The British Humanist Association (BHA) is calling on MPs to support the right of competent children not to be forced to participate in religious practices at school if it compromises their freedom of conscience.
Tomorrow (starting at 11.30) in the House of Commons, Evan Harris MP and others will be challenging a Government amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill, which will allow sixth-formers to withdraw from religious worship in schools. Currently, only the parents of a young person have a legal right to withdraw them from worship. Following the Government’s amendment, it will still only be a tiny minority of competent young people who will be given their rights, but MPs tomorrow will argue that the right should extend to any child with the capacity to make an informed decision for themselves.
Andrew Copson, education officer at the BHA said, ‘The UK has signed up to both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. Under these agreements, children have the right to freedom of religion and belief and they have the right, in line with their evolving capacities, to make decisions about matters which affect them. A law that does not allow young people autonomy in a matter as fundamental as belief and conscience must be reformed.’
In an earlier stage in the Bill’s passage through the House of Lords, the BHA had supported an amendment which would have replaced compulsory worship with inclusive assemblies, together with the Association of School and College Leaders, Hindu Council UK, National Spiritual Assembly of Bahais UK, National Union of Teachers and the Sikh Education Council. You can read about this here
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For more information and comment, contact Andrew by email or by telephone on 020 7079 3584 or 07855 380633
The British Humanist Association has been campaigning for reform of the law on collective worship and the right of young people to withdraw for many years, and published a widely-regarded policy paper in 2001 which has been revised and reissued this year. You can read it and about it here
You can read about our most recent submission to government about this here
You can read more about the BHA’s policy on worship and school assemblies here