Stoke-on-Trent City Council has issued an 11-page Ramadan guide for schools to help pupils who may be fasting when the school year starts in September. It is said that swimming was acceptable to Muslims but however, it posed a high risk of swallowing water that may break a fast.
Every year, Islam requires Muslims to fast from dawn until dusk for one month. Ramadan is expected to start on or around August 11 and finish 30 days afterwards.
Some pupils get up before dawn to eat with their families because of the religious requirement for Muslims to avoid eating during sunlight hours. This is the reason why schools have been advised to re-schedule the examinations because this could disrupt their levels of concentration.
The document produced by its Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education was based on the information from the Muslim Council of Great Britain, wherein an umbrella organization that claims to represent about 500 Muslim groups in the UK.
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