Christians urge Gove to include RE in English Baccalaureate

The R.E.ACT campaign, led by Premier Christian Media, is urging Education Secretary Michael Gove to backtrack on his decision to leave RE off the new Baccalaureate curriculum.

The campaign has drawn broad support from church leaders, academics and MPs who fear the move will weaken students' sense of values and identity in multi-cultural Britain, and hamper their understanding of other faiths at a time of heightened global tensions concerning religion.

There are also concerns that resources will be withdrawn from RE and committed instead to other subjects.

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, said he was “very concerned” about the omission of RE from the Baccalaureate curriculum.

“By not including RE in the Gold Standard many schools are already diverting resources from RE to history and geography, which are in the Baccalaureate,” he said.

“RE is a crucial subject at a time of global disharmony over religious matters. Religious illiteracy is a major problem both in our society and all over the world.

“Moreover, RE is the only subject which allows students to work out their own framework of values and beliefs in order to shape their life long character.”

The decision to leave RE off the Baccalaureate comes in spite of its prevailing popularity among students, with the Church of England reporting year-on-year increases in the number of students taking GCSE and A-Level RE over the last decade.

Canon Dr Ann Holt, Director of Programme at the Bible Society, said: “For a Government purportedly so concerned about wellbeing and civil society, in their Department for Education they are demonstrating a remarkable lack of understanding about what goes in to achieving such things.

“Religions and other fundamental belief systems are foundational in all cultures and the wellspring from which personal and societal wellbeing flow.

“In our plural and globalised world it is vital that the curriculum recognises this and provides quality time for religious education.”

The campaign is encouraging people to write to their local MPs, asking them to urge the Government to make RE a priority in education once again.

The public are also being asked to sign a petition in support of RE, which will later be presented to Gove.

Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier Christian Media Group said: “So far, each one of the Government's plans for the 'Big Society' has come under fire including those for the new English Baccalaureate.

“Leaving RE such a 'society' focussed subject out of the key subjects for humanities is contrary to the whole ideology that they're pushing.

“This campaign will provide people with the opportunity to have their say on this issue.”

Find out more: www.reactcampaign.co.uk