Sarika Singh has been excluded from school since November

It has not yet been decided when the case of Sarika Singh, 14, who was excluded from an Aberdare school for wearing the Sikh bangle, will be heard.

The chair of governors at Aberdare Girls' School would not say where funds to fight the case were coming from.

It is claimed the school breached race relations and human rights laws.

Sarika has not attended the school, which is in Rhondda Cynon Taf, since being told she cannot wear her bracelet, known as a Kara, in November.

It was decided on Wednesday the case could be heard in the High Court in London.

An interim hearing will be held in the next two weeks to decide whether Sarika, the only Sikh at her school, can return to the classroom while the case is continuing.

The council is not providing any support or financial assistance with regard to this matter for as long as the current situation prevails Rhondda Cynon Taf spokesman

Rhondda Cynon Taf council told the school's governors earlier this month it would no longer give them any more support or financial assistance and confirmed this was continuing for the court case.

A spokesman for the council said: "The current court case essentially involves the school and the family.

"The council is not providing any support or financial assistance with regard to this matter for as long as the current situation prevails.

"Matters of funding are therefore the responsibility of those involved in the legal proceedings and any queries should therefore be directly addressed to them."

Chair of the school's governors Ian Blake said they would not continue to fight the case if they did not have the funding.

"This case is going ahead. There is funding available," he said.

"Contingency plans for this were made before Christmas. The school has been managing."

Aberdare Girls' School only allows ear studs and a wrist-watch

Mr Blake added the issues had been discussed in a governors meeting.

Human rights group Liberty claims the school is violating the Race Relations Act 1976, the Equality Act 2006 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

It wants Sarika to be allowed to attend normal lessons at the school while wearing the Kara, and for the school to amend its uniform policy to comply with the Race Relations Act.

The governors rejected the girl's request to wear the bangle in November after a "significant period of research" examining the uniform policy and human rights legislation in detail.

New guidelines published by the Welsh Assembly Government last week said school governors should take in religious views and consider whether their uniform policy interferes with the right to manifest a religion or belief.