We want to see laws requiring schools to hold acts of worship abolished.
The laws are archaic, unnecessary and breach children's freedom of religion or belief.
The United Kingdom is the only Western democracy which legally imposes worship in publicly funded schools.
The law in England and Wales provides that children at all maintained schools "shall on each school day take part in an act of collective worship". Northern Ireland and Scotland have similar laws.
Even in schools with no religious designation, the worship must be "wholly or mainly of a Christian character".
School assemblies are an important feature of school life. They foster a sense of community in schools and promote the moral and social development of pupils. But acts of worship are neither necessary nor desirable to achieve these educational goals.
Polling has found 70% of senior teachers "disagree" or "strongly disagree" with the law mandating worship, and 66% of teachers say their school does not even hold collective worship.
The majority of the public (52%) say school assemblies should be about moral issues, whereas just 26% agree that they should feature religious worship.
Many schools ignore the law, but where it is enforced it causes division and discrimination, as well as opening the door to evangelism and proselytising.
Parents have the right to withdraw children from collective worship, but many this is an unreasonable imposition on both themselves and their children. Parents should never have to withdraw their children from any part of the school day to ensure their rights to raise their child according to their own religious or philosophical convictions are respected.
Collective worship laws are outdated relics of a society unrecognisable from the diverse and pluralistic Britain of today, where citizens hold a wide variety of religious beliefs, and increasingly, no religious beliefs. The abolition of collective worship is long overdue.
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1. Write to your MP
Ask them to help end compulsory worship in schools
2. Share your story
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Latest updates
NSS welcomes bill to end compulsory worship in non-faith schools
Posted: Mon, 23 Dec 2019 11:35
The National Secular Society has welcomed a bill that proposes to scrap compulsory religious worship in non-faith schools in England and replace it with inclusive assemblies.
The Education (Assemblies) Bill 2020, which has been proposed by Liberal Democrat peer Lorely Burt, would amend the current legal requirement to hold acts of worship.
Under the bill:
- Schools would not be required to organise compulsory acts of religious observance, but pupils would be permitted to opt in to voluntary acts of worship if they wish.
- Schools which are not religious in character would be required to provide assemblies that develop the "spiritual, moral, social and cultural education" of pupils regardless of religion or belief.
Schools in England and Wales are currently legally required to hold acts of collective worship, and to require children to participate, under the 1944 Education Act.
Many schools ignore the law with the tacit approval of the Department for Education and Ofsted inspectors.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said the measures proposed in the new bill would represent "a welcome step".
"Ending the requirement to hold acts of worship in non-faith schools would strike a blow for children's rights and common sense. There is no good reason why schools which have no religious character are legally required to impose religious practice on children.
"Ultimately no child, whether in a faith school or not, should be compelled to worship in school. The current law requiring schools to hold acts of worship is out of step with contemporary society and incompatible with a genuine respect for human rights. It should be repealed."
The NSS campaigns to end the collective worship law; advocates inclusive, secular assemblies for all; and argues that worship should not form part of the official school day.
The bill comes shortly after two parents, Lee and Lizanne Harris, secured a commitment to provide an inclusive alternative assembly at their children's school after threatening legal action.
The bill has been proposed with support from Humanists UK. It was entered into the ballot of bills to be heard in the House of Lords in the new parliament on Friday.
It is due to be introduced to the Lords on Thursday 23 January.
Other legislation being brought forward in the Lords in this parliamentary session includes a bill to remove the Church of England bishops' automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Removal of Bishops) Bill has been drafted with NSS assistance.
Listen: NSS podcast episode 20, with Lee and Lizanne Harris.
NSS to address legacy of 1944 Education Act in lecture
Posted: Thu, 12 Dec 2019 14:37
The National Secular Society is to consider the impact of the 1944 Education Act, which brought hundreds of faith schools into the state sector, in a lecture in February.
Dr Keith Sharpe, the chair of the NSS's Secular Education Forum, will deliver The 1944 Education Act and its legacy at Conway Hall in London on Monday 10 February 2020.
The act, which continues to influence the structure of education in England and Wales, introduced free primary and secondary education for all for the first time and required daily worship in schools.
It also created a system where faith schools – some voluntary aided, where religious groups tend to have most influence in management, and some voluntary controlled – were distinguished from community schools.
The act is also commonly known as the Butler Act after the MP Richard Austen Butler, who was the driving force behind it.
Explaining his plans for the lecture, Keith Sharpe said:
"The 1944 Education Act was in its time an extraordinary political achievement, creating a post-war consensual framework for a more equitable system of schooling. But it and subsequent acts of parliament also embedded religious control over schools, with an impact on the education system in England and Wales that endures today.
"This event will explain how that came to be and make the case for reconsidering religious groups' privileged position in the education system, so it's fit for the demands of the third decade of the 21st century."
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "The Butler Act has had a remarkable influence on education in England and Wales. Some of this has indisputably been for the better, but it also means religious groups continue to enjoy a privileged influence in our schools.
"The legacy of the act and the need for change require careful consideration and we very much look forward to Dr Sharpe's lecture."
The event starts at 7pm, with registration opening at 6:30. It is free to attend but the NSS recommends booking in advance.
