Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]:HL Bill 35 of 2024-25
The Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat). It would repeal the requirement for schools in England without a designated religious character to provide daily acts of collective religious worship. In its place, the bill would establish a new duty to provide non-religious assemblies which develop the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural education of pupils.
Under section 70 of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998, each pupil attending a community, foundation or voluntary school in England is required to take part in an act of collective worship each school day. Schedule 20, paragraph 3(2) of the same act requires schools without a religious character to provide collective worship that is “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”. However, schools (or groups of pupils within schools) may be exempted from this requirement. Any exemption is considered by the standing advisory council on religious education for that local authority. This body advises local authorities and schools on the provision of religious education in a local authority area. Under section 71 of the 1998 act, a parent may request that a pupil below the age of 16 be wholly or partly excused from attending acts of religious worship. Pupils aged over 16 may excuse themselves from these acts of worship.
The Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL] would amend section 70 of the 1998 act, removing the requirement to provide acts of collective worship in the following types of schools in England:
- maintained schools without a religious character
- non-maintained special schools
- city technical colleges
- academies without a religious character
The bill would instead create a new requirement for these schools to provide assemblies which are “principally directed towards furthering the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of the pupils regardless of religion or belief”.