in Scottish schools Report on the Consultation

in Scottish schools Report on the Consultation
Scottish Council for Research in Education
2004

Copyright © 2004 The SCRE Centre, University of Glasgow
ISBN: 1 86003 083 1
First published April 2004
The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the
SCRE Centre or of the research funders.
Astron B29749 5-04
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1
4
12
1.1
1.2
Background
Scope and method
1.2.1
The questionnaire
1.3
Data processing and analysis
1.4
The Final Report
2.1
Introduction
2.3
2.4
Representativeness
The main messages
2.4.1
Definition and aims
2.4.2 An inclusive approach
2.4.3 A general assembly
2.4.4 Frequency of opportunities for religious observance
2.4.5 Practical advice and support
2.5
Moving on ...
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The strands of the debate
3.3 The range of views
3.3.1
The ‘PSD assembly’
3.3.2 The ‘Christian’ assembly
3.3.3 Against Religious Observance
3.4
3.5
Religious and Moral Education (RME)
Time and place
3.6
Facilitation
3.6.1
The role of chaplains
3.7
Points of view
26
17
19
21
22
13
13
15
15
23
23
24
10
10
8
9
7
8
6
7
5
5
3
3
1
2
3
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Appendix 1: Consultation Paper:
Review of Religious Observance in Scottish Schools
Exemplar: a Muslim story
Appendix 2: Annotated questionnaire
Appendix 3: Responses from organisations
Appendix 4: Summary tables (the school perspective)
29
35
43
45

one: introduction

In November 2002, The SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow was invited to conduct a consultation exercise on behalf of the Religious Observance Review Group (RORG). RORG was established by the then Education Minister in August 2001. Its purpose was twofold: to review current guidance on arrangements for religious observance in schools; and to make recommendations in order that guidance to schools was relevant and appropriate for both students and staff.
Religious observance is a statutory requirement in schools under the Education (Scotland)
Act 1980. However, parents have the right to withdraw their children should they wish. The original impetus for the establishment of RORG was an HMIE report entitled Standards and
Quality in Secondary Schools: Religious and Moral Education 1995-2000.
The HMI report stated unequivocally that many secondary schools were not following government advice in respect of the frequency of opportunities for religious observance. The advice provided in
SOED Circular 6/91 was that secondary schools should provide at least monthly opportunities for participation in religious observance; and that primary schools at least weekly opportunities.
It is important to stress that RORG’s remit was to provide guidance to schools in order to help them meet their statutory requirements in respect of the provision of opportunities for religious observance in schools. Neither the legislation, nor the continuing use of the term
‘religious observance’ were under discussion.
We should note at the outset that the number of responses received – 1,473 – far exceeded our expectations. In addition, many of the responses comprised lengthy appendices that expounded in some detail on the issues raised in the consultation paper. We are delighted that the members of the review group have availed themselves of the opportunity to scrutinise this material. We are sure that this will enhance their understanding of the challenges involved in providing a concise synthetic overview that does justice to the range and depth of views expressed.
The extent and depth of the response was in itself an early indication of the highly contested nature of some of the assumptions underpinning the consultation paper, and indeed of the current and future role of religious observance in Scottish schools. These are issues to which we shall return in the succeeding sections of this report. We begin, however, by outlining the scope of the consultation exercise and the research methods employed.
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2 one: introduction
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
The research was conducted between November 2002 and March 2003. The consultation exercise itself extended over a longer period – between June 2002 and February 2003, and comprised three phases, the last two of which were concurrent. The research team became involved during Phase 2 and from the beginning of Phase 3:
1
The preparation and dissemination by RORG of a consultation paper entitled Review of
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools; and an exemplar entitled ‘A Muslim Story’ (see
Appendix 1).
2
A series of six consultation meetings held at various locations throughout Scotland between
June 2002 and February 2003. Members of RORG facilitated meetings and prepared brief accounts of the proceedings for the research team. Members of the research team were in attendance at two of the meetings. The participants included pupils, teachers; parents; and representatives from faith communities – chaplains from local presbyteries of the Church of
Scotland; chaplains from the Roman Catholic church; and representatives from other denominations and religious organisations, e.g. members of local Muslim, Hindu, Sikh,
Buddhist, Jewish and Bahá’í faith communities. Minority faith groups were particularly well represented at one of the consultation meetings. Secular interests were represented by the
Humanist Society of Scotland, as well as other non-religious groups.
The review group was keen to involve young people in the consultation. Overall, the group achieved some success in eliciting the views of young people, as approximately 30 children’s forums contributed their views, as did the National Youth Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
3
The development of a brief questionnaire prepared by the research team in consultation with
RORG (see Appendix 2 for an annotated version). The questionnaire was publicised at the six consultation meetings, and through the RORG website
( http://www.ltscotland.com/religiousobservance ). Potential respondents could choose to submit their responses electronically or by post. Additional copies of the questionnaire and the consultation paper could be downloaded free of charge from the website. As is common practice in consultations of this nature, the deadline for submissions (12 February 2003) was at least 12 weeks after the questionnaire first became available.

The questionnaire comprised 10 closed and one open question. It focused on the following areas in respect of religious observance: definitions aims the consultation paper and the exemplar parental rights to withdraw children frequency of religious observance location, space and time facilitation.
Data from the 1,473 completed questionnaires were entered on a database and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The responses were categorised by type of respondent, and cross-tabulations performed in order to determine the extent to which different types of respondent held different views.
Responses to the final open question (Q 11 ‘Are there any other points you would like to make regarding religious observance in schools?’) were analysed thematically. The research team devised a series of codes based on the analysis of the first 370 responses. These underwent subsequent modification and were applied systematically to the total number of completed questionnaires. Some respondents submitted lengthy written submissions in addition to or in place of the questionnaire. These were analysed thematically in the same way.
The research team also conducted a content analysis of the notes of the consultation meetings provided by RORG.
This report is based on our analysis of the 1,473 questionnaire responses entered on the project database by 12 February 2003; and a descriptive and analytical account of the issues to emerge from the six consultation meetings.
In order to make the report as concise as possible, we report the findings thematically, drawing upon both the questionnaire data and the evidence from the consultation meetings to elucidate the main findings.
3

overview

2.1 Introduction
We begin our report of the findings with a brief overview of the results of our analysis of the responses to the consultation exercise. (See Appendix 2 for an annotated version of the questionnaire.) One of the first steps was to determine who had responded to the Consultation
Paper – either by submitting a questionnaire, or by making their views known to us via other forms of written submission. It is to this issue that we now turn. We conclude this section by outlining the main messages to emerge from the consultation exercise.
2.2 The respondents
We received a total of 1,473 submissions via the consultation questionnaire. Of these,
70% were from individuals, and 30% were responses made on behalf of an organisation.
(See Appendix 3 for a complete list of the responses from organisations.) Table 2.1 below presents an overview of the respondents, broken down by category.
Category of respondent
Secondary school (non-denominational)
Secondary school (denominational)
Other faith school
Primary school (non-denominational)
Primary school (denominational)
Special/nursery school
Church of Scotland/Minister/Chaplain
Roman Catholic Church Representatives
‘Non-religious’ organisations (e.g. Humanist)
Bahá’í
Buddhist
Hindu
Jewish
Moslem
Sikh
Education and other relevant organisations (e.g. LA, HE, FE, EIS etc)
Other* (almost entirely members of the public)
% (n 1473)
* Including 109 CARE for Scotland (Christian Action Research and Education) lobby (7% of total responses or 18% of all public/other responses).
9%
1%
(129)
(18)
0.7% (1)
24% (358)
3%
1%
(38)
(19)
12% (182)
0.3% (5)
0.6%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1 %
0.1 %
0.3%
0.1 %
6%
(2)
(5)
(1)
(88)
41% (609)
(9)
(5)
(3)
(1)
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6 two: overview
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
There are a number of caveats that should be borne in mind when interpreting these data.
Firstly, it transpired that a substantial number of returns (c. 130 – 9% of all responses) originally categorised as being ‘individual’ responses from members of the public in fact represented the views of an organisation that had organised a lobbying campaign (Christian Action Research and Education – CARE for Scotland). In our subsequent analysis of the questionnaire responses, we have therefore treated some ‘individual’ responses as part of an organisational response in order not to give undue weight to particular opinions. This is common practice in consultation exercises.
2.3 Representativeness
Table 2 indicates that the two largest categories of questionnaire respondents (apart from members of the public) were primary and secondary headteachers and teachers; and representatives of the Church of Scotland. These two groups accounted for 33 per cent and
12 per cent respectively of the total number of responses received.
It appears that the efforts of RORG to encourage representatives from other faiths to participate in the consultation exercise have met with limited success. Only a small minority of responses
(2%) were from representatives of other faiths (or, in the case of the Humanists and other secular respondents, of none). This finding is difficult to interpret, and caution should be exercised in attempting to adduce explanations. However, it is important to reiterate the lengths to which the members of RORG went in order to include a diverse range of faiths in the consultation, and to include the voice of young people.
It appears that the RORG’s effort to make the consultation paper as inclusive as possible, although ostensibly welcomed by the majority of respondents (68%), has in effect served to polarise the debate. As we shall see, the questionnaire elicited some strong views, particularly from those individuals and organisations that considered that the consultation paper represented a threat to the range of religious practices that they espoused.
The relatively small number of responses from denominational schools is perhaps an indication that ‘religious observance’ is a less contentious issue in this context.
It is also encouraging that so many local authorities have taken the opportunity to respond to the consultation (see Appendix 3 for a full list); and that the consultation exercise has ignited a far wider debate on the role and status of religious observance in a multicultural society.

2.4 The main messages
We conclude this section with a brief summary of the main messages to emerge from the consultation process. We shall explore these in greater depth later in the report. Readers may wish to refer to the annotated version of the questionnaire (see Appendix 2) at this point.
●
There was broad agreement with the definition of ‘religious observance’ proposed by RORG.
Sixty-four per cent of respondents (across all groups) either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with the description of religious observance as ‘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, analysis of the open responses submitted by both individuals and organisations revealed that the terms ‘spiritual development’ and ‘shared values’ were highly contested; and the distinctions between religious observance and religious and moral education (RME) unclear. Both the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the Scottish Parent Teacher
Council expressed major reservations about the use of terms in the consultation paper.
Perhaps the most contested term of all was ‘religious observance’ itself. The organisational response from one key stakeholder group, the Association of Directors of Education in
Scotland (ADES) expressed the view that ‘there is a strong case for moving away from the term Religious Observance’.
●
A substantial minority of individual respondents and representatives of the Church of
Scotland disagreed with the proposed definition of religious observance (n 234; 46% and n 67; 42% respectively). From the responses to the open question it appears that they considered the ‘inclusiveness’ of the consultation paper and the breadth of the aims of religious observance contributed to the erosion of the position of Christianity in Scottish schools and in the wider community.
●
There was broad agreement with the statement that the aim of religious observance is to promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community (30 per cent
‘strongly agreed’ and 47 per cent ‘agreed’). However, we draw the reader’s attention to the caveats raised above and explored in greater depth in Section 3.
●
There was broad agreement with the statement that the aim of religious observance is to express and celebrate the shared values of the school community. (Twenty-four per cent
‘strongly agreed’ and 40 per cent ‘agreed’.) Once again, we draw the reader’s attention to the caveats raised above.
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8 two: overview
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
●
A sizeable minority of Church of Scotland ministers and/or school chaplains also disagreed with the aims of religious observance as set down by RORG; (n 26; 16% with Aim 1; n 70; and almost half – 43% with Aim 2).
● The range of views expressed by primary headteachers and teachers in the section – the largest group of respondents excluding members of the general public – was narrower.
Only 23 (7%) expressed disagreement with the definition of religious observance; and there was a greater consensus with the aims as defined by RORG. However, in their responses to the open question, a small minority of primary and secondary (head)teachers made explicit reference to other pressures (e.g. lack of time and the demands of the curriculum) that made the implementation of religious observance more difficult.
● The consultation paper was generally regarded as a ‘helpful’ and ‘inclusive’ document by all categories of respondent, including those few representatives from minority faiths.
●
The two groups which expressed the greatest reservations in this regard were the representatives from the Church of Scotland; and members of the public – a substantial number of whom (c 109) were responding on behalf of CARE.
● RORG’s efforts to adopt an inclusive approach were widely acclaimed as laudable.
However, there was a strong current running through the responses to the open question that the inclusive approach might be pursued more effectively through the existing channels of Religious and Moral Education (RME), and to a lesser extent Personal and Social
Development (PSD).
●
However, analysis of the responses to the open question indicates some endorsement of the involvement of other faiths and religious leaders in the organisation and delivery of religious observance; and, on the other hand, endorsement of the role played by the chaplain.
●
The responses to Questions 5 and 6 (see Appendix 2) generally indicate that there was a perceived need for some form of communal reunion within schools: there was considerable support for what might be described as the ‘PSD assembly’; and also for meetings involving smaller groups of pupils. These views were echoed amongst participants at the
Church of Scotland Young People’s Forum.

●
There appeared to be a number of practical difficulties associated with organising assemblies: dealing with disruptive behaviour; and identifying meaningful activities for those children whose parents had chosen to withdraw them from religious observance. There was almost unanimous support for the parental right to withdraw. Indeed it was suggested by a number of respondents (including representatives of key stakeholder groups such as the
Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association and the Humanist Society of Scotland) that parents and pupils should opt in rather than have the right to opt out.
●
The main message in respect of the frequency of religious observance was the emphasis on quality rather than quantity. This view was endorsed by several key stakeholder groups including the Church of Scotland Committee on Education and The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC); the Advisory Council of Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS), the
Association of Christian Teachers (Scotland) and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.
● The majority of primary headteachers and teachers who responded (n 194; 65%) believed that primary school children should have opportunities for religious observance at least once a week; however, a sizeable minority (n 85; 24%) considered that opportunities for religious observance should be offered on regular occasions at the school’s discretion.
(See the point made in 2.4.1 above in respect of other pressures on the education system.)
●
The majority of secondary headteachers and teachers (n 63; 51%) thought that the opportunities for religious observance should be provided at least once a month; a substantial minority (32; 26%) thought that the school should be able to exercise more discretion in respect of the frequency of opportunities for Religious Observance. This view was also supported by the Headteacher’s Association of Scotland, the Advisory Council of
LTS and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.
● In contrast, 43% (n 222) of the members of the general public who responded would like daily opportunities for religious observance in secondary schools; 50% would welcome daily opportunities in primary schools.
●
Over 70% of respondents in the ‘other educational interest group’ category (see Table 2.1
above) were, at the very least, in favour of the maintenance of the status quo in respect of the frequency of opportunities for religious observance in the primary and secondary sectors. (See Appendix 4 for summary tables.)
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Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
●
There were a number of specific requests for guidance and practical advice. However, few practical suggestions were forthcoming, and the exemplar provided (‘A Muslim Story’) received a fairly lukewarm reception: only 19% of primary headteachers and teachers and 4% of secondary counterparts found it ‘very helpful’; and 19% of Church of Scotland ministers/ chaplains described it as ‘not at all helpful’. It was considered to ‘tend towards RME, but with an ethical edge’. Specific criticisms included that it was ‘unrealistic’ for use in a large groups; and that it lacked indications as to the age group for which it might be suitable.
2.5 Moving on ...
We hope that this overview of our findings has served to orient the reader; and also to draw attention to the complexity of some of the issues raised by the consultation exercise and the diversity of opinion generated by it. In the succeeding sections, we will look at some of these in greater detail, and begin to draw out some of the implications of some of the findings. We begin by looking at how some of the key terms used in the consultation paper were construed by the respondents.

11

coming to terms

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.
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’.
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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three: coming to terms
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
14
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.
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.’
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Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
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)
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)
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Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
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’.
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)
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... 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).

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)
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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)
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.)

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)
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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.
●
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 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.

●
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.
● 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.
●
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.
●
Providing parents and pupils with opportunities to opt-in rather than to opt-out of religious observance.
25

conclusion

It is a measure of the level of interest generated by the consultation that we received a total
1,473. The extent and depth of many of these is an indication of the contested nature of some of the assumptions contained in the consultation paper.
Prima facie , however, it appeared that there was a large measure of agreement with the aims of religious observance as set out in the consultation paper. Yet it was also apparent that the concepts of ‘spiritual development’ and ‘shared values’ were far from self-evident; and that the very term ‘religious observance’ was no longer appropriate for describing the range of practice involving those of different faiths
– or of none.
The evidence suggests that the review group’s laudable efforts to be as inclusive as possible may have had the effect of polarising views on the role and status of religious observance in schools. For some respondents, what was missing from religious observance was in fact religion – Christianity. For others, the problem, as it were, resided in the persistent use of the term ‘religious’.
One of the central issues to emerge from the consultation is that it has ultimately been counterproductive to posit a distinction between Religious and Moral Education (RME) and religious observance. There was considerable support for the former, across the spectrum of belief and across all age groups, but opinion was very much divided on the value of the latter, particularly in an increasingly secular society. Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that there was a relatively small number of responses (c. 37) that expressed outright rejection of religious observance in schools, although many more – particularly those from young people
– expressed misgivings at current practice in schools. However, the consensus was that religious observance had the potential to inculcate and promote values of tolerance.
The implicit and explicit references to the role and status of Religious and Moral Education
(RME) and Personal and Social Development (PSD) suggest an urgent need to re-examine the articulation between these key elements of the curriculum and religious observance, regardless of the form the latter takes. One way of underlining the secular utility of religious observance may be to re-construe it as a practical component of RME and PSE; and to regard it as one way of encouraging young people to practise tolerance.
It is clear that the consultation exercise has opened up a broader debate on the nature of
‘spirituality’; and the development of moral and ethical awareness in the school context. These are extremely important issues that merit public debate. For this reason, it is imperative that the results of the consultation are disseminated as widely as possible; and that those most closely concerned with the provision of opportunities for religious observance in schools are encouraged to develop forms of practice that best meet their needs. In sum, it appears that the key to success lies in diversity, and in moving away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution.
27

references

HMI (2000) Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools: Religious and Moral Education
1995-2000.
Edinburgh: HM Inspectorate of Education, 2001.
Consultation Paper: Review of Religious Observance in Scottish Schools.
Religious Observance Review Group (2003)
This Consultation Paper has four key themes that should be highlighted:
● the definition of religious observance as an educational activity within the context of
Scottish schools;
● the idea that religious observance should be an activity for the enrichment of all members of the school community, staff as well as pupils;
● the idea that worship may on occasions be the natural response of some members of the school community to an act of religious observance;
● the distinction between organised worship and religious observance.
Religious observance is a statutory requirement in schools under the Education (Scotland)
Act 1980, which repeats the legislation of previous Acts in giving education authorities ‘liberty to continue the said custom’ and prohibits them from discontinuing it without a poll of local electors. Parents have the legal right to withdraw their children if they wish.
The HMIE report Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools: Religious and Moral Education
1995-2000 stated that many secondary schools did not follow the advice contained in SOED
Circular 6/91, where the Secretary of State advised that secondary schools should provide at least a monthly opportunity for religious observance. As a result of this report the Education
Minister within the Scottish Executive set up a Review Group to advise on how schools could meet this requirement. Despite the focus on secondary schools in the report it was decided to expand the advice to include primary schools.
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The remit of the Group is as follows:
“To review current guidance on arrangements for religious observance in schools, taking account of the views of interested bodies and individuals including religious organisations, teachers, parents and pupils; to make recommendations to Ministers on any changes which are required to ensure that revised guidance to schools is relevant and appropriate for pupils, that it fulfils the requirements of the 1980 Act and also provides practical advice on religious observance.”
In the standards and quality report HMI stated that they did not believe that many secondary schools were deliberately negligent but that headteachers found it difficult to take account of the Circular in ways which were meaningful in the social, cultural and educational contexts of the present day. Schools have difficulty because they are not sure what is meant by religious observance in a predominantly secular and increasingly multi-faith society.
What is meant by ‘religious observance’?
The Review Group defines the term for use in schools in Scotland as community acts which aim to promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community and express and celebrate the shared values of the school community.
The Group believes that each individual within a school community has an entitlement to develop himself/herself as a spiritual being or ‘whole person’. This entitlement includes being helped to recognise, reflect upon and develop a deeper understanding of the value and worth of each individual which comes from one’s dignity as a person. Defined in this way, religious observance is educationally justifiable and contributes to the ‘whole-person’ development of all members of the school community.
Religious observance as defined above can be distinguished from an organised act of worship.
Worship is a free response of an individual and a community to ‘what is considered worthy of worship’. This response involves three elements: belief in the reality of the focus of worship, desire to offer worship to the focus of worship and commitment to life stances related to the focus of worship.

Where the school community, whether denominational or non-denominational, is continuous with a faith community, that community’s faith in ‘the focus of worship’, may be assumed and worship may be considered to be appropriate as part of the formal activity of the school.
Where, as in most non-denominational schools, there is a diversity of beliefs and practices, the Review Group believes that the appropriate context for an organised act of worship is within the informal curriculum as part of the range of activities offered for example by religions, groups, chaplains and other religious leaders.
The aims of religious observance are: to promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community; to express and celebrate the shared values of the school community.
In many schools there is a well-established tradition of using assemblies as a vehicle for religious observance, whether whole-school, year groups, stages or particular school groups such as houses. In any of these gatherings of the school community, the time set aside needs to be well planned to:
● provide opportunities for the community to reflect, with help, upon values, beliefs, commitments and hopes which are implicit in being human;
● provide opportunities for the school community to express and celebrate its shared values;
● give the school community time to reflect upon a range of stimuli from religious traditions and other sources such as literature, art and music;
● provide opportunities for the community to have space, stillness and time to respond to this reflection. In non-denominational, as well as denominational schools, the response of some members of the community may at times be in the form of worship, but for others it will be a period of meditation and reflection on what it is to be human or on the significant values of the school and wider community.
In the best practice, themes are carefully chosen to suit the school community’s experience and understanding. The Review Group will develop exemplars that may help schools to review their present arrangements and provide genuine opportunities for the school community to reflect on educational and spiritual activities which enhance each member of the school community. An example of an exemplar is attached as an annex to this paper.
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32
The following is offered as one possible model for structuring religious observance:
Rationale
Title
Aim
Introduction
Stimulus
Guided Reflection
Working out the Implications
The exemplar below makes use of a story as the stimulus. Stimuli should also be drawn from music, art, drama, poetry, films and television. The topic or focus may be provided by a range of sources: incidents which occur in the life of the school or in the local, national or international communities, a programme of values which the school wishes its pupils and staff to reflect upon, the annual cycle of religious festivals.
In the exemplar provided, the Guided Reflection is presented as an individual activity within the context of a whole school assembly. Where the religious observance takes place within a smaller group such as a class, an opportunity may be provided during the Guided Reflection for pupils to share their thoughts in pairs or small groups.
The stimulus for this assembly is a story which explores a range of inter-related themes – caring for others, the use of power, the need for practical wisdom/shrewdness. Pupils should be given the opportunity to engage with whichever of these themes, or any other theme, which they discern in the story. The richness of ideas which characterises a good story allows it to address the full spectrum of experience to be found in a whole school assembly encompassing both those who belong to the faith community from which the story comes and others.
A Muslim story
To help pupils reflect on the issues raised in a story from the Muslim tradition.

The leader welcomes the pupils and staff to the assembly and invites them to enjoy a story from long ago and far away. As they listen, they have to try to work out which character in the story they admire most and why. The story may be told either as a straight narrative or as a dialogue with narrator and characters.
One day, a poor man was walking along a busy street, in a bustling market town. On the street, there was an expensive restaurant. The man was tired and hungry. He had eaten nothing all day. His nose caught the smell of the food being cooked inside. He stopped and sniffed, smiled sadly and began to walk away. But he did not get far. The owner of the restaurant came storming out into the street.
“Hey you! Come here! I saw that! You took a smell of my food. Now you must pay for it.”
“I am sorry, sir”, said the poor man. “I have no money.”
“No money! We’ll see about that. You’re coming with me to the Judge.”
The Judge pondered for a while. He told them both to return the next day and he would pass sentence.
The poor man was very frightened. If the Judge fined him, he would not be able to pay.
He worried all night long. When dawn came, he rose, said his prayers, and feeling tired and unhappy made his way to the court.
On his way, he saw Nasrudin the teacher. He asked Nasrudin for help. Nasrudin said he would go to court with him.
When they got there, they saw the Judge and the restaurant owner talking and laughing together. They were friends! The poor man knew he was in trouble – and he was right. The
Judge ordered him to pay a huge amount of money. At once, Nasrudin stepped forward and said;
“My Lord, this man is my brother. I will pay the fine.” He then took a small bag of coins from his belt and held it to the restaurant owner’s ear. He shook the bag, so the coins jingled.
“Can you hear the coins rattle?” He asked.
“Of course, I can”, replied the owner.
“Then that is your payment. My brother smelled your food – and now you have heard his money.
You’re quits.”
The poor man was set free.
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(Music could be played as the reflection period begins)
The leader should invite pupils and staff to reflect on the story, encouraging them to adopt whatever ‘reflection technique’ they find most comfortable, e.g. closing eyes, focusing on a particular object.
The leader should assist the process of reflection through a series of questions, perhaps on an Overhead Projector:
●
Who are the different people in the story?
●
How do you think the different people would have felt on the day of the incident, on the following day?
●
Think of one word to describe each of the different characters.
●
Who was the real victim in the story? Why?
●
Why do you think the story was told?
This should be a period of quiet and peace with background music playing. Pan’s Pipes music would be an example of the kind of music that would be appropriate.
The leader could make the point that this story has been told for countless generations to encourage people to think about their values and their behaviour. Pupils and staff are invited to consider what they have learned from the story. Is there anything which they have done recently which they would have done differently in the light of what they have learned?

This questionnaire should be read in conjunction with the Consultation Paper: Review of
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools.
Each question is followed by a series of tick boxes. Please tick the response that most closely matches your opinion. At the end of the questionnaire you will find space to make any additional comments.
Your details
Name:
Job title (if applicable):
✍
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Primary
Secondary
Denominational Primary
Denominational Secondary
Special School
Nursery School
Other Faith School
Educational Other
Church of Scotland
Roman Catholic
Humanist
Moslem
Bahá’í
Buddhist
Hindu/Sikh
Jewish
Other (public)
12.4%
0.3%
0.6%
0.3%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
41.3%
24.3%
8.8%
2.6%
1.2%
1%
0.3%
0.1%
6%
Address: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Post code:–––––––––––––
Email address: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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Are you responding (N= 1453)
As an individual 70%
On behalf of an organisation 30% (please specify)
✍
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Confidentiality (N=1473)
It is normal practice for responses to consultation papers to be made publicly available, unless respondents request that their comments remain confidential.
If you would like your comments to remain confidential, please tick the box
Yes – 22%
No – 78%
All responses will be acknowledged, either in writing or electronically. However, please note that in view of the size and nature of the consultation exercise, it will not be possible to respond individually to comments received.
The deadline for responses is 12 February 2003.
You have three options for completing and submitting your response:
Email submission: religiousobservance@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Written submission to: Anne Pirrie
The SCRE Centre (University of Glasgow)
61 Dublin Street
EDINBURGH
EH3 6NL
Telephone: (0131) 557 2944
Facsimile: (0131) 556 9454
Further copies are available from the above address, or can be downloaded from the Religious
Observance Review Group website at the following address: http://www.ltscotland.com/religiousobservance

Religious observance is a statutory requirement in schools under the Education
(Scotland) Act 1980. Parents have the legal right to withdraw their children if they wish. The Secretary of State has advised that secondary schools should provide at least monthly opportunities for participation in religious observance and that primary schools should provide at least weekly opportunities (SOED Circular 6/91). Recent
HMIE inspection evidence suggests that schools are not following the advice contained in SOED Circular 6/91.
The Education Minister has set up a Review Group to review current guidance on arrangements for religious observance in schools and make recommendations to
Ministers on any changes required to ensure that revised guidance to schools is relevant and appropriate for pupils. The Group has prepared a Consultation Paper which should be read with this consultation questionnaire. These questions are drawn from the issues raised in the Consultation Paper.
Religious observance is distinct from Religious and Moral Education (RME), which is defined within the context of this review as follows:
Within the non-denominational context, Religious and Moral Education 5-14 curriculum guidelines, define the aims of religious education in terms of the knowledge and understanding of religion and the exploration of meaning, values and purpose of life.
Within the denominational context, Religious and Moral Education 5-14 curriculum guidelines, Roman Catholic Schools, states that the aim of religious education is to foster and deepen the children’s faith.
Religious observance in all schools builds on the whole experience of education and not just the RME class by allowing pupils and staff space for developing their spirituality and sharing the shared values of the school.
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38
Question 1 (N= 1313)
Do you agree with the definition of ‘religious observance’ set down in the Consultation Paper?
The Review Group defines the term for use in schools as community acts which aim to promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community and express and celebrate the shared values of the school community.
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Don’t know
19%
45%
7%
13%
16%
1%
The aims of religious observance as set down in the Consultation Paper are twofold. These are described in Questions 2 and 3 below.
Question 2 (N= 1313)
‘The aim of religious observance is to promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community.’ Do you agree with this aim? (Tick one box only)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
30%
47%
5%
7%
11%
Question 3 (N=1308)
‘The aim of religious observance is to express and celebrate the shared values of the school community.’ Do you agree with this aim? (Tick one box only)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
24%
40%
8%
12%
16%

Question 4a (N=1287)
How often do you think primary pupils should be given an opportunity to participate in religious observance? (Tick one box only)
Daily
Once a week
Once a month
2-4 time a year
34%
42%
6%
1%
Only at specific religious festivals 1%
On regular occasions, at the school’s discretion 11%
Never
Other
3%
3%
(please specify)
✍
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Question 4b (N=1285)
How often do you think secondary pupils should be given an opportunity to participate in religious observance? (Tick one box only)
Daily
Once a week
Once a month
2-4 time a year
29%
29%
18%
2%
Only at specific religious festivals 1%
On regular occasions, at the school’s discretion 15%
Never
Other
4%
2%
(please specify)
✍
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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Question 5
How appropriate do you think the following locations are for religious observance?
(Please rank from 1-4 in order of appropriateness, where 1 is very appropriate, 2 appropriate,
3 quite appropriate and 4 not appropriate).
1 2 3 4
66% 25% 5% 5% A communal location within the school
(e.g. assembly hall, gymnasium)
(N=1273)
A location within the school used by smaller groups
(e.g. common room, classroom)
(N=1214)
A designated place for worship within the school
(e.g. chapel, synagogue, mosque, temple)
(N=1173)
Another location within the community
(e.g. community centre)
(N=1168)
A designated place of worship in the community
(e.g. church, synagogue, mosque, temple)
(N=1179)
40% 38% 13% 9%
41% 18% 12% 29%
11% 23% 28% 39%
39% 24% 16% 21%
Other
(please specify)
(N=1182)
✍
44% 24% 13% 19%
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Question 6 (N=1319)
Are you aware that parents have a right to withdraw their children from religious observance in schools? (Tick one box only)
Yes 99% No 1%
Question 7 (N=1473)
What do you think would give schools the maximum opportunity for provision of religious observance?
(Tick all that apply)
Adequate physical space
Time set aside within the school day
Time set aside outwith the school day
A person to facilitate or lead observance
60%
73%
7%
72%
(e.g. school chaplain etc)
(please specify)
✍
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Support from the school community 61%
(parents, pupils, staff)
Representatives from other groups
(please specify)
✍
38%
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Other 8%
(please specify)
✍
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Question 8 (N=1269)
How helpful did you find Exemplar 1 (A Muslim story)? (Tick one box only)
Very helpful
Quite helpful
Neither helpful nor unhelpful
Not very helpful
Not at all helpful
11%
32%
25%
15%
17%
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Question 9 (N=1285)
How helpful did you find the Consultation Paper? (Tick one box only)
Very helpful
Quite helpful
Neither helpful nor unhelpful
Not very helpful
Question 10 (N=1240)
How inclusive did you find the Consultation Paper?
11%
52%
18%
19%
Very inclusive
Quite inclusive
Neither inclusive or not inclusive
Not very inclusive
24%
44%
21%
11%
Question 11 (N=1473)
Are there any other points you would like to make regarding religious observance in schools?
Comment
No Comment
70%
30%

Local Authority Capacity
Angus
Argyll & Bute
Dumfries & Galloway
Dundee
East Ayrshire
East Lothian
East Renfrewshire
Edinburgh
Falkirk
Fife
Glasgow
Midlothian
North Ayrshire
Shetland
South Lanarkshire
West Lothian
Director of Education
Head of Service
Education Officer
Quality Improvement Officer
Quality Improvement Team
Education Officer
Head of Education Services
Director of Education
Executive Member for Education
Policy Initiative Manager
Development Officer
Primary Adviser, Education Services
Education Officer
Corporate Director Educational Services
Primary Advisers
Assistant Adviser
Education Resources
Education Officer
43

Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
44
Organisations
The consultation generated numerous group responses from schools. These were sent in by various representatives of the school community – such as pupils, the school board, the senior management team, chaplaincy team and other staff. A number of other group responses were received from various organisations. These are listed below. Please note that some of the responses may not have been included in the list because insufficient details were supplied in the return.
Aberdeen Presbytery Education Committee
Advisory Council of Learning and Teaching Scotland
Associated Presbyterian Church of Scotland, Public
Issues Committee
Association of Bahá'í Youth - Scotland
Association of Christian Teachers (Scotland)
Association of Directors of Education in Scotland
Association for Head Teachers in Scotland
Bahá'í Community of Dumfries
Bahá'í Council for Scotland
Baptist Union of Scotland
Berwickshire Christian Youth Trust
The Bridge Christian Centre, Musselburgh
British Humanist Association
Cambuslang & Rutherglen Reachout Trust
Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Glasgow
Centre for Science Education, Faculty of Education,
University of Glasgow
Christian Action Research and Education – CARE for
Scotland
Christian Education Association Scotland
Catholic Education Commission Scotland
The Christian Institute (Scotland)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Church of Scotland Committee on Education
Church of Scotland Children's Forums
Church of Scotland Youth Assembly
Church of Scotland Young People’s Forum
Clackmannanshire Secondary Schools Support
Service
Committee on Ethics & Current Affairs of the United
Free Church of Scotland
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Crying Out Loud Trust
Department of Religious Education, Faculty of
Education, University of Glasgow
Diocese of Dunkeld
Dornoch and District Christian Fellowship
Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities
Educational Institute of Scotland
Evangelical Alliance Scotland
Free Church of Scotland Youth Committee
Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland
General Teaching Council for Scotland
Gideons, Bearsden
Glasgow Medical Missionary Society Christian
Center
The Headteachers’ Association of Scotland
Humanist Society of Scotland, Glasgow Group
Humanist Society of Scotland, St. Andrew’s
Inverclyde Youth for Christ
Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre
Kingdom 2000 Trust
Kirkconnel Parish Heritage Society
Larbert Pentecostal Church
The Lighthouse Church, Edinburgh
Margaret Sinclair Group
Muslim Education Council of Scotland
National Mission Chaplaincies Committee, Church of
Scotland Offices
The National Secular Society
Open Air Campaigners
The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives in Scotland,
Portobello Buddhist Priory
Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Cairnbulg
The Pagan Federation (Scotland)
Presbytery of Ardrossan
Presbytery of Ayr
Presbytery of Dumfries and Kircudbright, Education
Committee
Presbytery of Edinburgh, Education Committee
Presbytery of Hamilton, State Education Committee
Presbytery of Inverness
Presbytery of Kincardine and Deeside
Presbytery of Melrose and Peebles
Professional Association of Teachers
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland
Religious Education section, Faculty of Education,
University of Strathclyde
Religious Education Movement in Scotland
Riverside Methodist Church, Blairgowrie
Scottish Association of Jewish Teachers
Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office
Scottish Civic Forum
Scottish Council of Jewish Communities
Scottish Episcopal Church, Provincial Education
Committee
Scottish Institute of Christian Unity
Scottish Inter Faith Council
Scottish Joint Committee on Religious and Moral
Education
The Scottish Order of Christian Unity
Scottish Parent Teacher Council
Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association
Scripture Union (Scotland)
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Inverness
Tayside Hindu Community & Cultural Centre
Thurso Ladies Bible Study Group
The UK Islamic Mission, Glasgow branch
United Free Church of Scotland, Committee on
Ethics and Current Affairs
The Youth Committee of the Free Church of
Scotland
VECTOR
Victoria Evangelic Church, Glasgow

Q1 Do you agree with the definition of ‘religious observance’ set down in the Consultation
Paper?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Don’t know
Secondary % Primary % Whole sample %
(N=121) (N=347) (N=1313)
16
0
100
11
52
12
9
24
64
5
2
4
0.3
100
19
45
7
13
16
1
100
Q2 The aim of religious observance is to ‘promote the spiritual development of all members of the school community.’ Do you agree with this aim?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Don’t know
Secondary % Primary % Whole sample %
(N=123) (N=347) (N=1313)
15
0
100
23
49
8
6
23
59
8
2
7
0
100
30
47
5
7
11
0
100
45

46 appendices
Religious Observance in Scottish Schools: Report on the Consultation
Q3 ‘The aim of religious observance is to express and celebrate the shared values of the school community.’ Do you agree with this aim?
Secondary % Primary % Whole sample %
(N=123) (N=347) (N=1313)
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Don’t know
15
0
100
24
44
9
8
3
0
100
34
57
3
2
16
0
100
24
40
8
12
Q4a How often do you think primary pupils should be given an opportunity to participate in religious observance?
(Tick one box only)
Primary % Whole sample %
(N=320) (N=1287)
Daily
Once a week
Once a month
2-4 time a year
Only at specific religious festivals
On regular occasions, at the school’s discretion
Never
Other
2
24
1
5
100
8
47
10
1
1
11
3
3
100
34
42
6
1

Q4b How often do you think secondary pupils should be given an opportunity to participate in religious observance? (Tick one box only)
Secondary % Whole sample %
(N=124) (N=1285)
Daily
Once a week
Once a month
2-4 time a year
Only at specific religious festivals
On regular occasions, at the school’s discretion
Never
Other
5
26
9
4
100
16
13
22
6
1
15
4
2
100
29
29
18
2
Q8 How helpful did you find Exemplar 1 (A Muslim story)?
Secondary % Primary % Whole sample %
(N=122) (N=338) (N=1269)
Very helpful
Quite helpful
Neither helpful nor unhelpful
Not very helpful
Not at all helpful
4
31
29
19
17
100
19
47
24
7
4
100
11
32
25
15
17
100
We would like to thank all the members of the Religious Observance Review Group (RORG) for their continuing help and support throughout this project. We wish them all success for the tasks ahead. Our thanks also to Denise Swanson and Alison Walsh at SEED for their invaluable logistical support.
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Astron B29749 5/04