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Until the passage of the relevant section of the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998, where a pupil took part in an act of worship in the local church, for example a carol service, this was not attendance at an act of school worship for the purposes of the law, except in a voluntary aided school. This section of the act now means that for any Church school an act of worship in church counts as the school worship for those pupils taking part on that day.
It is expected that many Church schools would give their pupils the opportunity to worship in church. The local church should ensure hospitality and be welcoming to the school or part of the school.
There are none while the Church and school maintain good relations. For very large schools, moving hundreds of pupils can be a major undertaking.
The law as regards an act of worship taking place elsewhere than on the school premises is found in Schedule 20, paragraph 2 (6) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
The law now recognizes that an act of worship attended by pupils in a church during a school day, counts as an act of worship. This was always the case for voluntary aided schools; voluntary controlled schools are now included.
Should pupils worship in church?
They should certainly be offered the opportunity in order to appreciate the different atmosphere and sense of occasion. However, some schools and churches are some distance apart and visits will not be easy.
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