Schools must be able to ban Muslim girls from wearing face veils during lessons, the head of Ofsted has said.

Inspectors have found that the coverings are sometimes causing communication problems in classrooms, according to education watchdog's head, Sir Michael Wilshaw.

Asked if he would back banning veils in schools, Ofsted head Sir Michael told BBC 2's Newsnight:

Sir Michael said he backed individual schools choosing to stop Muslim girls wearing the veil, and that it "on occasions" causes problems with communication;

The Prime Minister has ruled out the idea of imposing a French-style ban on full-face veils in public as part of a drive to build community integration and counter extremism.

''In our country people should be free to wear what they like,'' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday.

But Mr Cameron insisted he would support institutions that needed to "see someone's face".

He said: