The National Secular Society has urged the Government to abolish the statutory requirement for collective worship in publicly funded schools in England, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling which found collective worship in Northern Ireland breaches human rights.
The law in England requires that children at all maintained schools “shall on each school day take part in an act of collective worship”. Even in schools with no religious character, the worship must be “wholly or mainly of a Christian character”.
Similarly, Northern Ireland compels state-funded schools to “include collective worship whether in one or more than one assembly” every day.
Writing to Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson, the NSS said the Court’s ruling provides a “clear opportunity for principled reform”, with many of the fundamental human rights conflicts “equally present in England’s collective worship law”.
The judgment clarified that education and school practices which are not delivered in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner amount to “pursuing the aim of indoctrination”, thereby breaching human rights law.
Additionally, it found NI’s approach to religious education (RE), which is Christian-centric and confessional, breaches the law.
The Court also made clear that the existence of a parental right to withdraw children from collective worship or RE does not, in itself, remedy such a breach.
The NSS said this reasoning calls into serious question the “continued viability of a legal framework that mandates acts of worship in schools while relying on parental opt-outs as a safeguard”.
The NSS also highlighted the repeated criticism of collective worship laws by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee has urged successive UK governments to repeal provisions requiring compulsory attendance at collective worship in publicly funded schools and to ensure that children can independently exercise their right to withdraw from collective worship.
The NSS also urged the Government to recognise the unpopular and divisive nature of collective worship. Last year, a poll of around 2,000 senior leaders at primary and secondary schools in England found 70% “disagree” or “strongly disagree” with the law requiring all schools to hold daily acts of collective worship. Just 12% of senior leaders support the current law.
The NSS also wrote to Lynne Neagle, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Education. Wales has similar collective worship laws to England.
A bill currently progressing through the Scottish Parliament would make it more difficult for children to be withdrawn from collective worship, known as “religious observance” in Scotland.
NSS: Time to end imposition of religious doctrine in publicly funded schools
National Secular Society spokesperson Jack Rivington said: “The Supreme Court judgment made crystal clear that education must be objective, critical, and pluralistic, otherwise it crosses the line into indoctrination.
“Mandatory acts of religious worship fundamentally exceed this threshold. The Government must now act in light of the Court’s judgment by abolishing outdated, unpopular, and divisive collective worship laws.
“In the diverse and irreligious Britain of today, our schools should welcome children and families of all beliefs and backgrounds, not impose religious worship. It’s time for a secular and inclusive approach to education that finally ends the use of publicly funded schools as a vehicle for imposing religious doctrine.”