The government is planning on including Religious Education (RE) in the new national curriculum after key stakeholders reached an “unprecedented” consensus on the subject.
Previously, the content of RE classes was decided at the local level. Under the new proposals, all schools would have to teach the content of the curriculum, but would be free to expand on it in their own way.
The intention behind the plan is both to improve social cohesion and to bring an end to the “postcode lottery” of RE provision.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “With so much focus on what divides us – and race and religion so often at the heart of that division – equipping young people with the knowledge, understanding and values that religious education teaches could hardly be more important.”
Despite being a popular subject among students at GCSE level, the country has a shortage of specialist RE teachers. Many RE teachers in fact specialise in a different area and teach RE as a secondary subject.
This has led to concerns that in some areas of the country RE teaching is not up to standard or is done as a box ticking exercise.
The news that RE would be included in the national curriculum was welcomed by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) and the RE Council.
Katie Freeman, Chair of NATRE, said, “We welcome this historic consensus and most importantly the collaboration and dialogue that has taken place amongst all involved in the process.
"Placing RE in the National Curriculum will put it on an equal footing with other subjects, end the ‘postcode lottery’ of provision and ensure all students receive access to high-quality RE.”
Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the RE Council of England and Wales, welcomed "the Secretary of State’s recognition of the unprecedented consensus across religious and non-religious communities, educators and professional bodies".
"A National Curriculum for RE will ensure every child, in every school, receives their entitlement to high quality religious education – in both religious and non-religious traditions – that is academically rigorous and personally inspiring," she said.
