Schools are being offered ready-to-use assemblies on the internet, in an effort to help them meet the obligation for a daily act of worship.

Many schools have difficulty meeting the legal requirement to include a collective act of worship in their timetable - and this instant assembly service from the Church of England is intended to offer assistance.

The 'oven-ready' assembly comes complete with theme, readings, suggested music and follow-up activities and ways of developing ideas.

For instance, an assembly on the life of Martin Luther King proposes readings from his "I have a dream" speech with, as suggested music, the hymn When I needed a neighbour were you there?.

Other topics for assemblies include the life of St Paul, the arms trade, and modern examples of religious martyrdom - Oscar Romero and Janani Luwum.

There are assemblies for primary and secondary schools, targeted at specific seasons and festivals in the religious calendar.

"We've taken a strong line in arguing that the law on collective worship should be retained, so now we're helping schools to put it into practice," says Alan Brown, deputy secretary of the Church of England's National Society.

"We believe that all schools should have access to such materials - and here they can be used freely, as a whole or in part, by anyone who needs them."