Acts of worship are mandated by law in state schools across the United Kingdom. However, as education is a devolved issue, the law varies slightly in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Collective worship laws also exist on the Isle of Man.
England and Wales
Collective worship is a statutory requirement at state schools introduced by the 1944 Education Act.
Sections 70 and 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 require that every day, state schools must hold acts of collective worship.
Despite being published in January 1994, Circular 1/94 remains the most up to date guidance for schools. The guidance states:
"'Worship is not defined in the legislation and in the absence of any such definition it should be taken to have its natural and ordinary meaning. That is, it must in some sense reflect something special or separate from ordinary school activities and it should be concerned with reverence or veneration paid to a divine being or power."
In schools without a religious character, the law states the worship must be 'wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character'. School inspectorate Ofsted is responsible for inspecting compliance with this law in England, and Estyn in Wales.
Schools can apply for a "determination" to replace Christian worship with that of another faith, but there is no allowance for there to be no worship at all.
In 2022, Poulner Infant School's application for an exemption from collective worship - on the grounds that only one third of its student body is Christian - was rejected. Despite this, the Department for Education continues to claim that schools "are able to tailor their provision to suit their pupils' needs."
In the same year, West Sussex County Council's standing advisory council on religious education (SACRE) refused to discuss encouraging "fully inclusive assemblies" in place of collective worship at local schools after this was raised by a humanist SACRE member.
We know that compliance with the collective worship law at nonreligious schools is low. A 2019 TeacherTapp survey found 43% of teachers in non-faith primary schools in England say they have some form of daily collective worship in the classroom or assembly. 14% have some form of reflection which isn't worship. In non-faith secondary schools, 5% have some form of worship and 8% some form of daily reflection.
However, the government has confirmed that it expects schools to comply with the law. In 2021, the Secretary of State for Education said: "Every maintained school, academy and free school is required to ensure that collective worship takes place each day. If the Department is informed that a school may be in breach of this requirement, it will be investigated. Where needed, the Department will remind schools of their duty on this matter and advise on how this can be met."
At faith schools, the act of worship must be "in accordance with the tenets and practices of the religion or religious denomination". Compliance with collective worship is inspected by religious bodies, at the taxpayers' expense.
Independent schools are not required to hold collective worship, but many do and this can take any form they like. Unlike state schools, there is no right of withdrawal.
Northern Ireland
The law in NI compels state-funded schools to "include collective worship whether in one or more than one assembly" every day.
In 2022 the High Court of Northern Ireland found the current arrangements for collective worship and religious education breach the European Convention on Human Rights.
Scotland
The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 requires schools to hold 'religious observance'. The Scottish Executive's policy on the provision of religious observance in Scottish schools can be found in the 2017 Curriculum for Excellence guidance.
The Act 1980 states 'religious observance' should occur at least six times a year, although nondenominational schools may replace this with time for reflection.
In England and Wales, parents have the statutory right under Section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to withdraw their children from RE lessons and acts of collective worship at all maintained schools, including faith schools.
Sixth form pupils at mainstream schools and maintained special schools are able withdraw themselves from collective worship, without the need for a parent's permission. Section 55 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 amended section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to ensure the right of sixth-form pupils to be excused from attendance at religious worship if they request so. The NSS were instrumental in securing this right for young people.
While the above legislation does not apply to academies and free schools, such schools are contractually bound to honour the right to withdraw through their funding agreements.
The law in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man also includes a parental right of withdrawal.
For many parents, the right of withdrawal is unsatisfactory due to the unfair implications which lead to their children being seen as 'different'. Schools sometimes try to block or discourage families from withdrawing pupils and usually do not have an alternative option. Withdrawing children from collective worship is often impractical because pupils must be found alternative activities and may miss important parts of the assembly.
There should be no reason for parents to feel the need to withdraw children from any part of the school day on grounds of their religious or non-religious beliefs.
Please see our guide to challenging collective worship.
You can also contact us for advice by emailing admin@secularism.org.uk.
Children have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion under both Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 14(1) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Compelling children to pray at school is not compatible with these rights.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly called on the UK and devolved governments to "repeal legal provisions for compulsory attendance at collective worship in publicly funded schools and ensure that children can independently exercise the right to withdraw".
In schools without a religious character, teachers cannot be required to attend or lead collective worship.
In faith schools, 20-100% of teaching staff can be 'reserved teachers', and be required to take part.
We agree. That's a good reason to make school assemblies inclusive for all, with no religious worship.
Replacing collective worship will reform and revitalise school assemblies. This will enhance pupils' freedom of religion or belief, while enabling schools to foster a shared sense of belonging. Assemblies based on moral and ethical principles can also support pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Acts of religious worship are neither necessary nor desirable to achieve these valid educational goals.
Most of the public agree. A majority of respondents (52%) in a 2018 survey said school assemblies should be about moral issues, whereas just over a quarter (26%) agree that they should feature religious worship.
Collective worship laws are unpopular with parents and teachers.
70% of parents are opposed to enforcing the law that prescribes a daily act of worship.
38% of Scots say there should be no place for religious observance in Scottish schools, while only 17% of Scots favour the continuation of religious observance in schools – and only then if children can withdraw themselves out of worship without parental consent.
Despite the law requiring daily acts of collective worship, only 43% of teachers in non-faith primary schools in England say they have some form of daily collective worship in the classroom or assembly. 14% have some form of reflection which isn't worship. In non-faith secondary schools, 5% have some form of worship and 8% some form of daily reflection.
Despite the unpopularity of collective worship, the government has said it will "investigate" schools which breached the law on collective worship.
Unsurprisingly, collective worship is much more common in faith schools. 96% of teachers in C of E faith schools in England (50% in secondary schools) say they have daily collective worship. In fact, more children attend compulsory collective worship in Church of England schools each day than there are regular church-goers, according to the CofE's own figures.
