Parents win right to prayer-free alternative to religious assemblies

Nov 20, 2019 by Jill

by Henry McDonald, Guardian:

Two parents who challenged compulsory religious worship in school assembly have won the right for a secular alternative for their children.

A Church of England multi-academy said it would allow the children to withdraw from the assembly and prayers, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The Oxford Diocesan schools trust said a small number of pupils would be provided with alternative materials overseen by a teacher, instead of having to take part in collective worship.

The trust had been facing a court case over collective worship in one of its schools but has agreed with Lee and Lizanne Harris that their children – who attend Burford primary school, in Oxfordshire – had to be provided with a prayer-free, secular class, away from the usual assembly.

Humanists UK, which backed the Harris family, said the decision marked a “significant win” in ensuring that schools did not force religious worship on children.

Read here

Statement from Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust

See also: Should we take God out of school assemblies? by Tim Dieppe, Christian Concern: