To ask if non-British schools have assemblies?

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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?

Jesus Christ. Anyone getting information about schools from Harry Potter ...

No weekly certificates or awards in Finland (thankfully, so no disappointed children wondering why they haven't been picked this week). Only awards come at the end of the year, in primary school for being the kindest/good friend in the class and in the last year for best grade point average, in upper school for grade point average each year, good friend example, and awards for various things like best technical work, or a writing award, or maths-natural sciences award (and these rewards are cash, not certificates)

I teach secondary (non-faith, standard state school) and we have whole school assemblies for our 1300 pupils several times a year in the sports hall (old school hall only big enough for one year group!). Harvest, remembrance, Christmas, Easter and end of year.
ETA in England!

Also they don't have tutor time in Finland. In upper school they have a class teacher that is overall responsible for them but the only time they spend with that teacher is the first/last hour at the beginning/end of the school year and then whatever subject lessons they actually have with that teacher. Still seems to get to know them really well (but DD's school is very small, maybe they don't get to know them so well in bigger schools)

What's wrong with that? It is correct to some extent.

When non-british people read Harry Potter, we don't have to know what is fantasy and what is UK normal, there are so many peculiar and bizarre things there, for example:

• Boarding school with school houses.
• Two levels of awful single-day exams deciding your future.
• Writing exam "essays" instead of "tests" in knowledge-based subjects.
• Writing a single exam in the end of the year instead of regular smaller tests.
• Writing lengthy homework in knowledge-based subjects.

I didn't even notice the assembly thing there - every residential camp has some welcome speech and end speech and common meals, so it seemed natural in a boarding setting.

Thankfully they don’t really do awards at either of my kids’ schools (in Scotland). Or… possible… my kids just don’t win any so I’ve never heard about it!

Regarding some of the previous comments about certificates and the problems they cause, I've only ever seen any angst over it on MN. In about 15 years of teaching no parent has ever spoken to me about it nor have I ever known a child to be upset. My own children have never been upset or disappointed. Celebration assembly is generally one of the most popular ones and children are just pleasantly surprised if they get a certificate.

I love clockwise and do not consider that John Cleese humiliates anyone in the assembly.

YABU

In Australia, most schools have assemblies weekly. Although some private schools might differ.

I attend DD's occasionally (if she's getting a certificate) & think they're a waste of time & could easily be monthly. They seem to just fill the time with certificates for attentance & talking up sports.

They do in Hawaii (at least they did when I was 7- I asked my pen pall because it was a question of utmost importance).

Went to a British school abroad, had them throughout primary and secondary. We did not, however, have weekly (or even monthly) awards/certificates like kids nowadays seem to have.
My friends in non-Brit school didn’t, though on occasions they’d all gather to hear speeches etc.

Netherlands; no real assemblies except for maybe a short speech from the head teacher on the main playground on a holiday/festival day to basically say "we're all going tohave a good time! (e.g. opening of the national children's book week, Mardi Gras celebration with dress up, Sint Nicolaas visit on 5 december), no school uniforms in primary or secondary, no certificates, no "houses" or "points".

Please, for the love of God, no one looks at Harry Potter for an insight into modern British education

Maybe not. But some readers were surprised to learn that certain aspects of it really do happen in some schools, such as school houses, and the rivalry between them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/harrypotter/comments/r3mp5o/nonuk_fans_what_sounded_magical_in_the_books_but/
The opposite happened, people thought a lot of the genuine UK school culture was magic/invented

It's a very long time since I was in high school, but we had them when I was (in NZ). However they were held outside. I don't remember them in primary school, but of course that was even longer ago.

New Zealand here - had assembly every Friday when I was in primary school 80's/90's, can't really remember what we did during them (apart from singing) but I don't remember anything bad about them.

My boys also had assembly every week at primary school, I used to go sometimes and they would have announcements, certificates, cultural performances, singing, etc. No humiliations! High school - I think my oldest sons school just had year group assembly as it is a big school. My youngest son's high school only has occasional assemblies and they are more special event stuff - ie Christmas, etc.

I can believe this. When I mentioned that my teachers wore academic gowns to lessons (late 60s), students would always say "It's like Harry Potter!". Also sixth formers being able to give out lines.

I'm on a roll now. Until there was a change of HT, it was quite usual for a prefect to sub for an absent teacher.

I don’t think there is assemblies in Spain

Also we did not have golden time

No we called it an assembly and the auditorium also sometimes was the gymnasium. We had pep rallies, school assemblies and they were often. The difference is that we would all sit on bleachers (tiered pull out bench seating) It isn’t a British thing at all.

Homeroom is like form class where we got school announcements over the loud speaker. They are two different things and we had both.

Every morning you went to homeroom for announcements before classes and there was then school wide assemblies sometimes before football games, or occasions (back to school) etc.

Yeah in Canada no uniforms for us either (except catholic high schools) and everyone walks to school no matter how far (unless a school bus is needed) and we had extreme weather. We do have assemblies through.

We have assembly for Reception-Yr2 and then Yrs3-6. Impossible to fit everyone in the hall.

@Hiptothisjive obviously my knowledge of American schools is only from films etc but it did seem to me that having an assembly (whether in a gymnasium or auditorium) was fairly normal just like you describe.
I was surprised when someone else on this thread said they didn't happen in the USA.