ABSTRACT
I n 1944 the w a r t i m e c o a l i t i o n g o v e r n m e n t p a s s e d a n E d u c a t i o n A c t d e s i g n e d to f u n c t i o n as one of the cornerstones of p o s t - w a r r e c o v e r y a n d r e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n E n g l a n d a n d Wales . T h e A c t i n c l u d e d p r o v i s i o n for r e l i g i o u s e d u c a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g the k e y requi rements that i n a l l schools the d a y w a s to b e g i n w i t h a n act of co l lec t ive w o r s h i p , a t tended b y a l l p u p i l s , a n d that a l l p u p i l s w e r e also to receive r e l i g i o u s i n s t r u c t i o n (subject o n l y to the r i g h t of parents to w i t h d r a w their c h i l d r e n f r o m s u c h w o r s h i p a n d s u c h classes). A t the same t i m e the A c t s o u g h t f i n a l l y to reso lve the l o n g - s t a n d i n g r e l i g i o u s a n d d e n o m i n a t i o n a l r i v a l r y o v e r e d u c a t i o n w h i c h h a d b e d e v i l l e d the d e v e l o p m e n t of e d u c a t i o n a l p o l i c y a n d p r o v i s i o n i n E n g l a n d a n d W a l e s s ince the e a r l y n ine teenth century.
