MPs propose amendments on humanism in RE and ending collective worship

MPs have introduced amendments to the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to explicitly add humanism into RE and to replace collective worship with inclusive assemblies. Siân Berry, Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG) introduced the amendment on RE, while Cat Eccles, an APPHG member, introduced the assemblies amendment. The Bill is currently being debated in Committee Stage. Humanists UK has welcomed both amendments and urged the Government to take them up.

Humanism on the RE syllabus

Siân Berry’s amendment would amend the requirement written in the Education Act 1996 for agreed RE syllabuses to:

‘reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian; and take account of the teachings of the other principal religions and non-religious beliefs represented in Great Britain.’

Case law already requires the equal inclusion of humanism in RE, but primary legislation hasn’t kept up and isn’t explicit on this point. And so, while the Government has recently confirmed in an answer to a written question that RE should include the opportunity to learn about non-religious beliefs, the variation in RE content across local authorities and schools means this is not always the case.

Wales has already changed the law to make it so that humanism is equally included in the legislation, and England now needs to catch up.

A broader Government review of the national curriculum is currently underway. Humanists UK made a submission to the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s call for evidence, calling for a name change to ‘Religions and Worldviews’ and for this subject to be brought into the national curriculum to make the content, standards and teaching consistent across all schools.

Replace mandatory collective worship with inclusive assemblies

Cat Eccles’ amendment would remove the requirement for daily mandatory Christian collective worship from schools with no religious character, and instead require schools to provide inclusive assemblies for all pupils regardless of their beliefs.

This amendment mirrors a similar effort by Baroness Burt of Solihull, Vice-Chair of the APPHG, in the House of Lords to pass a Private Member’s Bill that would do the same. The Education (Assemblies) Bill will be debated on Friday, and when previously introduced in the House of Lords in 2021 it passed through the House before failing to progress through the Commons due to lack of time.

The UK is the only sovereign state in the world to require schools with no religious character to carry out collective Christian worship. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called for reform of the collective worship laws across the UK in 2023.

Humanists UK’s Education Campaigns Manager Kieran Aldred said:

‘These amendments would transform pupils’ experience of RE and assemblies in schools, ensuring that they learn about humanism and that they have enriching, diverse assemblies, rather than being required to participate in daily Christian worship. We thank Siân and Cat for tabling these and showing the valuable role of humanist MPs in Parliament for championing inclusive education.

‘We hope that the Bill Committee will recognise there is support for these changes across both Houses and will adopt the amendments into the Bill.’