Religious Education is outdated, unpopular and opens the door to proselytising.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 But we don't think our schools need a dedicated subject to do this – especially a subject as out-of-date and as irrelevant as Religious Education (RE).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
NSS urges ministers to reject Catholic leaders’ pleading over RE
Posted: Fri, 3 Jul 2020 12:18
Catholic education leaders who object to plans to reform religious education are engaging in "special pleading" which should be rejected, the National Secular Society has told the Welsh government.
The NSS has written to the first minister Mark Drakeford in response to a recent letter from Catholic school leaders across Wales.
The Catholic leaders' letter, which had the support of the Catholic Education Service (CES), claimed Welsh government plans to reform religious education "strike at the very identity of Catholic schools".
Planned changes
The Welsh government plans to replace religious education with religion, values and ethics (RVE) as it introduces a new curriculum.
The proposals will see two syllabus options coexisting. Faith schools will still be allowed to teach RVE from a faith-based perspective, although they will be required to offer a non-denominational alternative where parents request it.
Ministers considered requiring all schools to teach the non-denominational syllabus, but decided not to do so because of the "implications for schools of religious character".
The NSS has welcomed ministers' commitment to ensuring RVE is more pluralistic, but also said the current plans fall short of ensuring every pupil gets genuinely balanced and critically-informed RVE.
Contents of NSS letter
The NSS's letter said the Catholic leaders had significantly overreacted to the plans, adding that it was "disingenuous at best" to present the reforms as "an 'attack' on faith schools".
It said the Catholic leaders' letter was "at odds with mainstream opinion" and said there was "widespread consensus on the need to reform".
And it said the "simple solution" to any additional complexities for faith schools would be "to bring in RVE in line with the proposed pluralistic option in all schools in Wales".
"This is little more than special pleading and an attempt to preserve an outdated approach which focuses on religious inculcation over a modern, broad and balanced education.
"Any further concessions to faith schools will fundamentally undermine the worthwhile ambition to introduce a genuinely pluralistic and balanced approach to the teaching of Religion, Values & Ethics in Wales."
NSS comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "We urge ministers to stand up to this attempt to protect the special treatment currently given to religion in Wales's schools. Religious interests shouldn't be allowed to dictate the terms on which religion is taught.
"The Welsh government should resist any temptation to make further concessions to faith schools in light of this letter. Instead it should revisit the concessions it's already made, to ensure all children have access to an impartial, critically-informed education about religion and belief."
Catholic school heads oppose pluralistic religious education plans
Posted: Wed, 24 Jun 2020 15:27
The heads of all 84 state funded Catholic schools in Wales have written to the Welsh government to oppose plans to make education about religion and belief more pluralistic and balanced.
In a letter to the first minister Mark Drakeford the heads have said government plans for reform "strike at the very identity of Catholic schools".
The letter has the support of the Catholic Education Service, which represents Catholic schools in Wales.
The National Secular Society has said the letter "betrays a strong sense of entitlement" and is planning to write to ministers in response.
Proposed changes
The Welsh government plans to replace religious education with religion, values and ethics (RVE) as it introduces a new curriculum.
Faith schools will still be allowed to teach RVE from a faith-based perspective, although they will be required to offer a non-denominational RVE syllabus where parents request it.
Ministers considered requiring all schools to teach this syllabus, but decided not to do so because of the "implications for schools of religious character".
The plans would also retain SACREs – bodies which determine RE syllabuses locally. The NSS campaigns to abolish SACREs.
NSS response
NSS head of education Alastair Lichten said: "The Welsh government's proposals for reform are very qualified. The perceived need to appease faith groups has created substantial, needless complexity and left the subject area in the hands of special interests.
"The solution should be to introduce an impartial and critically informed religion and belief curriculum for all.
"But those who run faith schools appear determined to defend their own control over this subject area. Their response betrays a strong sense of entitlement and shows how strongly they're attached to an outdated confessional approach to religious education."
You can find out more about the Welsh government's plans, how they should be improved and how you can help us make the case on our dedicated campaign page.
