A new report by the National Association of Teachers of RE
(NATRE) and Religious Education Council for England and Wales,
based on Freedom of Information Data gathered by the Department
for Education in 2015, has found that more than a quarter of
secondary schools in the UK are not teaching their pupils any
religious education (RE).
The report makes a clear case to strengthen the importance and
provisions of learning and teaching the subject in contemporary
British society across all schools.
The report, based on a survey of 790 schools, found that 25% of
all schools surveyed said a weekly RE lesson
is not available. 28% of secondary schools were
struggling to make RE provisions. The situation seems poorer in
academies and free schools, which make up the majority of
secondary schools, where more than a third (34%) were not
offering RE to 11 to 13 year-olds and nearly half (44%) were not
offering it to 14 to 16 year-olds. Such a low level of RE is
found in only a third of schools where a locally agreed syllabus
applies and in 10% of schools with a religious character. 4%
of schools with a religious character do not offer a weekly
lesson.
Legally, all state schools in the United Kingdom are legally
required to teach RE to their learners at all Key Stages, though
parents continue to have the right to withdraw their children
from RE. Faith schools are permitted to teach their own form of
RE. Schools controlled by local authorities must follow their
local RE syllabus. Academies and free schools should also teach
RE which can be of their own kind, which is determined as part of
their funding agreement.
These figures are surprising considering the fact that the
teaching of RE has been statutory for a very long time. Having
said this, it is important to recognise that the majority of
schools do offer RE to their children, albeit of varied quality,
and this is a welcome and positive situation to be in.
In a diverse society like Britain, it is crucial that there is an
opportunity for children to learn RE so that they can know and
understand what influences the beliefs and practices of their
peers and those in the wider community. The data provides
evidence to challenge some assumptions about the provision of RE
in schools with a religious character.
It is plausible that pressures from other subjects, recruitment
difficulties, utilisation of non-specialists, a change of
priorities and the exclusion of RE from the English Baccalaureate
might be affecting the situation.
Given that there are reports suggesting an increase in the level
of hate crimes based on religion in the form of Islamophobia and
anti-Semitism in particular, it is imperative that the state of
RE is improved. Perhaps, the forthcoming Interim Report on
religious education by the Commission on RE will provide an added
impetus. There is a need for a clear statement to be made by
those in authority that it is unacceptable for a school not to
provide RE.
For those involved in the training of future teachers it is
important to provide future teachers the opportunity to learn
about RE to observe RE being taught, to teach RE in schools and,
most importantly, to think about the value of the subject and the
consequence of not teaching it.
ENDS
References
http://religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/media/file/State_of_the_Nation_Report_2017.pdf
