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?

We’re weekly. East Asia. And we celebrate secular Christmas but not Easter.

If they do, they’ve missed the fact that it’s set in 1991-1997. 🤭

But that period feels like only yesterday! (It happens to be about the time I was at secondary school.) Perhaps people need to read the Worst Witch for an insight into British schools - the first of those books was published in the 1970s.

Interesting about the loudspeaker thing, for school announcements: I can imagine it being nicknamed "the voice of God". Now, I might have thought that that only happened in fiction. It happens in Clockwise, Matilda the musical, Hogwarts (McGonagall's voice "magically magnified")

As a foreigner, I think it's a really weird idea. My kids aren't yet in school though so I'll understand it better when they are.
We would have assemblies once in a while, but only for big events so max once a year.

My husband's description of his childhood assemblies doesn't help: "you all stand in a room listening to the headteacher telling everyone off for something you didn't do, then you watch the same kids getting awards for random things, and then everyone has to sing songs about Jesus they don't understand since no one is religious". 😅

@Bearbookagainandagain Indeed. A few replies I had on other websites were "what's the point of assembly?" I replied "I think many British children have wondered that for a long time". A relative of mine who taught in a posh secondary school said that so much of her working day was about crowd control, especially with assemblies.

"Who put the colours in the rainbow? It surely can't be chance!" we sang.

And certainly, I remember the head teacher telling off the whole school, it happened all the time. There was an epic moment once: in about 1990, watches which beeped on the hour were fashionable. During a quiet moment in assembly, a chorus of these watches sounded at once. The head furiously banned all watches on the spot. In year 7, the girls had an assembly about periods, and there were rumours among the boys that it was for a massive telling off about vandalism in the girls' toilets.

I do think the collective singing in assembly is a positive, and I feel sad that my children don't get to do that (they do do singing in music lessons but its not the same) but otherwise I mostly remember assembly being boring and preachy and probably was a waste of time. Plus in primary school it was often my dad coming in to do assembly and that was embarrassing!

South Africa …we definitely have assemblies.

But then we were a colony… So it figures.

@scalt I think there is a massive difference between the (so called) compulsory "act of worship" assemblies that some schools still do (many modern schools find ways around it) and an assembly that is giving out some kind of information.
If you look at it from an adult point of view an assembly that's for giving out information is essentially like a staff meeting at work - telling/reminding you when something is happening, letting you know of a new policy (or rule as it would be at a school) etc.
An assembly that's a "special" one like police coming in to give a talk about crime safety is like having a training day at work.
I think it's the "act of worship" assemblies that lots of people think is a waste of time.

I was born in late 1950's so am nearly 70.

Went to school in England, probably the "roughest" school in my city. Throughout my schooldays we had the classic daily assembly at the start of the day with the address by the Headmaster, announcements, prayer and a hymn.

No humiliation of pupils though nor a school song, but we did have 4 houses even tough I don't recall any inter-house competitions.

I rather liked the daily assembly - I thought it encouraged a sense of unity, discipline, focus.

I’m in Ireland and my primary school children would have monthly whole school assemblies and then school assemblies when a special visitor comes to the school or something like that. It’s always an enjoyable morning for them. My secondary school child has regular whole year assemblies.

At Primary school there were daily all school assemblies. Once a week one class would be responsible for putting on the assembly. Teachers ran the others. They had singing assemblies once a week which they loved. Basically they all spent 20 minutes singing fun and uplifting songs together (not dull hymns).

It created a lovely sense of community and belonging.

At Secondary there are way too many children to fit in the hall. They do tutor time in their classes each morning which is like a mini assembly really. School notices, set subjects discussed, group reading of a class book etc. Once a week there's a year group assembly in the hall and for special occasions. All school assemblies are done occasionally by Zoom in the classrooms.

I think it still creates a sense of being part of a group and a calm start to the day before lessons start.