A Bill to amend the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to make provision regarding assemblies at state schools without a designated religious character in England; to repeal the requirement for those schools to hold collective worship; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
11 February 2025
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Education (Assemblies) Bill would end the legal requirement for state schools in England to hold worship of a religious character and replace it with daily assemblies focused on broad spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Pupils can opt out, and if they withdraw, schools must provide an assembly of equal educational worth; the changes also apply to schools without a religious designation and to special schools, with duties placed on local authorities, governing bodies and headteachers to implement them.
The bill is in the Lords Committee stage after its 1st and 2nd readings. A set of 11 amendments proposed by Lord Jackson of Peterborough has been debated, including rights for pupils in non-designated schools to take part in acts of worship, stronger parental withdrawal rights, and clarifications on 'equal educational worth' and balance of views. The amendment paper (Feb 2025) signals substantial policy changes under consideration, but none are finalised yet.
Generated 21 February 2026
12 Sept 2024
7 Feb 2025
Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the bill - took place on 7 February.
What happens next?
Committee stage - line by line examination of the bill - is yet to be scheduled.
An amendment paper listing Lord Jackson of Peterborough’s proposed changes to the Education (Assemblies) Bill [HL]. It would insert a new clause requiring assemblies to promote a defined set of spiritual, moral, social and cultural principles (potentially reflecting humanist beliefs) and to comply with existing safeguards on political indoctrination and balanced treatment; it also strengthens parental rights over assemblies. It also moves to allow schools without a religious designation to organise acts of worship, provides for pupil withdrawal from such events (including sixth-formers) with an equivalent act of worship, and defines 'equal educational worth' to ensure fair consideration of secular and religious perspectives.
The Committee’s Second Report scrutinises several Bills, focusing on two main concerns. It says the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill would allow the repeal of its limiting sections via a broad, potentially unlimited power that could be used after all private franchises end, and it asks for a clear limit and, if not, for affirmative parliamentary procedure. It also criticises the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill for ‘skeleton’ powers that would let ministers regulate most rules by secondary legislation with little justification or consultation, and it recommends removing those powers or substantially tightening scrutiny. It notes that other Bills in the list have no delegated powers to scrutinise.
The Bill would replace the current requirement for collective worship with daily assemblies in many English and Welsh schools, focusing on broad spiritual, moral, social and cultural education rather than religious observance. It allows pupils to opt out of worship, requires schools to provide an assembly of equal educational worth where pupils are withdrawn, and imposes duties on local authorities, governing bodies and headteachers to ensure compliance. It makes a wide range of amendments to several Acts to implement these changes for England and Wales, with specific provisions for schools without a religious character and for special schools.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
