what is going to happen in these neutral spaces that will be truly neutral but at the same time of value to the student!?
Here you are: gonetosee
Art and music can contribute to the spiritual dimension and demonstrate human creativity and the ability to share with and inspire others. Just to look or listen with an introduction from an enthusiast can be enough.
The natural world is an excellent theme – its wonder, interdependence, and co-operation. Pictures or objects (e.g. fossils) can provoke awe and wonder – or just look out of the window or listen to natural sounds outside.
Poetry and prose – fiction and non-fiction – your favourites. Or ask the English department for ideas for particular themes.
Anecdotes from your own experience, especially your school days, can be enthralling for pupils, who benefit from reminders that teachers have lives outside school and were once young (but make sure you have a point to make).
The daily news can be a rich source of assembly themes. Good news about human achievements can inspire students. Events can stimulate moral questions and raise issues of rights and responsibilities. If you do need a last-minute theme, take the front page of a daily paper, choose a story from it, outline the facts, read extracts, and highlight some moral questions, or extrapolate from the issues involved to wonder what will have changed in, say, 20 years’ time when pupils will have adult responsibilities.
Shared human values – see the Golden Rule poster, or look at some of the humanist perspectives documents for some topical ideas.
What sort of person do you want to be? Kind / unkind? Trustworthy and respected / dishonest and disliked ?… What would you like to be remembered for towards the end of your life?
Pupils can lead excellent assemblies. Each set of pupils due to lead one will need a teacher to brief them, be available for guidance and rehearsals, and be there on the day to support them.
Visitors can be refreshing, but need to be well briefed, and should be vetted for suitability – usually a role for the Head. For example, evangelical groups that proselytise to children and young people should not be invited to deliver assemblies.
Days to remember: There are plenty of non-religious events to mark in assemblies. The anniversaries of famous people’s births or deaths, or of historical events, can be used to introduce inspirational stories or figures who otherwise would remain unknown to your pupils. You can use birthdays, yours or someone else’s , or the school’s , to reflect on new beginnings, time passing, or ageing.
Festivals: Many Christian festivals adopted earlier pagan or seasonal events, and many people participate in a range of cultural and religious festivals. This can be interesting to explore in assemblies.
Events: Astronomical events such as eclipses and comets, and natural events such as volcanoes, can inspire awe and wonder, both at the size and power of nature and at our growing understanding of natural phenomena.
Charity and awareness days: Almost every day of the year has been adopted by a charity or awareness raising group which would be only too glad to provide information about themselves.