Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]

Lord Bishop of Chelmsford Excerpts

Friday 7th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford]

My Lords, I warmly welcome this debate. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Burt, for her introduction, as well as the other noble Lords who have spoken. I look forward to the Minister’s response.

Although I understand the intention of the Bill, it may not surprise your Lordships to hear that I will express some reservations about the proposals and say that I believe the current legislation already affords sufficient flexibility. I suspect that I may well be a lone voice in the Chamber today. I was interested to hear the noble Baroness quote my esteemed friend, the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries, formerly the Bishop of Oxford. Perhaps it is good to know that there are differences of opinion among Bishops in this House.

Collective worship is a vital part of school life. It is key to fostering a sense of fellowship and cohesion; to celebrating festivals, and not just Christian ones; and to strengthening religious literacy. Importantly, the current legislation already allows schools to tailor their provision to suit their pupils’ spiritual needs, and allows schools and academies to develop their ethos and values.

Among the many benefits of collective worship is the chance to explore and understand values such as forgiveness, humility, gratitude and justice. Collective worship allows for time away from the target-driven culture of education, creating a space for the possibility of an encounter with the divine or for reflection on the larger questions of life: the meaning and purpose of life. Children need space to ponder these things, which are the province of spirituality. We are spiritual beings, and spirituality finds an anchor in collective worship. Research shows that spirituality has a very strong impact on well-being and mental health, whether religious or not.

Some may say that the removal of collective worship would allow schools to allocate extra time to cover themes such as the environment, health, relationships, self-esteem and so on, but it is likely that schools may well end up using this time for extra lessons such as maths and English instead. I worry that the Bill will simply remove the protection around valuable space for reflection as part of the school day. Whether in times of crisis or celebration, collective worship brings the entire community together for reflection.

There is no doubt that Britain has become less overtly religious over the past decades, yet, although fewer of us call ourselves practising Christians, the country remains steeped in echoes of our collective faith and many would still describe themselves as spiritual. Worship and spirituality underpin the ceremonies that shape our lives. Often, still, it is the responsibility of the Church of England to capture and make space for expression of the national mood, and many turn to faith institutions in times of life and death. The death of Queen Elizabeth II confronted us all with our own mortality, our losses and the realisation of how little control we have over our futures. The late Queen’s death conjured up a latent spirituality, which brought the nation together in mourning and thanksgiving.

The Church of England has always sought to bring to life the rituals that define us. It has long played an integral part in educating our children, from the first monastic schools and the inception of universities to the founding of the National Society and the thousands of faith schools that are dotted around the country today. The Church takes these commitments seriously. Alongside high-quality education, it offers high-quality collective worship that is inspiring, invitational and inclusive, and which exemplifies the principles of Christian generosity. Worship is collective in that it involves meeting, exploring, questioning and responding to others—and, for some, responding to God. It provides a safe space for children to ask questions and learn to sit with difference.

Schools across the country used NSE resources created in response to the Southport riots on the themes of “I weep when you are weeping” and “When there is hatred, let me sow peace”. These support pupils to explore issues arising from the news through a lens of community and cohesion, as well as a theology of peace-making. In schools without a religious character, the law is flexible and allows the tailoring of provision to suit their pupils’ needs, considering their ages, aptitudes and family backgrounds.

I am concerned that, if the Bill is passed in its current form, one consequence may be to make anything more than a wholly secular assembly illegal and contested in our schools. Most children would not know about the Christmas or Easter stories, nor have the opportunity to learn about other faiths, if it were not for collective worship. The effect of the Bill might be to deprive young people of the chance to experience spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through collective worship.

There is already provision for parents to withdraw their children from collective worship if they wish to do so, but, when there is no space for reflection on faith, people of all faiths feel diminished, not just Christians. Although it is right and I am glad that we are having this debate, I very much hope that the Bill will not be progressed—or, at least, that it will be amended in Committee.