Resources for parents and carers

Answers to common questions about your child’s education, and free resources for talking about humanism at home.

Your rights on school worship Ask for a school speaker

Talking about life’s big questions

Many of our resources can support young people’s studies, but they can also help with conversations at home about important questions.

How can I be good to others? Explore humanist ethics → How can I know what to believe? Explore understanding the world → How can I be happy? Explore the one life →

Illustrations by Hyebin Lee.

Understanding HumanismAll these resources are on our education website →

School worship and assemblies: your rights

By law, every state-funded school in England and Wales must hold a daily act of collective worship that is ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’, even schools with no religious character. Northern Ireland has similar laws.

Many schools struggle to put this into practice, and 70% of school leaders oppose the law. Some don’t comply, but others use it to justify enforcing worship. You have the right to withdraw your child, though this can leave them isolated, which is why we campaign for inclusive assemblies for every pupil.

Assemblies for All has hundreds of free, inclusive assemblies from Amnesty, Oxfam, Unicef, and more. Why not tell your child’s school about it?

Know your rights Visit Assemblies for All Our education campaigns →

Ask your child’s school for a humanist speaker

We offer a free speaker service for schools, colleges, and community groups. You can ask your child’s headteacher to request a visit. Our template letter makes it easy, and explains why it matters that young people have the chance to learn about humanism.

Resources for families

Free ideas and guidance for exploring big questions with your children.

Understanding Humanism Free lesson plans, activities, videos, and humanist perspectives on topics covered in school. Visit Understanding Humanism → Books for children Recommended books about humanism and big questions, for children of all ages. See books for children → Humanist families talking Humanist parents answer questions we’re often asked, on ‘catching’ religion, school worship, magic and fantasy, death, introducing humanism, and relationships. Read their answers → Does every question need an answer? A practical guide to answering children’s questions in an open-ended way, by teacher Lian Montgomery, illustrated by Kathleen Chagall Design. Free from Young Humanists. Download the e-booklet (PDF) → Books for bereaved children Books that can help children understand death and cope with loss. See the book list → Parents’ questions answered Answers to the questions parents and carers most often ask us about humanism and school. Read the FAQs →

Can’t find what you need?

Our education team is happy to help with questions about humanism and your child’s school.

Email education@humanists.uk

Want to learn more yourself? Try Introducing humanism, our free online course with Sandi Toksvig.