Cross party support for inclusive assemblies bill

A private members' bill to replace mandatory collective worship in schools with inclusive assemblies has received cross party support.

The Education (Assemblies) Bill, brought by Liberal Democrat peer Lorely Burt (pictured), was backed by other Lib Dem, Labour, Green and crossbench peers during its second reading in the House of Lords today.

The bill would introduce a requirement for nonreligious schools in England to deliver inclusive assemblies that contribute to the 'spiritual, moral, social, and cultural education' of all pupils, irrespective of their religion or belief.

This would replace the current legal requirement of a daily act of broadly Christian worship in all state funded schools. Students would still be allowed to participate in voluntary worship if they chose to do so.

The National Secular Society, which campaigns for an end to collective worship laws, briefed peers on the bill prior to the debate and urged their support.

This bill was previously introduced in 2021 but fell due to lack of time.

Peers: Collective worship "clearly inappropriate", "out of step"

Opening the debate, Baroness Burt said: "This is a bill whose time has come".

She referred to an NSS-commissioned poll in 2024 which found 70% of senior school leaders disagree with the current law, in addition to a 2019 survey in which parents ranked collective worship the lowest out of items they would like school assemblies to feature.

She stated that the UK is the only western democracy which imposes religious worship on state schools, and that the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly recommended the UK government repeal collective worship legislation.

Baroness Burt said the religious aspect imposed on assemblies through collective worship laws leads to many children being withdrawn from assemblies to be "left in corridors or classrooms". She said this leads to children feeling "excluded and different", and some may feel pressure to attend "just to fit in".

She read a statement on behalf of retired Church of England bishop Richard Harries, who was unable to attend the debate. Lord Harries said that "just because he believes in the Christian faith", he sees "no reason" why nonreligious teachers should have to conduct religious worship for pupils of different religions and beliefs.

The bill was also backed by peers from across political parties. Labour Peer Michael Watson said it was "clearly inappropriate" for Christian worship to be imposed on schools in a country where Christians are now a minority, according to the 2021 Census.

He pointed to 2022 figures obtained by the NSS which found 66% of teachers say their school does not hold collective worship. This includes 79% of teachers at schools without a religious character, and 11% at faith schools.

He said assemblies should be "inclusive of all, with no religious worship".

Fellow Labour peer Bryn Davies said that as he was frequently left in school corridors as a child, he could "testify to the pointlessness of being excluded from the life of the school" which is an inevitable result of the current collective worship law.

He said the bill is a "significant step towards ensuring the education system in England reflects the diversity and inclusivity of modern British society".

He added that "forcing students" to participate in Christian worship is "out of step" and contravenes "freedom of belief".

He said children are essentially "coerced" into collective worship, because having to withdraw children is an "unfair burden on families" which can "isolate children" from their peers. This was the reason he did not withdraw his own children from collective worship, he said.

He said the bill presented opportunities for reflection and community building "in a way that does not privilege a religious perspective over others".

Green peer Natalie Bennett said the bill had the "strongest possible support" from the Greens. She said since the bill was last debated in 2021, the arguments for replacing collective worship are "clearer than ever".

Crossbencher Molly Meacher stressed the importance of teaching morals through assemblies. She said schools are "really losing a huge opportunity in having Christian assemblies in schools which exclude the majority of children".

Bill opposed by bishop

The bill was opposed by bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani. She is one of the 26 Church of England bishops automatically given seats in the House of Lords.

Francis-Dehqani said collective worship gives children an opportunity for an "encounter with the divine", and expressed concerns children would not learn anything about Christmas, Easter or other religions if collective worship were removed. This is highly unlikely as religious education (RE), which is compulsory in all schools, requires children to learn about traditions in Christianity and other religions.

She also used the debate to praise the Church of England's presence in education, mentioning that it runs "thousands of faith schools".

The bill was also opposed by Conservative peer Diana Barran and Peter Weir, representing Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party. Both parties have long opposed the removal of Christian privilege in education.

Responding on behalf of the Government, education minister Jacqui Smith expressed "reservations" about the bill. She said the current law has "flexibility" to allow schools to adapt their collective worship. However, the NSS is aware of several schools which have been refused permission to conduct more inclusive assemblies. One is Poulner Infant School in Hampshire, which in 2022 was denied permission to cease collective worship despite the fact that two thirds of parents with pupils at the school are not Christian.

NSS: Government "ignoring" majority of teachers and parents who oppose collective worship

NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "It is encouraging to see this bill receive cross party support, and widespread recognition that imposing broadly Christian collective worship on schools is archaic, inappropriate and illiberal.

"But it is frustrating that the Government, rather than support this reasonable and simple measure to improve inclusivity in schools, is instead choosing to uphold religious privilege by refusing to support the bill.

"In doing so, the Government is ignoring the majority of teachers and parents who say they don't want collective worship – not to mention the UN committee on the rights of the child, who for years has told the UK to repeal collective worship laws."

The NSS is also supporting an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would abolish collective worship laws.

The amendment, introduced by Labour MP for Stourbridge Cat Eccles, would likewise replace collective worship with inclusive assemblies.

The NSS has written to schools minister Catherine McKinnell MP and the members of the bill committee asking them to support the amendment.