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Collective worship laws are outdated relics of a society unrecognisable from the diverse and pluralistic Britain of today, where citizens hold a wide variety of religious beliefs, and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.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Ask them to help end compulsory worship in schools
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
American Christian group demand right to deliver “inspirational messages” in school assemblies
Posted: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 16:33
A group promoting fundamentalist Christian values in the United States is demanding the right to deliver "inspirational messages" during public school assemblies.
The American Family Association (AFA) in Kentucky are petitioning governors to enact legislation that permits children to pray in school assemblies and other formal school events.
School prayers have been prohibited in the United States since 1962 when the Supreme Court ruled (in Engel v. Vitale) that government officials had no business writing prayers and compelling school pupils to say them. The landmark court decision established the framework for secular public schools welcoming students of all faiths as well as those who have no religion.
In their petition to Kentucky governors, the AFA claim the Supreme Court's 1962 ruling on school prayer "opened the door" to the AIDS epidemic, and the group link the court's decision to falling SAT scores and a rise in sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancies and violence.
Responding to the petition, Sarah Jones, communications associate at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said: "The AFA is clearly in the wrong. They're wrong to claim that, somehow, prayer affects rates of AIDS, teen pregnancy and SAT scores. And they're wrong to pressure Kentucky's state government to endorse religion."
Similar bills that permit students to read and recite 'inspirational messages' in school assemblies have been signed into law in Florida in 2012 and in Mississippi in 2013. Despite teachers and school officials being barred from any form of proselytising, and the word prayer not being included in either bill's language, religious activists claim the legislation legalises religious prayer and instruction in public schools.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State dispute this interpretation and each separately issued warnings to local school districts that moving ahead with the policy could subject them to legal challenges.
Edinburgh secularists back bid to abolish religious observance in schools
Posted: Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:43
An Edinburgh parent has launched a petition requesting that City of Edinburgh Council conducts a local vote to challenge "religious observance" (RO) in the city's non-denominational state schools. The move is being backed by Edinburgh Secular Society (ESS).
The petition by mother-of-one Veronica Wikman was launched on 20 February to coincide with the UN World Day of Social Justice.
Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, which repeats the legislation of previous acts, education authorities have a statutory requirement to provide religious observance and religious education in Scottish schools. This legislation originally dates from 1872. Scottish Government guidelines state every school should provide opportunities for religious observance at least six times in a school year. In England and Wales (uniquely in the world) the legal requirement in all state schools is for a daily act of (broadly Christian) worship.
However, under Section 8 of the 1980 Act, Local Authorities in Scotland are empowered to abolish RO, subject to a resolution in favour of discontinuance being approved by a majority of local voters.
Launching the petition, Ms Wikman said: "RO has nothing to do with education but everything to do with religious indoctrination. The Church of Scotland has not owned our schools since 1872. It should retain no privileged access to the education of my child or any other."
Edinburgh Secular Society has warned that religious observance creates an "open door for external religious groups to target children and instil their religious beliefs".
Gary McLelland, ESS Chair, said: "School is for teaching, not for preaching. Edinburgh's children deserve an education free from religious indoctrination."
Neil Barber, ESS media officer, said: "Religious education is a balanced, important part of education if taught in a comparative and philosophic way. RO, on the other hand, is imposed as truth, sometimes by evangelising visitors. Compulsory RO makes schoolchildren a captive audience for Christians and others who seek to recruit them into their faith, with no provision made for the choice of non-belief."
The petition requires 500 signatures by the closing date of May 7 but can be considered with at least 250 signatures at the discretion of the council. Edinburgh residents can sign the petition here.
