As a proposed ban on Muslim headscarves in schools provokes outrage in France, education professionals say Britain's tradition of religious tolerance is based on "radically different" values which can't simply be transferred to the other side of the English Channel.
French President Jacques Chirac let it be known in December that France would move towards a ban on "conspicuous religious insignia" - a category that runs the gamet from Muslim headscarves to large Christian crucifixes - from state classrooms.
But in Britain, where multiculturalism is officially embraced, such symbols of a student's religious heritage are not taboo, and diversity is encouraged.
"It's a French issue because the church and the state are separated quite distinctly," said Paul Harwood, head teacher (principal) at Bishopford Community School in Morden, south London.
Therefore, the wearing of a Muslim headscarf - or a crucifix, or a Jewish kippa, or a Sikh turban - "is seen as a demonstration of religion," said Harwood, who's been discussing the issue with French colleagues as part of a cross-Channel educational exchange programme.
"We don't necessarily separate religion because we think it's part of people's culture," he told AFP in London this week. "If it's important for them, it should be valued."
The Education Act, in effect since 1944, obliges schools in England and Wales - Scotland runs its own education system - to provide religious teaching and Christian prayer.
But in recent years, such classes have often been replaced with more general teaching of the traditions of different faiths, reflecting the post-war influx of immigrants from across the British Empire.
Another difference is that, while the French constitution draws a clear line between church and state, there's no such distinction in Britain.
Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II is both head of state and head of the Church of England - although it's the prime minister and the archbishop of Canterbury who wield real authority over politics and the Anglican faith.
"The British have a radically different idea of secularism; it's a concept that doesn't have any real meaning in the United Kingdom," said Philippe Fatras, a school inspector from the well-heeled Paris suburb of Versailles.
"Our system is founded on the Enlightenment philosophy of an integrating nation," Fatras said. "To belong to the nation, you have to stick to its values."
In Britain, different cultures "can live very comfortably in their own little world, their own sphere, side by side, without bothering each other," he said.
"There is not a great deal to be transferred, because central to our history is the republican principle of schooling," Fatras said.
"It seems that this big issue (of headscarves) takes the place of any discussion about developing culture understanding, and that's a very complex area," said Peter Walker, head-teacher of Park View Academy, a comprehensive high school in north London.
He recalled a similar debate taking place in Britain more than 20 years ago - a debate that was ultimately resolved by what Walker called a "celebration" of cultural differences.
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