Discriminating against ethnic minority pupils’ hairstyles is now much harder

EHRC guidance is a watershed, but the problem of hair discrimination in workplaces and public spaces remains

At just 15 years old, Ruby Williams found herself at centre of a legal battle that would later prove to be a turning point for how equality laws are enforced across the UK in relation to hair texture.

As a student at the Urswick school in east London, Williams was repeatedly sent home due to her natural afro hair, which the school claimed breached its policy that afro style hair must be of reasonable size and length".