A NEW proposal for schools “to carry assemblies focused on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all children”, and now not to be religious, was the topic of a House of Lords debate last Friday.
Moved by Baroness Burt (Liberal Democrat) for its Second Reading, the Education (Assemblies) Bill had been timed out when she first proposed it, three years ago (News, 17 September 2021). It seeks to remove faith and collective worship — a legal requirement since 1944 — from schools with out a religious character.
“The UK is the one Western democracy that legally imposes worship in publicly funded schools,” she said. “The Schools Standards and Framework Act require[s] all state schools that will not be of a non secular nature already to carry day by day acts of collective worship that should be of a ‘wholly or mainly’ Christian character.”
Although it was a Private Member’s Bill, Lady Burt described it as “not a radical Bill, and it could not impact on the teaching of faith or belief in schools. It wouldn’t affect the power of the one third of faculties which might be religious schools to conduct collective worship.”
She said that worship “doesn’t uphold children’s rights under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child”, and that “the UN children’s-rights committee has for years called for the repeal of the UK’s compulsory-worship laws”.
She concluded with words from Lord Harries of Pentregarth, a former Bishop of Oxford, who had written in support of her Bill. “He said that simply because he believes within the Christian faith, and to him it’s of supreme importance, he sees no reason why non-religious teachers should must conduct collective worship for pupils, a lot of whom could be of other religions or beliefs.”
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, was clear: “Collective worship is a crucial part of college life. It is vital to fostering a way of fellowship and cohesion; to celebrating festivals, and never just Christian ones, and to strengthening religious literacy.
“Worship and spirituality underpin the ceremonies that shape our lives. Often, still, it’s the responsibility of the Church of England to capture and make space for expression of the national mood, and plenty of turn to faith institutions in times of life and death.” She felt that the rites across the late Queen’s death “conjured up a latent spirituality, which brought the nation together in mourning and thanksgiving. . .
“The Church of England has at all times sought to bring to life the rituals that outline us. It has long played an integral part in educating our youngsters . . . but, when there isn’t any space for reflection on faith, people of all faiths feel diminished, not only Christians.”
Several speakers quoted statistics and surveys suggesting that Britain was now not a “Christian nation”, and that many teachers would really like an end to spiritual assemblies.
Responding officially, the Education Minister, Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour), expressed government reservations and the view that collective worship “fosters reflection on belief and societal values”. She said that “existing laws allows schools considerable flexibility to fulfill their pupils’ spiritual needs while promoting the college’s ethos and values. Despite Britain’s increasingly diverse religious landscape, Christianity stays the principal religion.”
The minister echoed Dr Francis-Dehqani’s point about national meaning and “the social significance of the festivities and worship that always brings people together across the country and at particular times of each celebration and difficulty”.
She felt that “there may be flexibility for exemptions throughout the laws” because it stood. With creative use of each curricula and assemblies, “the pliability to reinforce pupils’ spiritual and moral growth already exists. State-funded schools are also required to advertise fundamental British values [which] . . . are inclined to be taught across the breadth of the curriculum as well, and are reflected in behaviour policies, reinforced in assemblies, and deepened through rigorously planned opportunities.”
She also said that “the definition of collective worship doesn’t strictly require an assembly, as such.”
The Government, she said, didn’t see “a have to amend the present laws on collective worship, but very much accept the arguments made concerning the need for our schools to be inclusive and adaptable”. The Bill now moves to the Committee Stage.
