I once visited a school that didn’t have regular assemblies. When I left, I recommended they introduce them as soon as possible.
I’m a firm believer that assemblies are a critical part of our school day and, even in the schools that do have them regularly, I worry that they are undervalued and under-utilised.
So, why are they so important? And how could yours be improved? Here’s my advice.
They are the best place for delivering key messages
While assemblies are good for delivering whole-school administrative messages - for example, a new one-way lunch system or upcoming non-uniform day - they’re also a brilliant space for talking about your school’s priorities and values.
For faith schools, assemblies are essential for getting a foundation in place. When it comes to shaping a school’s ethos and painting a picture, I believe assemblies hold a position like nothing else.
So, think ahead about the content of your assemblies. Don’t plan them on the way into school on a Monday morning: after all, you wouldn’t expect a science teacher to go into the start of a week having no idea what content they’re going to cover.
Take the time to sit down as a leadership team and work out the vision and values you want to communicate. Ideally, the assembly curriculum should be planned seven to eight weeks ahead and run from topic to topic in a carefully sequenced way.
They are the embodiment of your school community
Schools are relational places. When people are spread out across dozens of classrooms and offices, opportunities to physically gather together are invaluable for showing unity and community.
Try to have as many pupils and staff there as possible. As assemblies are non-curriculum time, they might seem like a useful slot for removing pupils for conversations or interventions, but try to protect your assemblies from this. Similarly, staff are at their busiest first thing in the morning when assemblies often happen, so think about what support they might need so they can attend.
They set the tone for behaviour and standards
With assemblies often happening at the start of the day, your expectations of pupils during this period will set the tone for the next few hours. If you allow pupils to have their shirts untucked or quietly chat in assembly, you can’t expect anything different in first-period maths.
So, have very clear expectations for behaviour during assemblies. For example, you could have pupils line up before they come in, in silence and with immaculate uniform. There should be an expectation that pupils are fully engaged throughout, and all staff in the assembly need to be working to support this.
They are a place for celebrating and correcting
In lesson time, pupils are given praise and things to do to improve. Assemblies are the place to do this on a much larger scale, in the spotlight of the gathered school community, and in ways that cover curricular and extracurricular achievements. They’re also the place to speak to year groups or the whole school if there are particular issues, such as playground litter or behaviour after school.
Give staff a way to share information with leaders about pupils who should be celebrated. If a pupil has just won a medal in a county sports competition, do the right people know so that it can be highlighted in assembly? If there’s just been a fantastic visit and project in history, can this be relayed to the whole school?
They make senior leaders visible
Often, senior leaders can struggle to be visible in school and it’s easy for them to become stuck in an office or constantly in meetings. Assemblies are a chance for them to speak to large numbers of pupils rather than just staff.
If you’re the headteacher, remember to treat assemblies as a privilege and of crucial importance rather than another thing on the to-do list. Every time you walk into the hall to speak to hundreds of pupils, remind yourself that your words help shape their school and their lives, and this is your golden opportunity of the week to do that.
Sam Brown is a chaplain and senior leader at The Fulham Boys School in London. This article has been updated and was originally published on 19 August 2021
