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Collective worship laws are outdated relics of a society unrecognisable from the diverse and pluralistic Britain of today, where citizens hold a wide variety of religious beliefs, and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
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Latest updates
Religion continues to cause disruption in 'Trojan Horse' schools
Posted: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:06
A school placed in special measures following the Birmingham 'Trojan Horse' affair has received 100 letters from parents requesting that their children be withdrawn from collective worship, it has emerged.
The revelation came in a report from Ofsted following a special measures monitoring inspection of Oldknow Academy – one of the schools involved in the 'Trojan Horse' scandal.
Nothing in the report suggests why the requests have been made, and the school itself has not revealed why. However, according to the report "plans have been started to ensure that assemblies and personal, social and health education (PSHE) create opportunities to foster an appreciation of, and respect for, different faiths and cultures". It is believed that some parents are opposed to these new measures.
Two weeks ago, police had to be called to another school, after a head teacher was confronted by a group of parents who objected to elements of the PSHE syllabus.
Prior to the Trojan Horse investigations, Oldknow Academy held two Islamic faith assemblies each week and optional Friday prayers. Birmingham City Mission had been delivering Christian Acts of Collective Worship at Oldknow, once a term, but these were cancelled, as was the academy's Christmas special assembly.
It has also emerged that a visit to Saudi Arabia had recently taken place for pupils and staff, despite a similar trip last year receiving criticism from inspectors due to failures in safeguarding. Trustees were not aware of the trip and had reportedly been misled by senior leaders at the school that the visit had been cancelled.
The inspection report, which has been sent to the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan, says it is difficult to indicate ways in which the academy had changed for the better since the previous inspection.
Ofsted inspections of a further four schools placed into special measures following concerns about a hard-line Islamist takeover found little improvement.
According to its Monitoring Inspection Report under Section 8 Education Act 2005, Park View School has done little to "discourage segregation and to encourage boys and girls to sit together in lessons and share opinions and ideas".
At Saltley School, it was claimed that some staff "segregate themselves into groups based on their religious beliefs" and this has not yet been addressed by senior teachers.
At Golden Hillock School, religious education GCSE students have to "teach themselves for options other than Islam", putting them at a "significant disadvantage". There was an example of a supply teacher conducting an RE lesson that was "not part of the school's religious education curriculum", with senior leaders of the opinion that "aspects of the lesson appeared to promote an inappropriate Islamist ideology".
In a letter to the Education Secretary, Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said "too much poor practice remained unchallenged during the summer term".
A spokesperson at the DfE said the Ofsted reports were "a snapshot" and that it expected "rapid and effective" change from the new leadership teams.
Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, commented: "Pupils are now paying the price of successive governments promoting the idea that schools are legitimate places to seek to instil particular religious beliefs in children and young people.
"Untangling religion from schools is not going to be easy, but it is necessary if we are to ensure that our publicly funded schools provide a broad and balanced education in an environment that is inclusive and equally welcoming for all pupils."
Lib Dems back proposals to end compulsory worship and faith school discrimination against teachers
Posted: Tue, 7 Oct 2014 11:58
Liberal Democrats have voted in support of a motion to abolish compulsory worship in schools and to end religious discrimination against teachers in faith schools. Conference delegates however rejected an amendment to ban faith schools from selecting children on the basis of faith.
The votes took place in the conference debate on Expanding Opportunity, Unlocking Potential – the party's main equality policy paper. National Secular Society honorary associates Julian Huppert MP and Dr Evan Harris spoke in support of the amendments.
The proposal to ban faith-based pupil selection was defeated after Business Secretary Vince Cable and Justice Minister Simon Hughes urged delegates to reject the amendment saying it risked "really serious harm".
Julian Huppert, himself a former governor of a faith school, sought to correct the 'misconception' that the amendment was about 'closing down' faith schools.
He cited 73% of the public supporting an end to faith based school admissions and criticised discrimination against non-religious parents and those who do not share, or are unwilling to fake, the faith ethos of their local school.
He told the Conference that it was "right to question things which bias one group over another".
"We wouldn't allow them to discriminate based on sexuality, ethnicity or anything else. So why have a special rule for religious education", said Huppert.
Delegates however voted in support of repealing the legal requirement on schools to hold acts of collective worship of a broadly Christian character.
Julian Huppert said: "We don't require anybody else necessarily to partake in religious activity. Why should we require children to do so?"
Lib Dems also backed a motion to remove opt-outs from employment and equalities legislation which allow faith schools to discriminate against teachers on the basis of their religious beliefs or practice.
The Conference also approved a motion to accelerate the recognition of caste as an aspect of race under the Equality Act. The Government agreed to make discrimination on grounds of caste unlawful in 2103, but the law has not yet come into force.
A motion to change to the job title and role of the Minister for Faith and Communities was also backed. Under the proposals, a new Minister for Faith, Belief and Communities, with responsibility for working with community leaders to promote religious tolerance, would be attached to the Cabinet Office.
