Assemblies.org.uk

This website contains a wealth of resources for Assemblies/Religious Observance, suitable for Primary and Secondary schools. It will be equally helpful to Chaplains and Youth Workers and to teachers. Assemblies.org.uk is one of the most popular providers of materials for school assemblies in England and Wales, but little or no adaptation is needed for the Scottish context.

Assembly outlines have a handy standardised format, printable on one side of A4. They are divided into Primary and Secondary groupings and are also linked to the “Key Stages” of English education. Simply remember that the Key Stages equate to age ranges as follows, and you can’t go wrong: Key Stage 1 (age 5-7), Key Stage 2 (age 7-11), Key Stage 3 (age 11-14), Key Stage 4 (age 14-16), Key Stage 5 (age 16-19).

The site is updated monthly, so there are always new outlines available, some of which will be specifically relevant for the time of year. There are also some particularly useful outlines on difficult or unusual topics, e.g. A Death Associated with the School Community, A New Head Teacher, Bullying, Children whose Parents are on Active Military Service Overseas, Be Wary of Believing Your School Report.

The site includes a smaller number of assemblies which develop understanding of other world religions. There is also a section of Advice and Guidance for Teachers. It does include some very helpful advice on support for pupils with Special Educational Needs attending assemblies. The section as a whole, however, is specifically focussed on England and Wales, so should be treated with caution as to relevance in Scotland. See instead the Permissions and Boundaries sections of the Christian Values in Education site.