BHA and Collective Worship in Schools

From BHA Facebook group.

Post #6

Bob Churchill (West Midlands) replied to Kate's poston May 13, 2008 at 4:17 AM

As part of our broader Education Policy, the BHA campaigns specifically on Collective Worship:
http://tinyurl.com/43k8cp

From that page:
"We believe that the parental right to excuse their child is not a proper or satisfactory solution. We would like to see the immediate withdrawal of current DfES guidance (Circular 1/94), which gives a narrow interpretation of the legal requirement for "broadly Christian" worship, and its replacement with new guidance encouraging inclusive assemblies and making it simpler for schools to seek "determinations" in order to hold assemblies suitable for all their pupils. Ideally, this would be followed by repeal of the legislation requiring acts of worship in schools, and changes in legislation to give schools much more flexibility about how they conduct assemblies, with schools offering time and space for optional worship for those who want it."

We submitted this Parliamentary Briefing:
http://tinyurl.com/4mbfd7

We have detailed advice on the "requirement" of collective worship and what you can do about it, here:
http://tinyurl.com/3sg5um

And wee have produced ideas and constructive advice on more inclusive assemblies here:
http://tinyurl.com/hbosp

Some of our Local Groups up and down the country also have people who are able to offer talks to school assemblies, just as vicars and so on currently get their guest spots (we don't object in principle to visitors coming into school assemblies, so long as there is balance and that it is clear that the children are not expected to believe whatever they are told!). A list of Local Groups can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/fpj7l

UK government to review law on 'collective worship' in state schools

The UK government is planning to review the law on 'collective worship' in state schools. It is compulsory - indeed more compulsory in the letter than in the usual practice; and teachers must, however wearily, devise a 'broadly Christian' message for the whole school.
reposted from: http://www.suffolkhumanists.org.uk/node/599
Chris Street comments are in bright green;

highlights in yellow blockquotes.

The UK government is planning to review the law on 'collective worship' in state schools. It is compulsory - indeed more compulsory in the letter than in the usual practice; and teachers must, however wearily, devise a 'broadly Christian' message for the whole school. The Internet has been a bit of a blessing here; there are resource sites like this where you can click on anything - "St Cecilia..Jonah and the Whale...bread...David and Solomon....lying" and get your speech written.
In some schools it is well done and welcomed. In others it is an imposition which, frankly, many staff and pupils feel should not be imposed by central government in a secular age.
On which subject, the Jewish Chronicle publishes a provocative, Dawkinsesque accusation that any kind of religious indoctrination amounts to child abuse.

Remove the statutory obligation in schools to provide a 'broadly Christian' daily assembly - petition

reposted from: http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13797.asp
Chris Street comments are in bright green;

highlights in yellow blockquotes.

Schoolassembly - epetition reply

20 November 2007

We received a petition asking:

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Remove the statutory obligation in schools to provide a 'broadly Christian' daily assembly."

Details of Petition:

"Religious observance in schools is divisive, especially when the obligation is exclusively to the Christian faith. The link between state education and religious observance should be removed completely allowing atheists and those of other faiths to participate in school life on an equal basis. Allowing an individual to "opt out" is not sufficient as this categorises and potentially stigmatises children. Furthermore in rural areas often ONLY faith schools are available locally. This discriminates against non-religious children and teachers (who often can't be employed without religious hypocrisy) and those of other faiths."

• Read the petition
• Petitions home page

Read the Government's response

The Government believes that Collective Worship stimulates thinking and encourages pupils to learn about Christianity as well other religions and belief systems, nurturing respect and tolerance. It also offers schools a unique opportunity to develop their particular ethos and set of shared values.

All maintained schools are required to carry out a daily act of Collective Worship of a broadly Christian nature for all pupils. This reflects the religious tradition of this country. For schools where this is not appropriate the head teacher can apply to the local authority to have it lifted so that the Collective Worship in that school does not have to be of a Christian nature.

Every parent has the right to withdraw their child from Collective Worship and we believe this is important. In addition, from 1 September 2007, a new clause in the 2006 Education and Inspections Act came into force which gives students over the age of 16 the right to opt out of collective worship, without parental consent.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families will be updating their guidance for schools on Collective Worship to ensure that schools are aware of these issues.

In rural areas, Church of England schools have traditionally seen their role as catering for all the children in an area and admission arrangements for church primary schools in rural areas make no distinction amongst pupils.

POLICY ON COLLECTIVE WORSHIP

reposted from: Ringwood School Prospectus

POLICY ON COLLECTIVE WORSHIP

The school’s policy on collective worship is a development of an aspect of its policy on spiritual and moral development in the context of the provisions of the relevant section of the Education Reform Act of 1988.

Collective worship may take place in a year assembly but as year assemblies are sometimes organisational meetings only take place once a week, they do not ensure compliance with the law relating to a daily act of worship

or, by themselves, make the most of the opportunity that the law provides. However, year assemblies can be a vital aspect of collective worship because they provide a special kind of communal experience. School assemblies are usually at their best as acts of collective worship when there is plenty of student involvement.

Our act of daily worship takes place before afternoon school within each tutor group. It will include the reading, by a student or by a teacher, of a selected thought for the day.

These ‘thoughts’ may be in the form of a story, a contextualised reading from the Bible, a poem or some idea designed to promote a reflective view of life and spiritual awareness.

These reading are gathered together in the form of a ‘Book of Days’. The readings which comprise the ‘Ringwood School Book of Days’ have been selected with several aims in mind.

To promote knowledge of some of the main accounts in the gospels and reflection upon their significance; To encourage awareness of aspects of non-Christian religions and the contribution they make to spiritual awareness; To feed the imagination with stories, poems and ideas which may create new layers of experience and realms of meaning; To encourage the growth of the ability to interpret and to appreciate different kinds of truths. It is through the pursuit of these aims that the possibility of worship and the invitation to worship are created.

Collective worship is not corporate worship; it cannot be assumed that all who are present are members of one faith community. It is reasonable to require respect for any activity which is organised as collective worship, and reasonable to invite participation; it is not reasonable to require participation. Most of the material which will be presented to students will be open to different interpretations at different levels of sophistication. It is important to remember that the stories and images can have a value in themselves without intellectual reconstruction. Teachers should not insist on an interpretation but allow children to become aware, through time, that deeper understanding of one kind or another is possible. Comments and reactions should be welcomed and corrections restricted to matters of established fact rather than interpretation.

Under review by the Governing Body, September 2006