“In the London Borough of Brent schools are advised by the Local Authority's SACRE to legally opt out of the prescriptive religious element in collective worship and instead adopt a Model Approach which is fully inclusive and involves what is effectively a small period in the day to reflect on moral, ethical and spiritual matters. Note: for many 'spiritual' refers to the human spirit which need not be, and certainly in this instance is not, just a religious concept.”

“RE Should be kept out of all schools and should be done in private time not school hours all state funding stop and all private schools teaching only one religion scrapped”

“I do not think that the Mercury are advocating a change in the law simply because folk choose to ignore it, are they? The author of the piece moves swiftly from dropping legislation to equating acts of worship with the removal of religious education all together. Whilst I agree that Compulsory worship is a contradiction in terms and that Ordering a student to worship is like ordering them to enjoy any other subject.
However, matters of faith cannot are not solely academic exercise, to simple equate an assembly/act of worship with religious eductation is breathtaking in its ignorance, and I suspect reveals a fundemental lack of knowledge of the subject and cognitive development. The author fails. As do so many respodents, to comprehend, or delibaratly seeks to deny the opportunity R.E. gives children to explore issues of faith for themselves. The aim of education, which includes, religious education is to inform, engage and challenge assumptions or bigotries by exposing them to the facts, and history of the subject. Of couse, this requires effort, patience and an open mind. Ignorance is often a prelude to blanket-insulting of all religious people as deluded, superstitious and victims of brainwashing?
Wearing a mask of liberal democracy it is far too easy to create a range of hostile environments for those with a religious belief. Beginning with sweeping generalisations that seek to ensure that children grow up with little knowledge or practical experience of religion. This is not only a recipe for poor education, but also a dangerous route for community relations. This is precisely what the author advocates when he ignorantly equates an act of worship with religious education, which aims to afford children the opportunity of a wider understanding of their world. The author glibly states that "in an increasingly secular society where many people clearly regard religion as having little or no importance to them" yet at the last census 71% of the nation classified themselves as Christian. The author goes on to repeat his/her mistaken understanding, underlining his/her ignorance, by stating: "…it is surely pointless to tell all schools to have daily acts of worship and teach religious education." He simply chooses to ignore recent statements by several head-teachers who said that while a daily assembly was an important part of school life. Of course there are many who would support "the requirement for it to focus on the Christian faith did not reflect today's multi-cultural society". However, the term "Multi-cultural society" is at the very least a misnomer. For, I believe, it is correct to affirm that the Christian faith is a multi-cultural faith. Indeed the term 'Christian' was first used in Antioch, in the Middle-East. Subsequently the Christian faith spread to every nation on earth. How can a World Faith be anything other than multi-cultural? At the risk of being accused of semantics I would say it is when the terms 'Religion and Faith are used as interchangable, confusion reigns. The lack of understanding is often seized by those who have a less than hidden agenda.”

“Good thinking.

Compelling children to worship is daft unless you define worship as putting your hands together and reciting words that mean nothing to you.

As to RE, proselytising has to be out, but children should be taught about the main religions and beliefs, warts and all, so that they can appreciate where others are coming from. Whether we actually need it as a completely separate subject is a moot point.

State funded sectarian schools in a city such as Leicester are a disaster waiting to happen - a form of apartheid. They need to be abolished and certainly no new ones opened.”

“Excellent Mercury - let's open up the discussion, and where better to start than in Leicester? Though I suggest that we should aim at replacing RE with a broad course in humanity to be taught in all our schools (as suggested in my First Person article of 19 August) rather than have a free for all- we do need to know about one another.”

“Well done Leicester Mercury - a definite step in the right direction. Next, to stop state funding for religious schools and to make it absolutely clear to pupils in community schools that they do not have to participate in acts of worship where governors decide to continue with it.”