Humanists are calling out Scottish schools for what they allege is Christian bias and a lack of inclusivity in religious observance (RO) in state schools.
In a new report, titled “Preaching is Not Teaching,” the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) claims that schools fail to provide adequate transparency on RO to parents and carers – and can be hostile to humanist, atheist, agnostic, or other non-religious worldviews, it is alleged.
“In some non-denominational schools, RO is still solely delivered in a confessional manner by Christian clergy,” says the report. “Assemblies are often held in church and involve religious worship, prayer, and hymns. Schools also frequently incorporate religious elements into whole-school ‘celebrating success’ assemblies.”
“Today’s report shows a worrying culture of Christian bias in religious observance practices across the country,” said Fraser Sutherland, chief executive of HSS. “The practices we have uncovered have no place in a secular education system in 2025.”
RO has been a requirement for state schools in Scotland since 1872, with schools required to provide six religious assemblies or festivals each year. However, since the adoption of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, parents can opt-out of RO activities for their children.
HSS has made several recommendations including extending the right to opt out of RO to pupils rather than parents only.
“The inconvenient truth for secular humanists is that historically and constitutionally Scotland is a Christian country,” said John Denning, the Christian Institute’s Head of Education. “Christianity established and shaped its values, like justice and tolerance, and its institutions – for the good of all. That includes the education system. It was Christians, not secular humanists, who worked tirelessly over decades to ensure a decent education was readily available irrespective of financial means.
“Rightly, parents who do not wish their children to participate in religious observance have the freedom to opt-out. Even so, today we hear from hundreds of teachers, pupils, parents and governors, concerned at the anti-Christian bias on display in so many schools. Secular humanists like to peddle the idea that they are neutral; this report reveals that they remain as committed to eliminating religious belief as ever.”
