Closed petition Change the law so that collective worship is not compulsory in schools

Closed on 28 August 2013

Currently every maintained school is legally obliged to provide collective worship of a broadly Christian nature. This often takes place in assembly. Parents may withdraw their child from collective worship but this results in the child missing assembly too and assembly plays an important part in building the community of the school. It is unfair that in order to avoid compulsory prayer children must miss out on being part of their school community.
The law should be changed to remove the collective worship requirement and make maintained schools religiously neutral. This removes the inequality which atheist and non-Christian families currently suffer from and makes schools more inclusive, tolerant places, where children learn about all religions but are not led to follow one. Prayer belongs in families and religious communities, not in maintained schools.