Education Act 1996

385 Collective worship

(1) Subject to section 389, all pupils in attendance at a maintained school other than a maintained special school shall on each school day take part in an act of collective worship.

(2) The arrangements for the collective worship in a school required by this section may, in respect of each school day, provide for a single act of worship for all pupils or for separate acts of worship for pupils in different age groups or in different school groups.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) a “school group” is any group in which pupils are taught or take part in other school activities.

(4) Subject to subsection (6), the arrangements for the collective worship required by this section shall be made—

(a) in the case of a county school or a grant-maintained school in relation to which section 379 applies, by the head teacher after consultation with the governing body; and

(b) in the case of a voluntary school or a grant-maintained school other than one in relation to which section 379 applies, by the governing body after consultation with the head teacher.

(5) Subject to subsection (6), the collective worship in a school required by this section shall take place on the school premises.

(6) If the governing body of an aided, special agreement or grant-maintained school are of the opinion that it is desirable that any act of collective worship in the school required by this section should, on a special occasion, take place elsewhere than on the school premises, they may, after consultation with the head teacher, make such arrangements for that purpose as they think appropriate.

(7) The powers of a governing body under subsection (6) shall not be exercised so as to derogate from the rule that the collective worship in the school required by this section must normally take place on the school premises.