To ask if non-British schools have assemblies?

Were in Ireland. My DS go to a small country primary school with less than 100 children in total in the school. They have a whole school assembly once per month.

I attended the same primary school. We didn't have assemblies back then. (Early '00s).

I was just thinking the other day that assemblies were such a great way to start the day. Lusty singing to wake you up and boost your mood, a little prayer or thought to ponder and set your intention for the day - we were ahead of our time in the 80s!

Does Harry Potter have assembly? It’s an age since I read the books. I remember they had meals in the great hall together, where Dumbledor would give out relevant notices, but I don’t remember assemblies as such?
They don’t have whole school assembly in Ds’ secondary school ( I’m not sure they have class or year assemblies) I don’t think there is anywhere bigger enough to hold 1000+ kids! Primary school did.

In Australia, primary school assembly once a week.
High school is different depending on the area and if public or private.

People are lucky, at my catholic secondary we had them 4 times a week! Whole school, house, year and SINGING, fucking singing assembly to sing hymns. Urgh.

DDs are at a Secondary in Yorkshire. They have assembly about once a term (plus Remembrance Day, which is outside).

However they have a weekly virtual assembly which is done by video link. Started on Covid, realised it was more efficient (and inclusive as they are all sitting comfortably at their desks rather than jammed in the hall). Apparently frequently led by one of the School rabbits or Guinea pigs. The snake thought it was beneath their dignity.

Or by bike in Scandinavia. Also, no changing rooms between classes (unless a practical subject), the teachers move between classes and often teach several subjects.

My Children's elementary school in US did assembly Only once or twice a week and it was to give out information on up coming activities, and give out awards. They would sing a few songs and recite the pledge and go back to class. No uniforms.
High school did it occasionally, outside for things like homecoming etc.

My American primary and secondary schools both had assemblies, but they were not regular occurrences. Usually themed around events or holidays - Memorial Day, homecoming, elections. Big presentations from outside companies. We didn’t have a homeroom/form tutor. Brief announcements were made over a PA system, usually during the second period.

Assemblies were held in the gym in both schools. We sat on the floor in primary, but the secondary had pull-out bleachers. 500 kids in primary, about 1000 in secondary, sitting in year groups. We did have an auditorium in secondary, but it wasn’t big enough for a whole school assembly.

This is giving me a flashback to something I think I saw on Instagram. Someone thinks that UK gig goers (?) are all so good at signing in harmony because of our school assemblies.

Key stage one "Who put the hump upon the camel" to "Fix You" at Wembley stadium.

I grew up in New Zealand, secondary we had a weekly assembly and weekly chapel service. This was a selective secondary based on Christianity values. Primary it was only an end of year assembly.

We definitely had some assemblies focused on humiliation and collective punishment (1980s, Home Counties).

My kids primary has a fortnightly celebration assembly and a weekly singing assembly. They love singing assembly but are less keen on Celebration assembly (unless they are the one being celebrated!)

😂😂😂😂

My daughter is in high school here in Scotland and they have assemblies every 3rd week for the house she's in and then a whole year assembly once a month. They do all sorts of different things - sometimes there are performances or talks from the student council, sometimes there's information to share, sometimes there's some sort of school event community thing... it's very different to what I had growing up as the students are often the ones talking.

The primary school assemblies are mostly lovely - they do half the school at a time due to space and they all have a theme. Once a year each year group puts together a learning showcase assembly (parents can come) to present what they are working on this year. There's assemblies for different religious festivals and some singing themed ones (that my son hates) and some that involve the different clubs and such at the school.

This was true even when I was at secondary. We only ever had one or two year groups gathered at a time

Grew up on Portugal we didn't have assemblies, the only time we gathered as a group was Christmas and it was a kids 'show'.

Grew up in Europe. Nope not ever.

If they're watching Harry potter and they're struggling with the concept of a school assembly, some of the other stuff is going to blow their mind. 😆

Went to school both in Ontario, Canada and New York. Primary amd secondary/high school. All the schools I went to had an had assembly. It was usually once a term and centred around the holidays, ie. Christmas and Easter pageants and concerts. Or if the police came to do a safety walking home talk in primary or safe driving in high school, war on drugs talks, for track and field or a production that went around schools. They were an event with music and an upbeat feeling. And looked forward to. Not a daily or weekly thing at all. I went to big schools including a primary with over 1000 students.

We also sang the Canadian national athem daily in Canada in both English and French and pledged allegiance in America every before school began. This was done over the PA system followed by any info we needed for the day or week usually done bu the principal and/or student Council.

if that is the goal it backfires quite badly I think. My children went to a church of England school because it was a local school and although they became very devout Christians for a few months in year R by the time they reached year two or three they were very much quite vocal atheists.

At a balance level though a lot of religious teaching is really just about a set of quite sensible rules to live by and in that sense I always found school assemblies quite good in terms of thinking about how we treat our fellow humans

We do need to ensure that we think about those broader topics like relating to each other and I've always thought that's what's good about the school assemblies because they create a time when someone can bring the focus on to that

I also think there's something really quite magical about singing together with a large group of people and I loved that aspect of a assemblies as a child. Singing is known e to be really good for well-being

Coming from a country without assemblies, what I remember from Harry Potter are meals in the big hall where there were also some announcements, but I never thought of them as assemblies.

I was born in 1971. In my junior /primary school
i vividly remember that one day a week in one specific assembly-a roll call of names would be read out )those who’d misbehaved) and children would have to go to the front. Pull their trousers down to reveal their underwear, and get the slipper by the head teacher on their bottom(be struck with it 3 or 4 times). It was a catholic school too. So yes, there was definitely humiliation sometimes. Makes me feel completely ancient / it would never happen now.
most assemblies though seem to involve singing, notices, celebrations. I wouldn’t say there’s cheering and an upbeat feel though. Children are expected to be quiet unless they’re called upon. And in primary they tend to sit on the floor cross legged.

So basically your homeroom teacher gave out messages. That's pretty much what happened in the assemblies we had at my secondary - we were just sat in the hall for it (only one year group at a time as it was a large school).
That's all the secondary assemblies were - giving out some information.