Most school leaders don’t agree with collective worship law

A latest poll has found that the majority school leaders oppose the legal requirement to carry collective worship in schools in England. 

According to the poll of two,000 senior leaders of primary and secondary schools within the country, nearly three quarters (70%) disagree or strongly disagree with it. 

Current law requires schools to carry each day acts of collective worship and states that this have to be “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”.

Only one in 10 (12%) of senior leaders were in favour of the present law requiring collective worship. 

The figures come from a survey by Teacher Tapp on behalf of the National Secular Society and were published alongside previously unreleased 2022 polling data wherein two thirds of teachers said their school doesn’t hold collective worship. 

This rose to over three quarters (79%) of teachers from schools with no religious character and 84% amongst those teaching at secondary schools. The 2022 poll asked the views of seven,600 school teachers.