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Religious Observance in Scottish schools: Report on the Consultation

three: coming to terms

3.1 Introduction

As we saw above, 64 per cent of respondents (across all groups) either 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' with the following description of religious observance: 'community acts which aim to promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community and express and celebrate the shared values of [that] community'.

However, it emerged from the individual and collective responses to the open question that 'spiritual development' and 'shared values' were not self-evident terms - particularly in the non-denominational context, and were construed in a variety of ways by respondents from across the spectrum of professed beliefs. As was pointed out in the response from the Church of Scotland Committee on Education, it appears that 'spiritual development will continue to be interpreted in many ways for educational purposes until it is further defined and described.'

There was also evidence from the consultation meetings and a small minority of questionnaire responses that 'observance' and 'worship' were perceived to be synonymous. ¹

It is important to emphasise that there was no explicit or implicit opposition to communal assembly. Indeed, the responses to the consultation exercise indicate substantial endorsement for the inherent value of bringing the members of the school community together. As we shall see, the devil appears to be in the detail.

3.2 The strands of the debate

As we stated in the Introduction, many of the responses we received comprised lengthy appendices that expounded in some detail on the issues raised in the consultation paper. Much of the debate centred round definitions of key terms such as 'spiritual development', 'spiritual being', 'whole person', 'shared values' - many of which were perceived to pervade the whole curriculum; and the connotations of the word 'religious'.

It is nevertheless possible to group the responses into three broad categories. These are summarised below, in descending order of significance in terms of the numbers/types of respondents concerned.

• For a substantial number of respondents, including the majority of those concerned with implementing religious observance in schools, 'spiritual development' was co-terminous with an individual's inward journey towards faith and/or the development of a deeper understanding of ethical and moral issues. There was a range of views expressed as to what extent the school could be legitimately expected to contribute to the former. There was also no clear consensus amongst school-based respondents as to the relative weight that should be ascribed to each dimension. However, 'PSD assemblies' - to adopt the term used by a number of respondents - were perceived to play a valuable role in instilling the value of tolerance and respect, and of encouraging pupils to honour what Jonathan Sacks (2002) has described as the 'dignity of difference'. The responses from the Young People's Forum stressed the importance of emphasising the positive rather than merely focusing on the infringement of rules:

  We learn about different cultures living together, which is really good. It does help me to understand ... (Participant at a Young People's Forum)

  I don't like when they just go on about rules, or when the police come and talk to us at assembly about behaviour. (Participant at a Young People's Forum)

  The headteacher sometimes talks about not smoking and dropping litter. Sometimes a minister comes and tells us stories. (Participant at a Young People's Forum)

• For other respondents, the concept of 'spiritual development' was meaningful only in as far as it was expressed and developed within an established community of practice - in this context under the aegis of the Church of Scotland with the support of the senior management in schools. This view was implicit or explicit in the responses of a substantial number of Church of Scotland ministers, chaplains and other Church of Scotland representatives; and by a substantial number of members of the general public. However, once again it should be borne in mind that c. 130 of these were in fact representing the views of one Christian organisation. The views of the latter were characterised by vehement rejection of what they described as 'multi-faith reflection.'
• A small minority of respondents (c. 37) - including a number of teachers - construed the term 'spiritual development' in a purely secular way, and were bemused or irritated to varying degrees by the persistent use of the term religious observance, both in the legislation and in the consultation paper itself.

We do not believe it is helpful to quantify numbers here - particularly as we are dealing with a combination of individual and collective responses. We should like to emphasise the diversity of the views expressed. The strands of the debate were manifold and intertwined. For example, many of the respondents representing what we will describe as 'organised religions' displayed a sophisticated understanding of the dimensions of spirituality, informed, no doubt, by years of theological study and debate. Some also displayed a profound understanding - rooted in personal experience in many cases - of the challenges of providing meaningful opportunities for religious observance to a heterogeneous school population, and in a society where values of conformity were subject to continuous challenge. For them, the challenge was squaring their own faith and beliefs with the successful execution of their duties in schools; and of forging constructive relationships with members of the senior management team in schools, not all of whom necessarily shared their beliefs.

Similarly, there were those who professed no religious belief who nevertheless believed that religious observance (however inappropriate they considered the term) could, and indeed sometimes did, play a valuable role in the development of moral awareness. We provide some illustrations of the broad spectrum of views below.

3.3 The range of views

3.3.1 The 'PSD assembly'

As we said above, the majority of respondents saw considerable merit in a communal gathering involving either the whole school, or groups of pupils as occasion demanded. As one member of a Young People's Forum put it:

I think they should have a assemblies because it is one time a week when the whole year group sit down and listen.

The responses to the open question indicated widespread endorsement of 'the school coming together as a community to share a moral and spiritual experience'; to 'nurture the spiritual'; to 'celebrate success'; 'to discuss common problems for the community of the school'. Many of these functions were perceived to be adequately served by other PSE activities, and were considered to be 'integrated with all facets of the "quality school", PSE, citizenship, emotional intelligence and values education'. The issue was the use of the word 'religious' to describe an event or series of events potentially far greater in scope. There were also a few respondents who rejected the reference in the consultation paper to ' all members of the school community'. One headteacher quoted below did not think that it was 'the job of the school to promote the spiritual development of adults, i.e. school staff', and thought that 'many [teachers and other members of staff] would take exception to this.'

The following quotations, the first from a respondent with 21 years experience as a headteacher in a school in which 23% of the pupils were from minority faiths, provide clear illustrations of these views:

The shared values of a school community can be celebrated through PSD assemblies which contain no religious element so that all pupils of whatever religion can be included without breaching faith with parents who have explicitly requested that their children do not take part in Religious Observance. The school values permeate the life of the school and do not require RO [religious observance] to promote them, although religious observance assemblies also do this. Therefore the Review Group's aims for RO can be well met within school life without Religious Observance as it is normally understood. (Headteacher)

Allowing for and encouraging the spiritual development of pupils is a very worthy aim, and I agree that a school would be remiss if it neglected this aspect of education. However, to call this 'religious' observance' is erroneous. 'Observance' implies that a certain code or set of behaviours is followed, and 'religious' implies that the code or set of behaviours is founded in one or another of the religions of the world. (Teacher and parent, responding in a personal capacity)

Council wishes to affirm the key role that school assemblies play in the life of a school, helping among other things to build community and offering opportunities for the celebration of achievement of the school and its members individually and collectively. (Advisory Council of Learning and Teaching Scotland)

A theme across senior teachers was that often, school management 'felt out of their depth when tackling Religious Observance...They have insufficient time to do it properly'. These teachers suggested that more use should be made of resources available in the community and some believed that this was an issue not sufficiently covered in the consultation document.

Religious observance was generally perceived as an extension, if not an integral part of PSE programme in schools. However, some of the responses to Questions 2 and 3 (on the aims of religious observance) indicate that although there was a large measure of agreement with the aims, the term itself was considered unhelpful. This was a view that was shared by committed Christians and those who did not profess any religious belief. And perhaps more significantly, the continued use of the term was perceived to undermine RORG's efforts towards inclusiveness:

I feel that having the word 'religious' in the title is rather unfortunate. The connotation of that word for many people is of organised religion ... It does not reflect the excellent work the religious observance review group has done to ensure that this experience is a positive and inclusive one for the school community. (University lecturer)

I entirely agree about the spiritual development part, and agree about shared values rather than divisiveness. However there is a danger that the shared values are equated with religion, which is inaccurate and can be confusing. (Primary school chaplain)

There remains a difficulty with the term 'religious observance' (and also 'instruction in religious subjects). Ideally, the 1980 Act should be revised and use terms such as 'religious education' and 'spiritual reflection'. However, if the wording of the Act is retained the reinterpretation suggested in the Consultation Paper is highly appropriate. (Retired educational consultant)

The term Religious Observance is very off-putting for many people and continues the confusion between Religious Observance and worship. (Scottish Joint Committee on Religious and Moral Education)

3.3.2 The 'Christian' assembly

And as we saw above, the use of the term 'religious' in the legislation and in the consultation paper was a stumbling block for a significant minority of respondents. However, there were some respondents for whom the consultation paper made too scant reference to organised religion. For example, several respondents, including some key institutions in Scotland, were puzzled by the absence of the word 'religion' in the definition of religious observance:

The definition as it stands is potentially inward-looking and secular and since it does not mention religion, faith or God, is seriously lacking as a definition of Religious Observance, however worthy it might be in defining a certain kind of school ethos. (Christian Education Association Scotland)

The definition... is not adequate.... It could be used, unchanged, to apply to citizenship or values education, neither of which need have a religious element. (Scottish Parent Teacher Council)

The Consultation Paper does not mention Christianity or any other religion... An immediate question arises: how religious is Religious Observance? The original pattern of Religious Observance and instruction was exclusively Christian. The Consultation Paper is offering a formula that is potentially much more inclusive, but not at first sight particularly religious. (Church of Scotland Committee on Education)

The main thrust of the argument put forward by the respondents who fell into this category (c. 190) was that the religious observance should take place within a broadly Christian framework because the social and cultural background of the majority of pupils was Christian, nominally at least. The first quotation illustrates that the distinction between religious observance and an act of worship posited by RORG is not one that appears to mean much in the eyes of some respondents. As the Advisory Council of Learning and Teaching Scotland, pointed out:

Distinguishing between Religious Observance and acts of worship is a useful clarification, but one which is unlikely to have appeal in schools where faith is widely shared and is deeply rooted.

The following quotations provide further examples of the range of views expressed.

The [Consultation Paper] states that our society is mainly secular/multi-faith. As a headteacher with twenty years experience in a non-denominational school, I can assure the writers of this document that the majority of our parents, although not church attenders, still consider themselves Christian and that is the form of worship they endorse in this school. (Primary school headteacher)

I would suggest that the nature of Religious Observance be broadly Christian in character in order to recognise both our Christian heritage and also the fact that the overwhelming majority do identify themselves as Christian even if only in a general sense. (Youth and schools worker)

To make Religious Observance relevant and meaningful it should follow the school's majority religion and allow for withdrawal of pupils who do not wish to be part of that observance... Where there is a significant group from a minority religion, provision for Religious Observance may be made in school with the help of an outside group. (Secondary headteacher)

The consultation elicited a small number of strong views. For example:

Personally, I could not sit comfortably with including elements of 'false religions' in genuine worship or observance in school. (Secondary headteacher)

For several respondents and participants in the consultation meetings, 'spirituality' could only be developed by exposure to religious faith (although not necessarily worship):

We support the aim of spiritual development, but we believe that an important way in which this can be done is by exposure to the beliefs, values and practices and representatives of faith communities which have as their aim the spiritual development of people in the context of belief in and worship of God.
(Christian Education Association Scotland)

The view was expressed in one consultation meeting that 'spirituality can only be developed through Christianity'.

3.3.3 Against Religious Observance

It is important to note that there were a relatively small number of responses (c. 37) that expressed outright rejection of religious observance in schools (although many more expressed some misgivings - both at the consultation meetings and in the questionnaire responses - at what they perceived as current practice in schools).

Some of those who rejected religious observance did so on the grounds that it was explicitly or implicitly proselytising:

I do not agree that school is the appropriate place for Religious Observance ... Religious teaching is nearly always about the irrefutable rightness of one's own faith and the utter wrongness of everyone else's. It is therefore divisive, and has no place within the modern school. (Primary headteacher)

Any faith-based form of religious education (indoctrination) is totally inappropriate in a school. It is absurd and naive to believe to imagine that school assemblies based upon a religious service are the only way to develop a community spirit within the school... (University lecturer)

Others believed that the relevance and appropriateness of religious observance for education within a modern society was limited:

We feel that the concept of Religious Observance has been watered down in an attempt to fit it into the 21st century Scotland, which is a multi-faith and no-faith society that has moved a long way since 1980. We feel the time has come to remove the compulsory requirement on schools for Religious Observance and replace it by a more secular duty for the development of the whole person.
(Scottish Parent Teacher Council)

... the anachronism [of Religious Observance] should be discontinued as soon as possible. The first steps in this process must be to repeal Section 8 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and to withdraw Circular 6/91. (Humanist Society of Scotland)

[The review is most welcome, as currently there is a struggle to balance the requirements of the law with the integrity of staff and the rights of pupils and their parents. Having fulfilled the requirements of the law for the past 21 years as a headteacher, I have reached the considered opinion that Religious Observance, as defined in Circular 6/91 should play no part in school life. It continues to raise more issues and problems than it solves, particularly in the multi-cultural, inclusive and increasingly non-religious society of modern Scotland ... I firmly believe that the school should assemble weekly and that children should be given opportunities to hear and reflect upon stories that support the shared values of the school, but this can be done without the introduction of Religious Observance as broadly understood. (Primary headteacher)]

Some thought that religious observance was more suitably provided by parents and within a family context than in schools:

Many staff believe it is the place of the parents to identify and carry through religious wishes, although there is a place for moral education, shared values, celebration of success. (Primary headteacher).

3.4 Religious and Moral Education (RME)

It is important to note that even amongst the relatively small number of respondents (c. 37) who expressed outright rejection of religious observance as defined both in Circular 6/91 and in the consultation paper, there was considerable support for Religious and Moral Education (RME) in both primary and secondary schools. The discussions at the consultation meetings bore this out.

There was considerable concern expressed at what was widely perceived to be a blurring of the distinction between RME and religious observance. For example, the response from the General Teaching Council of Scotland underlined the importance of 'spiritual development', but considered that it was difficult to see how this differed from Personal Search in RME. In the same vein, CARE for Scotland (Christian Action Research and Education) expressed the belief that:

... it is important that the distinction between RME and Religious Observance is maintained and we are concerned that the consultation document blurs this distinction.

The same view was expressed by the Evangelical Alliance Scotland.

The following extracts from the responses to the open question (Q 11) provide further illustrations of the range of views expressed:

Learning about other faiths is fine, as part of PSE, celebrating diversity, citizenship... to increase tolerance and understanding.. Religious Observance is totally different. (Primary headteacher)

Religion is for the home. School is for education. By all means have RE lessons that teach pupils the various religions, faiths and philosophical stances that people hold... (School board member)

However, there were also a number of responses to this question that indicated that Religious Observance and RME were conflated. For example:

Any [Religious Observance] undertaken should reflect the make up of the local community in order to promote respect of different faiths. (Primary headteacher)

Does Religious Observance come from the RME time allocation as part of the 5-14 curriculum? If not, this must be specified. (Primary headteacher)

I think schools should have assemblies as they are good for teaching about God. (Participant at a Young People's Forum)

Schools should be encouraged to have speakers from different beliefs and non-beliefs to attend and explain their views and answer questions. But assemblies should be free of religion. (School board member)

In most cases [in authority X] this would mean observance of the Christian faith in a broad enough sense to include all denominations. I strongly disagree with the promotion of Islam and other religions not part of the pupils' everyday culture, but education about these religions should help promote tolerance and respect for others. (Secondary headteacher)

3.5 Time and place

It is almost a truism that consultation exercises rarely elicit a true cross-section of public opinion. One respondent (a secondary school teacher speaking in a personal capacity) expressed

... concern about the range of responses... received... It strikes me that those most keen to respond will be those who have a particularly strong faith and will not see (or, more worryingly, will ignore) the distinction between education and indoctrination.

One possible exemplification of this is the fact that 43% (n 222) of those responding as individuals would have liked daily opportunities for religious observance in secondary schools. We emphasise that this is unlikely to represent the view of a wider cross-section of society.

It is also worth noting that only a narrow majority of secondary headteachers and teachers (51%) were in favour of at least maintaining the status quo in respect of frequency; and a substantial percentage (26%) thought that opportunities for religious observance should be offered 'on regular occasions, at the school's discretion.' Furthermore, a small but significant minority of headteachers and teachers (9%) thought that there should be no religious observance in Scottish secondary schools. With the exception of the Humanists, no other single group expressed this degree of opposition to regular religious observance. ( See Appendix 4 for an overview of the perspective of primary and secondary headteachers and teachers.)

3.6 Facilitation

3.6.1 The role of chaplains

Across all groups, the emphasis was on the quality rather than on the quantity of the experience. One young person participating in a Young People's Forum wrote that:

Sometimes it feels like they couldn't think of anything to say, so they just talk about the same old things. They should make it more interesting so that people will listen... When they talk about something we haven't heard before it's o.k.

A number of responses (n 66) noted that school chaplains - in particular those who were 'brave and streetwise' could play an important role in facilitating observance. The case for the continuing involvement of school chaplains was put particularly strongly by respondents from the Church of Scotland, for example:

Well-trained chaplains are potentially crucial in co-ordinating such an integrated movement. (Church of Scotland representative)

The majority of chaplains see themselves as representing the churches in general and are well used to approaching their task in a way that avoids contentious issues that divide the churches.... One final caveat. One of my colleagues ... stated that if he were to be restricted to a lowest common denominator of moral exhortation, however worthy in itself, and not allowed to lead worship, he might cease to be willing to lead 'religious observance.' (Church of Scotland minister)

This view was echoed by another Church of Scotland minister and school chaplain, who explained that:

Whilst I am happy to teach good morals, to present this in a multi-faith package would cause me considerable difficulty as a Christian minister, and might well cause offence to those other faiths. So the undermining of realistic and constructive chaplaincy continues.

However, as several respondents pointed out, there were issues associated with the provision of training for chaplains:

Having observed sincere 'chaplains and faith representatives' over the years, many of them, indeed most of them, had little or no training in this element and their contribution in this sphere was very counter-productive in a number of respects. (Retired primary teacher)

3.7 Points of view

This section draws upon some of the practical suggestions from individuals and organisations to the consultation questionnaire, as well as and from participants at the consultation meetings.

Terminology

• Reviewing the use of the term 'religious observance', and the use and exemplification of other terms used in the consultation paper, such as 'spiritual development' 'shared values'. Consideration also might be given to the use of alternative terms suggested by respondents, e.g 'spiritual reflection' or 'reflective personal development'. It was suggested that 'spiritual development' is not yet part of the popular discourse of Scottish education.'

Involving others

• Involving pupils and staff in developing the rationale for religious observance as well as in the planning and presentation of specific instances. Active presentation, and a variety of forms of presentation were also considered important. This point was a consistent theme in the responses from young people. For example:

  There's no chance to take part at all. We just have to sit silently and listen... The school church services are a lot better because we can participate more - the band usually plays and there might be a drama or some kind of game or quiz. (Participant at a Young People's Forum)

  The children all agreed that they would enjoy assembly a lot more if they could take part themselves. (Faciltitator at a Young People's Forum)

• Many teachers considered that presenting meaningful opportunities for religious observance presented real challenges, and they readily acknowledged that they benefited from appropriate external input and from partnerships with the wider community.
• Encouraging schools to work together with leaders of different faith communities.
• Approaching religious broadcasters for advice on working effectively with multi-faith communities (cf also the Scottish Parliament's time for reflection).
• Involving school chaplains in the multi-professional support team under the New Community Schools project.
• Clarifying and further developing the role of school chaplains, and providing continuing professional development for school staff and chaplains.

Local arrangements to suit local situations

• Allowing local communities to make their own decisions as to the nature and frequency of 'religious observance'.
• Providing suggestions about balance in the representation of different faith traditions reflected in the school and the community.

Curriculum review and teaching approaches

• Reviewing the articulation between religious observance, Religious and Moral Education (RME) and Personal and Social Development (PSD); and adopting a holistic approach to spiritual development by involving other subject areas, such as Art, Music, English and Environmental Studies 'Need to ensure that RO is built-in, not bolt-on'.
• Large whole-school activities are not always productive/useful. Smaller groups are more participative and personal.
• Some teachers argued that religious observance also requires a convincing rationale for its importance in the curriculum if teachers are to prioritise it along side other subjects.

Dissemination of good practice and support for teachers

• Disseminating good practice and exemplars in relation to religious observance.
• Providing 'examples of how opportunities for spiritual development can be provided in contexts including, but wider than, school assemblies or acts of worship.'
• Different guidance would be welcome for primary and secondary schools - taking account of differing levels of maturity.
• Provision of in-service training and 'meaningful staff development' in relation to religious observance.

Opting-in rather than opting-out

• Providing parents and pupils with opportunities to opt-in rather than to opt-out of religious observance.

¹ One respondent (from the Humanist Society of Scotland) quoted from a Glossary of Terms in an Appendix to the Strathclyde Education Department Policy Statement of 1994. It reads as follows: "Religious observance is the experience of and/or participation in worship, usually in the form of class or school assemblies' (our emphasis).

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