UK schools must provide "group worship" -- but aren't

The UK can be a confusing place. On one hand most people will never pass through the door of a church, mosque or temple. On the other hand, state schools are still REQUIRED to hold daily corporate worship! So are schools actually holding these collective worship sessions? Do parents want them to? A new survey reported by the BBC provides insights and answers.


"Many state schools in England are not providing group worship, despite legislation making it a requirement, a survey suggests.

"The Comres survey for BBC local radio found 64% of the 500 parents questioned said their child did not attend daily acts of collective worship.

"But 60% of the 1,743 adults asked said the legislation should not be enforced.

"The Department for Education states that all maintained schools in England must provide a daily act of collective worship which must reflect the traditions of this country, which it says are, in the main, broadly Christian.

"Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) chief policy advisor Alison Ryan questioned how much schools and parents wanted daily worship.

"When a law is being flouted on a pretty major scale that is telling you something about its use, about how maybe it should be reformed or changed, so we believe it needs to be looked at."