious freedom in Barnet schools, whilst schools throughout the UK have accommodated Sikh students who wear a Kirpan.

"The school should recognise that the Kirpan poses no greater risk to other students than scissors, cutters or cutlery that exist in greater numbers in schools and are regularly handled by students."

The Department of Children, Schools and Families said it was up to individual schools to decide their policy on religious dress.

In a letter to the family, Diana Johnson, parliamentary under-secretary of state for schools, wrote: "We expect disputes. to be resolved locally. The department does not usually intervene.

"If challenged, it would ultimately be for the courts to decide if the school is justified in restricting the wearing of the Kirpan in this case."

Under Sikhism the kirpan is one of five "articles of faith" that must be carried at all times.

The practice of carrying the sheathed scimitar can be traced back to the lifetime of the 16th Century Sikh prophet Guru Hargobind, who regularly carried two swords as a symbol of a Sikh's spiritual as well as temporal obligations.