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Does this mean that the law has not changed?

5 replies

Aparecium · 13/11/2023 20:54

I am trying to find out whether, technically, schools still have to have acts of collective worship of a broadly Christian nature. There was a Bill being discussed that would have allowed schools to opt out of the Christian bit and would have required them instead to provide assemblies furthering the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of the pupils regardless of religion or belief.

I cam across this: Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL] - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

Does it mean that the law has not changed, and that the requirement for acts of collective worship of a broadly Christian nature still stands?

OP posts:
ComtesseDeSpair · 13/11/2023 21:30

Yes. Amendments to the law were debated but not adopted. However, Ofsted no longer inspects whether provision is made or is compliant, and many non-faith schools take the fairly existential approach of interpreting “Christian values” and “worship” as less about Jesus and the bible and more about moral values like forgiveness, being a “Good Samaritan”, and exploring personal beliefs in a spiritual being.

ComtesseDeSpair · 13/11/2023 21:34

Additionally, schools with e.g. a wholly or majority Muslim student population can apply for a determination to allow them to offer an alternative form of collective worship which isn’t Christian-based.

TheShoulder · 13/11/2023 21:48

Yep, all schools are supposed to have daily collective worship that is "of a broadly Christian nature" or, if the school is a designated faith school, daily collective worship of that faith. Ofsted stopped inspecting compliance in 2004 though.

Aparecium · 13/11/2023 23:41

Thanks.

OP posts:
Maddy70 · 13/11/2023 23:52

Collective worship doesn't mean a formal , religious assembly. It can be spiritual. Eg. A word of the week to discuss in form time
The fact that schools offer RE as a subject is enough. Also

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