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A local council has become the first in Britain to allow its schools to be freed from having to provide daily Christian worship.

State schools in Brent in north London are now allowed to provide multi-belief assemblies.

The approach has been hailed by inclusive education experts as ‘ground breaking’ and could lead to a dramatic change in assemblies across England and Wales.

All state funded non-faith schools in Britain are required to provide a daily act of worship that must be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’.

The only exception for locally maintained schools exists when a special committee of the local authority grants a school dispensation

to provide another form of daily worship.

Brent Council’s committee - known as a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) - has decided to promote multi-belief assemblies.

It says they should draw on material and practice that hold special meaning from different religions and non-religious views.

(Image: Google)

Labour-controlled Brent now encourages all of its schools to apply for permission to provide these kind of assemblies.

The approach has won and award today from the Accord Coalition, which aims to reduce religious barriers.

The award celebrates work that best helps to promote inclusivity

and integration at state funded schools.

Chair of the judging panel, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain MBE, said: ”Society may be Christian-based but is multi-faith with many also of no belief-system, and so uniform worship should no longer be compulsory for our educational system.

“The current worship laws are unpopular and prevent schools from providing an inspiring programme of assemblies that are truly inclusive of all staff and children.

“Some schools find the laws so unworkable that they have stopped providing assemblies altogether.

“As society does not have a shared faith, we cannot worship together. Brent Council’s ground breaking approach rescues an opportunity for pupils to communally explore and forge shared values, in a way that is workable and respectful.

“We hope all other local authorities will take inspiration from Brent Council’s approach, which we highly commend.”

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Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said of the Brent decision: "I think it is a shame.

“The whole point of Christian assemblies is that they recognise that our education service is rooted in Christianity and founded by Christians.

“Bringing in different beliefs into assemblies means you could end up with an act of worship that says nothing.”