Religious Education is outdated, unpopular and opens the door to proselytising.
There are many more subjects children and young people need to learn.
It's time to replace RE with something more appropriate for 21st century students.
It is important for children and young people to learn about different religions and beliefs. But we don't think our schools need a dedicated subject to do this – especially a subject as out-of-date and as irrelevant as Religious Education (RE).
Surveys consistently show RE is one of the least popular school subjects, an indication of its increasing irrelevance.
58% of British adults think religious studies is unimportant at secondary schools. And a quarter of England's secondary schools do not offer RE.
Unlike any other compulsory subject, RE is determined at a local level in England. In each local authority the agreed syllabus for RE is determined by committees representing the Church of England and other religion and belief groups, as well as the local authority and teacher's groups.
As a result, schools not only face a local lottery regarding what their RE syllabus will contain; they will have to teach a subject under significant control from religious interest groups. These groups are strongly motivated to ensure their religion is represented in an overwhelmingly positive light. The current arrangements mean the subject lacks objectivity.
Many faith schools don't even need to follow the locally agreed syllabus and can instead teach religion from their own exclusive viewpoint.
A new nationally-determined civics and citizenship subject could encompass teaching about religious and nonreligious worldviews and allow students to consider moral and ethical issues. Religion and belief could also be explored in other relevant areas of the curriculum.
In Wales, RE has recently been replaced with Religions, Values and Ethics (RVE). While we welcome this broader and more inclusive subject, problems remain regarding the influence of religious groups and exceptions allowing faith schools to teach confessional RE.
We need a reformed subject to ensure education about religion and belief is broad, balanced and proportionate.
We've created a series of resources – Exploring Secularism – for anyone wishing to explore issues of religion, belief, ethics, and worldviews in schools. The resources aim to provide teachers with the material they need to engage with secularism in an informed way.
As British society considers how to respond to greater religious diversity and growing irreligiosity, it is become increasingly important for children and young people to develop their understanding of the interaction between religion, society, and politics. The study of secularism explores this interaction, together with questions about how we balance freedom of, and from, religion with other rights.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Support our campaign to ensure every pupil has the same entitlement to high quality, non-partisan education about religious and non-religious worldviews.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
C of E’s control of RE damages subject’s credibility, says study
Posted: Wed, 9 Dec 2020 08:51
The Church of England's theological approach to religious education has come to dominate the subject amid a lack of leadership from national government, research has found.
The findings come in Understanding Christianity and the study of religion and worldviews, an academic study by former RE teacher Chris Selway which is published today.
The study says that, with often poorly-funded regional advisory councils in charge of RE syllabuses, there has been "a surge in resources that emphasise scriptural-based learning".
It says a government failure to provide funding for academics and other experts to guide the subject has helped to create this vacuum.
And it adds that major resource providers funded by Christian trusts have increasingly assumed control over the subject and moulded it to suit their vision.
Understanding Christianity
It says the widely-used resource Understanding Christianity exemplifies the way RE is used to advance the C of E's vision for education.
Its criticisms of the resource include that:
- It lacks a historical framework to help pupils understand the development of Christianity.
- It promotes poorly-evidenced assertions about what motivates Christians and presents Christian beliefs as largely monolithic.
- It tends to depict Christian teachings as timeless and uncontroversial, neglecting to consider contradictions and conflicts which would undermine that narrative.
- It asks leading questions, such as "What did Jesus do to save human beings?"
- It emphasises only the positive impact of Christianity and helps to perpetuate the essentialising of religion which academics have identified as a serious weakness in the subject.
Over 10% of local authorities have adopted syllabuses that rely on Understanding Christianity, which is funded by a Christian trust that works closely with the C of E.
As a result the resource is used in both many C of E schools and many secular schools.
Key recommendations
The paper argues that several changes are necessary if RE is to gain credibility with the public:
- It should be taught through an objective, critically-engaged and pluralistic approach.
- Education about religion should explore both the positive and negative consequences of religion in a balanced way.
- RE should take "more of a socio-historical or anthropological approach", rather than one which is focused on theology.
- There should be a "major shift" in the funding and management of RE.
It also asks whether such a wholesale restructuring of the subject is possible given the influence which powerful groups such as the C of E exercise over the RE curriculum.
And it says this prompts the question of whether a new subject that "encompasses wider cultural, political, religious and societal diversity and how they interact" may be more appropriate than RE.
Comments
Report author Chris Selway said: "The lack of an external body to set out a clear disciplinary field for religious education has led to a situation where Christian–funded and oriented organisations have been increasingly able to seize control of the subject.
"This has led to a surge in resources that emphasise scriptural–based learning and a predominance of theology as a discipline for studying religion, particularly when studying Christianity.
"It seems clear that the way RE is administered, resourced, taught and monitored need to be remodelled, to ensure religion is taught in a balanced way."
Alastair Lichten, the National Secular Society's head of education, said: "Too often RE is dominated by vested interests and associated group think, and this paper powerfully highlights the way it's been used to advance the Church of England's interests.
"RE currently lacks a unified framework and agreed purpose, leaving the door open for unaccountable groups to impose their own. Everyone who cares about education on religion and belief should be concerned.
"Chris Selway's report makes a significant contribution to debate in this area, and should prompt some uncomfortable questions at both local and national levels."
Notes
- In 2018 a report from the Commission on Religious Education recommended replacing RE with 'Religion and Worldviews' and introducing a national entitlement to it in England.
- Earlier this year the Welsh government published legislation to replace RE with a more pluralistic subject, called Religion, Values and Ethics.
- The research was supported by the NSS's scholarship programme.
Most Brits don’t consider religious studies important, poll finds
Posted: Thu, 3 Dec 2020 15:42
A majority of adults in Britain don't consider it important to teach religious studies at secondary school, according to a new poll.
A survey by YouGov has found that 55% of Brits think teaching RS is either "not very important" (31%) or "not at all important" (24%).
Just 12% regarded it as "very important", while 27% said it was "quite important".
The poll investigated public attitudes to 18 subjects and only three – drama, classics and Latin – gained a lower combined score in these two categories.
Meanwhile 63% thought citizenship education was either very (24%) or quite (39%) important.
The data comes amid ongoing debate over the future of education on religion and belief – particularly in Wales, where the government is planning significant reform.
The National Secular Society, which argues that education in this area should be more pluralistic and objective, said the numbers should be "a wake-up call".
NSS comment
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "These findings are just the latest sign that religion and belief education needs significant reform to gain public confidence.
"Policy makers should be prepared to confront the dominance of religious interests and instead adopt an approach where a broader range of worldviews is critically considered."
Current moves towards reform
- Earlier this year the Welsh government published legislation to replace religious education (RE) with a more pluralistic subject, called Religion, Values and Ethics.
- In 2018 a report from the Commission on Religious Education recommended replacing RE with 'Religion and Worldviews' and introducing a national entitlement to it in England.
Further notes
- The YouGov poll didn't distinguish between RE and RS.
- YouGov surveyed 1,645 adults between 21 and 23 November 2020. The poll was highlighted in the November edition of the Counting Religion in Britain blog.
