Act now: Curriculum and Assessment Review call for evidence

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Dear Professor Becky Francis,
I am responding to the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s call for evidence, and I am doing so as an individual. 
In particular, in relation to Section Nine, question 54 I ask that the review considers school assemblies as part of its scope. School assemblies can contribute to pupil development and would be suitable for all pupils regardless of religion or belief, replacing mandatory daily Christian worship in schools. They could be modelled on the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) model the last Labour Government pursued in the late 2000s when it did its last curriculum review.
Regarding Section Five, question 22:
Religious Education (RE)
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The subject suffers from patchwork provision and should be included in the National Curriculum: This would make sure the subject is taught in a consistent, broad, and balanced manner in all state-funded schools regardless of religious character.
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Inclusion of non-religious worldviews is patchy: Successive High Court cases have established that non-religious worldviews should be given ‘equal respect’ to the major religions but this varies hugely from agreed syllabus to agreed syllabus. A large part of the problem is that primary legislation doesn’t reflect this need for inclusion.
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Education law should be changed to rename the subject and make clear that humanism needs equal inclusion: Following on from the above, the education law needs updating to reflect this legal reality. Wales did this as part of its curriculum review.
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A new name to reflect modern society: The name ‘Religious Education’ has exclusivity connotations. We believe that it should be replaced with a more inclusive title such as ‘Religions and Worldviews’. 
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Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
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Lack of compulsory content leads to patchwork provision: This means that while RSE has to be taught, the quality and comprehensiveness of the subject varies from school to school, which can result in pupils not receiving the education and knowledge they need to live healthy and happy lives.
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Faith-based teaching and parental rights of withdrawal limit RSE: The subject should be taught in an unbiased and impartial manner with no allowance for schools of a religious character to teach it from a faith-based perspective. Nor should pupils be deprived of their entitlement to comprehensive, evidence-based, and age-appropriate teaching. Only then will the subject be able to truly ensure that every child can grow up healthy, happy, and above all, safe
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Section Nine, question 54:
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<li dir="ltr">Inclusive assemblies promote pupil development: Such assemblies could explore topics such as happiness, sadness, beauty and the arts; encourage kindness, sharing and creativity; consider life, love, and death; and investigate what it means to be human. They could also delve into different religious and non-religious points of view, and create a space where no-one should feel that their own beliefs are being contradicted, and that they are wrong for not sharing the religious views being presented by the teacher.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Replacing mandatory daily Christian collective worship would promote social inclusion: Christian collective worship excludes many pupils who are from a non-Christian or non-religious background. Replacing this legal requirement with inclusive assemblies would bring pupils together regardless of their faith or belief, and make sure every pupil is treated with equal respect.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Parents think religious worship is the least appropriate activity for school assemblies: A poll of parents found that 51% of parents found that acts of religious worship was the least appropriate activity for school assemblies, with topics such as the environment, mental and physical well being ranking highly.</li>
<li dir="ltr">70% of school leaders oppose mandatory daily Christian collective worship in schools: A 2024 poll of school leaders in England by Teacher Tapp has once again shown that there is widespread opposition to the current law mandating schools to hold a daily act of collective Christian worship. Almost 2,000 school leaders were surveyed, including headteachers, with 70% of them opposed to the legal requirement. </li>
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With these points in mind, I hope you will seriously consider the inclusion of inclusive assemblies into the curriculum review.
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Act now: Curriculum and Assessment Review call for evidence

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