Brits win right to prayer free school assembly

https://www.theguardian.com/educatio...chool-assembly

Quote:

Two parents who challenged compulsory religious worship in school assembly have won the right for a secular alternative for their children. A Church of England multi-academy has said it will provide an alternative assembly for pupils withdrawn from prayers, it was confirmed on Wednesday. The Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust said it had also agreed the school will no longer hold its school leavers’ ceremony in church or gift bibles to all children. The school had been facing a court case over collective worship in one of its schools but has agreed with Lee and Lizanne Harris that their children must be provided with a prayer-free, secular alternative assembly.

This has been a long time coming, and is a major victory for Humanists UK.

Quote:

Humanists UK, which has backed the Harris family, said the decision marked a “significant win” in ensuring that schools did not force religious worship on all children. The Harrises launched the case after discovering their children were being made to pray and watch re-enactments of Bible scenes, including the crucifixion, during assemblies at Burford Primary school, an academy with no religious character. They later withdrew their children from assemblies but no alternative activities were arranged by the school. In their submission to the high court in London, the parents argued that Christian worship at the school constituted indoctrination and was in breach of their right to freedom of belief under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European convention on human rights.

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2KBNAwm