Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]

Baroness Meacher Excerpts

Friday 7th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Meacher (CB)]

My Lords, I will speak extremely briefly, but I endorse everything that the noble Baroness, Lady Burt, said. It seems to me that morality is incredibly important in our society; we are losing a huge opportunity by having Christian assemblies in schools, which of course exclude the majority of children. Children need to be taught early the importance of generosity, kindness, neighbourliness, community support and so on. All of these values are hugely important; it is vital that children get hold of and endorse them early on in their lives, then put them into practice through their school careers.

I regard it as very important that we replace religious Christian assemblies with morality-based assemblies that are completely inclusive. Every child must understand why they are there and the importance of what is being said. This is a hugely important issue, as far as I am concerned. I endorse very much what the noble Baroness, Lady Burt, said.