Religious instruction in primary school

[amylou8]

Just after a bit of advice on this before I approach the school.
DD8 and DS10 go to the local primary, which is NOT a church school. A new head teacher started in September, she has come from a church school.
Straight away the children started mentioning things like they say prayers instead of having a story at home time, they have been acting bible stories in assembly, Mrs X is always talking about God etc. She has changed the name of assembly to collective worship, and made it daily instead of weekly.....there has been no communication with parents regarding any of this.
Yesterday DD came home and told me that there was a poster gone up in her class room about the 10 commandments, and she was quite upset that she was being told to love God above anyone else. Also another poster with a bible quote about not living by bread alone, but by the breath of God....or something along those lines.
I'm not anti religion, although I don't have a faith myself, I have no problem with religious education, and learning about all religions, with a bias towards Christianity, that being the predominant religion in the UK. But this looks suspiciously like good old fashion bible bashing!!

[snowball3]

All schools, even those which are NOT church schools, are meant to have a daily collective worship "of a broadly christian nature". So the fact that your school had previously had only a weekly one was actually illegal. That said, the rest does look a little OTT for a non church school!

[IndigoBell]

It is the law that all schools have a daily act of collective worship.

It is up to the HT how that directive is interpreted.

[dikkertjedap]

Of course this is fine. All state schools are expected to have daily collective workshop in some form. Hats off to your new HT for organising this so swiftly.

[hocuspontas]

But it doesn't say anything about twice daily. Next they'll be saying Grace before snack time and lunch. Then prayers first thing. Then prayers before every lesson. The trouble is there is no limit to this mumbo-jumbo in state schools, it all depends on how sane the HT is.

[GrimmaTheNome]

They are supposed to have daily 'collective worship', which is usually christian in character. Its an anachronism, really does need getting rid of.

Apart from this they are NOT supposed to carry out 'religious instruction' . They are supposed to provide Religious Education - education about a variety of religions, without saying that any one or other of them is factually correct. It should be in line with the SACRE for that LEA

[GrimmaTheNome]

Here is some background information from the BHA you might find useful. hth

[2kidsintow]

Every Primary school I have worked in in the last 15 years has had a daily collective worship (assembly) of some sort as well as a lunchtime and a hometime prayer.
As it is not a church school, you are entitiled to voice your desire for your child not to attend the collective worship, and even be removed from RE lessons but you make them stand out as different by doing so.

www.secularism.org.uk/withdrawal-your-rights.html