To ask if non-British schools have assemblies?

[scalt]

I've heard that in some parts of the world, people are baffled by the idea of a whole school being gathered together several times a week; and when assemblies appear on TV or in films, some non-British viewers don't understand this idea at all. In school fiction such as Harry Potter, or the Chalet School, the idea that the whole school is often together in one place to be addressed by the head teacher seems odd to other countries.

Can anyone who went to school abroad say whether they had regular assemblies, like the British do?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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).

Czechia. No assemblies ever. Doing it daily seems a massive waste of time.

We have stable classes (not forms) majority of the time. At secondary level every class have a class teacher, who in addition to teaching their subjects, does "class time" at the beginning of the term, end of term and as needed to discuss admin stuff, and manages residentials and so on.

The whole school announcements (rare) means everyone is in their own classroom and the head uses the school internal radio system to broadcast to every class, but it was mostly ceremonial (welcome to the school year) -practical things are managed by instructing class teachers.

When I was at school - 80s, UK - there was even a radio assembly once a week that we would listen to once a week. I assume it was on Radio 4?

I was at church primary, secondary and (separate) sixth forms. Even at sixth form (no uniform, relaxed registration requirements) we had assemblies, once a month or so I think. They were often about things like crime, drugs, Remembrance Day, and whilst not compulsory they were scheduled at a time there wasn’t much else to do so they tended to have a good turnout.

At school, Scotland in the 1980s, we had weekly assemblies, usually a lecture about something specific.

the assemblies in Derry Girls are hysterical and illustrate the ra ra up the school / ritual humiliation theme nicely.

Personally I rather enjoyed our senior school assemblies - we had a fantastic music teacher so there was always singing - and although I’m not in the least religious, I still love a lot of those old trad hymns.

That wasn’t my experience growing up in Ireland - we had a daily whole-school assembly in primary school, which was a mixture of prayers and announcements, and a weekly year-group assembly in secondary. Both were state, Catholic schools.

My kids are in a multidenominational primary school now and have a whole-school assembly every few weeks, which seems to be a little chat from the principal on some theme, often a song and sometimes a visit from some outside personage (their favourite is when the Reading Dog is brought in to say hello).

I think the daily act of worship requirement is England and Wales ( not sure about NI) . Not a thing in Scotland even when I was at primary school 50 years ago. There was an assembly every week to cover general school announcements etc and sometimes the minister would be a guest. Also a school visit to church at Christmas and Easter ( at least that’s what my kids school did).

@mazedasamarchhare In Harry Potter, they don't call it assembly. (They have alternative names for many things!) However, the whole school being in the same place for the address by Dumbledore at the start of the year, is very similar to assembly, especially with things such as the mail arriving at breakfast, Howlers and all. (See below.) In other books such as The Chalet School, assembly (or "Hall" as they call it) is very ritualised, with the pupils marching in and out to a teacher playing the piano.

I've asked this question on some other websites, and to some countries, school assemblies really are an alien concept, especially happening several times a week; some of the replies have been "shouldn't that time be used for education?". Some parts of America are wary of having the whole school gathered in one place, in case of terrible things happening.

As for pupils being humiliated during assembly: certainly it's exaggerated in fiction. Think of poor Ron Weasley receiving a Howler (a screaming letter) from his mother, in front of the whole school; and the first years being sorted into their houses, in front of the whole school. In the very British film Clockwise, there is an assembly scene where John Cleese is picking on individuals the whole time; and reportedly, foreign audiences find that assembly scene baffling. That film is not very well known - I think it should be better known.

Humiliation during assembly certainly has happened in real schools, although I expect it's rare now. I can remember loads of times this happened when I was at primary school in the 1980s (once or twice to me). Children were often singled out, and told off in front of the whole school, sometimes literally dragged or yanked from where they were sitting. Usually for low-level stuff like whispering, "hairdressing", or singing badly, and I remember times children were roundly berated for something which had happened earlier, in front of everybody. And back in the days of caning: this might not have actually happened in assembly, but pupils might be condemned to it in assembly. Roald Dahl describes how he had to hand in a "stripe" (a warrant to be caned) in front of everybody.

@scalt I think the "humiliation" thing is gone in UK schools (thankfully).
At my daughter's primary (just a few years ago) a talking/fidgeting child might be told to move and sit next to their teacher but that was it.

Do countries without assemblies have certificates and awards that are handed out weekly? That's something that hasn't changed in the 30 years between me going to primary and my children attending.

A few references to starting the day with assembly but I've only ever attended and taught it schools where they've been at the end of the day.

@Jappled I remember watching (just a few years ago) some footage of children in somewhere (possibly India) where all the children are lined up in the playground having some kind of test results given out loud.

Same.

😂😂Love this

I'm in Finland, just asked my DD and she says she thinks they had assemblies maybe once a month or two in primary school (though if it was a religious themed one she didn't go and went to a classroom with the other ethics students) and in upper school they only have them on special occasions (like this year there was one for the 100 years anniversary of the school). I'd ask DS who is currently in primary school how often they have them but he wouldn't remember, he doesn't even remember what he did the same day I ask him, let alone what he's done over the previous month but looking on the school website there's an event this month saying whole school gathering in hall.

Both schools can easily fit the whole school into the hall but finding a time when the whole school is actually in school at the same time is more difficult as timetables vary between classes so some classes might be in 8-12, and others might be 11-15, and others 10-14 so pretty much the only time they can be sure everyone is there is lunch time.

I'm Czech.

No assembly.
No systematic school level awards or certificates. Btw, how they are described in MN, it sounds very weird - like something given sometimes based on merits and sometimes to encourage, plus all that observing who got one and who hadn't got one yet sounds very arbitrary amd annoying to me.

Our school life is organised within a class and classroom, meaning 20-30 pupils depending on age and school. Every class has a class teacher - at primary level this teacher is teaching majority of lessons, at secondary the teachers teaches one or two subjects plus is designated as a class teacher for one class. That means that this teacher starts the school year, hands over reports in the end of the year, is responsible for sharing school news, runs trips and would be the first contact for what is called "pastoral care" on MN.

The class teacher at primary level can run their own awards, but it would be resolved at the classroom.

There often is a school board, both physical and online, where secondary students read about updates.