Teenager Lydia Playfoot, 16 is fighting for the right to wear a religious symbol at school has accused teachers of discriminating against her Christian faith. Lydia has been banned from wearing a so-called chastity ring engraved with a biblical verse because her school says it breaks the uniform policy.

The High Court hearing the case was told that the Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, stopped her and several other Christian girls from wearing the rings on the basis that the school uniform code did not allow the wearing of jewellery.

But Muslim and Sikh students had been allowed to wear headscarfs and religious bracelets, as part of their faith.

Lydia said in a written statement that, although proud to be a pupil at the non-denominational school, "it does not afford equal rights to Christians".

Millais school headteacher Leon Nettley said in reply there had been no discrimination - the ring was "not a Christian symbol, and is not required to be worn by any branch within Christianity".

A Muslim girl had been permitted to wear a headscarf "as it was understood this was considered to be a requirement of her faith" and the school believed to do otherwise would unlawfully breach her human rights.

Two Sikh girls had been allowed to wear a Kara bangle on a similar basis.

In the case of the purity ring, the school concluded it was "just one of several methods of publicising a specific view within the Christian faith".

But human rights barrister Paul Diamond, appearing for Lydia, accused the school authorities of relying on "folklore" information about religious requirements and had acted with no real knowledge.

He argued the school governors were violating Lydia's right to "freedom of thought, conscience and religion" under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ahead of the court case, Lydia said the purity ring was not a fad.

She said: "It says that I'm not going to have sex until I'm married and I'm going to stay sexually pure until I'm married.

"In the Bible it says you should remain sexually pure and I think this is a way I want to express my faith."