The National Secular Society has urged the Government of Jersey to abolish the island’s laws mandating acts of Christian worship in schools.
Under the island’s Education Law 1999, all school-age children should attend an act of “broadly Christian” worship at least once a week. Similar UK laws also mandate acts of worship in schools.
Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Rob Ward, announced the decision to review Jersey’s collective worship earlier this month.
Writing to Ward, the NSS said mandated acts of worship are “entirely at odds with the demographic realities of Jersey”.
In 2024, Jersey’s Children and Young People’s Survey revealed just 27.3% of the island’s young people are Christian.
The NSS said enforced Christian prayer disregards the right of nonreligious and non-Christian children and their families to freedom of religion or belief, adding that abolition was “even more pressing” due to the size of this group.
The NSS said the right of parents to withdraw their child from collective worship was insufficient to protect the right to freedom of religion or belief, as it imposes unreasonable burdens on parents and children who are withdrawn, and divides children along religious lines.
Children are also unable to withdraw themselves from collective worship – making the law incompatible with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The NSS said the UNCRC’s consistent recommendation that the UK Government repeal legal provisions for compulsory worship in schools should be considered as part of Jersey’s review.
In its letter, the NSS also highlighted UK polling demonstrating the unpopularity of collective worship laws. Last year, 70% of senior leaders at primary and secondary schools in England said they “disagree” or “strongly disagree” with the law requiring all schools to hold daily acts of collective worship.
And in a 2018 poll, just over a quarter of the public (26%) said assemblies should feature religious worship.
The review of Jersey’s collective worship laws is expected in October.
NSS: Prioritise children’s rights by abolishing imposed worship
National Secular Society spokesperson Jack Rivington said: “Whether in Jersey or in the UK, compulsory acts of worship do not belong in schools. With more than two thirds of Jersey’s young people being non-Christian, continuing to impose divisive acts of prayer upon pupils cannot be justified.
“Inclusive assemblies can foster a sense of community in schools and promote the moral and social development of pupils. In a diverse and irreligious society, mandated acts of worship conflict with these important educational goals.
“We urge the Government of Jersey to prioritise the rights of children by abolishing mandated acts of school worship.”