Religious Education is outdated, unpopular and opens the door to proselytising.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 But we don't think our schools need a dedicated subject to do this – especially a subject as out-of-date and as irrelevant as Religious Education (RE).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
Government opposes moves to protect secular schools’ ethos
Posted: Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:56
The government has refused to support amendments to a bill which would help nonreligious academies protect their secular ethos.
Amendments to the Schools Bill, which was debated in the House of Lords on Monday, aimed to replace compulsory collective worship at nonreligious academies in England with inclusive assemblies, and religious education with pluralistic religion and worldviews education.
It would also require greater scrutiny of the potential impact to the school's ethos if a nonreligious academy applied to join a religious multi academy trust (MAT).
But Baroness Joanna Penn, responding on behalf of the government, said the government "do not agree" with the amendments, which were subsequently dropped.
The moves were also opposed by the bishop of Chichester Martin Warner, who "strongly" urged Lords not to support them.
Collective worship
Baroness Molly Meacher and Baroness Janet Whitaker moved two amendments on collective worship – one to remove the duty from nonreligious academies, and one requiring faith-based academies to provide pupils with a meaningful alternative to collective worship if they are withdrawn.
Meacher said it was "pretty remarkable" that the UK is the only sovereign state to impose worship in all state schools, despite the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child repeatedly urging the UK to repeal these laws. She said most parents were not aware of the law but out of those who were, 60% opposed it being enforced. She added that most parents consider religious worship to be inappropriate content for school assemblies.
She highlighted that many parents have "no option but to send their child to a religious school", and those withdrawn from worship at these schools "often just have to sit outside the door—almost like a naughty child—or are left in an empty classroom with nothing to do".
But Penn rejected the amendments as "not necessary". Warner said an end to compulsory worship in schools would be "excessive".
Religious education
Lord Jim Knight moved amendments to replace religious education (RE) with religious and worldviews education which is "objective, critical and pluralistic" in nonreligious academies and as an option in religious academies.
They also required religion and worldviews education in nonreligious academies to be "explicitly inclusive of non-religious beliefs".
The amendments would bring England closer in line with Wales, which last year replaced RE with religion, values and ethics education.
Penn objected to the amendments, saying that when children are admitted to a faith school, "their parents are aware of this and expect it to be part of the school's ethos and culture", despite Meacher highlighting that faith schools are unavoidable for many parents.
Penn added: "I am unaware of significant demand from parents who withdraw their children from religious education to have this replaced by education representative of a wider range of religious and non-religious beliefs".
The National Secular Society regularly assists parents who wish to withdraw their children from RE at faith schools because they object to its biased and confessional nature.
Protecting secular academies joining religious MATs
Baroness Christine Blower moved an amendment to ensure nonreligious academies intending to join a religious MAT must hold a comprehensive consultation focused on the impact on the secular ethos of the school.
Blower said there are parents and carers "who would seek to avoid institutions of a religious character, believing that for them education should be in institutions with a secular ethos".
Warner called the amendment "unhelpful" and said church MATs "provide a commitment to supporting the individual ethos of the school".
But NSS research has demonstrated how the development of mixed multi-academy trusts has enabled religious groups to increase their influence in thousands of schools in England, including those with no religious character.
Employment discrimination in religious academies
Baroness Meacher also moved an amendment to remove exemptions from equality and education law that allow religious academies to discriminate on the basis of religion or belief for the purposes of appointment, promotion, remuneration or termination of employment of teachers.
Meacher said many schools "currently do discriminate even where the employment equality directive makes it clear that this is not allowed".
She pointed to recent reforms in Northern Ireland which removed similar exemptions.
Penn said the government supports the "freedoms and protections" enabling faith schools to discriminate on the basis of religion or belief.
NSS comment
The NSS, which has met with the Department for Education to discuss the Schools Bill, said the withdrawal of these amendments was "deeply disappointing, but not wholly surprising."
NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "If accepted, the amendments would have gone a long way to making academies in England more inclusive for all, and to protecting the secular ethos of academies with no religious character.
"They would also have helped bring England in line with Wales and Northern Ireland, which have recently made progressive steps towards inclusive education.
"In this debate, the government showed a highly dismissive and contemptuous attitude to the concerns raised by the public regarding collective worship, RE and faith schools.
"It must start listening more to the public about what schools they want, and less to religious interests including the bishops appointed to the House of Lords".
Image: 14995841 from Pixabay
Prioritise RE reform not enforcement, NSS tells government
Posted: Thu, 19 May 2022 09:51
The National Secular Society has warned the government that education about religion and belief should be reformed, rather than enforced, amid calls to compel schools to teach religious education.
Religious education bodies are calling on the government to compel schools in England to teach RE amid concerns support for the subject is waning.
An analysis by the RE Policy Unit found 34% of academies do not include RE on the school timetable. It also found 500 secondary schools are teaching zero hours of dedicated RE in Year 11.
The organisations are calling for school inspectorate Ofsted to work with schools not currently teaching "sufficient" RE to "ensure they comply with the law".
RE is a statutory part of the basic curriculum and all state schools must provide RE lessons.
RE popularity falls
The RE Policy Unit, which is made up of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education and RE Today Services, has called for RE to receive greater funding in recognition of "parent and pupil support" for the subject.
But its own analysis found entries for the full course RE GCSE fell by almost 20% between 2016 and 2021. It also said RE is "neglected" on the school timetable in favour of English Baccalaureate subjects.
Additionally, a recent YouGov poll found 55% of Britons considered religious studies either not very or not at all important. Out of a list of 18 subjects, respondents ranked religious studies 15th in terms of being important (40%), with only drama, classics and Latin being positioned lower.
It is also difficult to recruit RE teachers. RE teacher recruitment targets have not been met for nine of the last ten years, and 25% of RE lessons are taught by teachers with no post A-level qualifications in the subject.
Criticisms of RE in England
The NSS has consistently warned RE is out of date and often fails to be broad, balanced and inclusive.
Current legislation dates back to 1944 and requires schools with a religious character to teach RE in accordance with the beliefs of the religion or denomination of the school.
RE is the only compulsory subject that is locally determined, largely by religious interest groups. Representatives of non-religious worldviews are often excluded or denied voting rights on RE committees.
A new bill drawn in the House of Lords Private Members' Bill ballot last week would make it explicit that RE must be fully inclusive of non-religious worldviews.
This would bring education about religion in England closer in line with Wales, where RE has been renamed 'religion, values and ethics' (RVE) and must teach religious and non-religious worldviews equally.
In a letter to minister of state for education Robin Walker, the NSS said the government should reform how religion and worldviews are taught, rather than use Ofsted to enforce RE.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The decline of RE at schools is a clear indicator that this subject is increasingly irrelevant in its current form.
"That schools and pupils are ditching RE, despite it being compulsory for schools to offer, speaks volumes.
"Rather than try to use the brute force of Ofsted to coerce schools into teaching a subject they have little inclination to teach, the government should fundamentally reform or replace it with something more suitable.
"There should be a place on the curriculum for developing children's critical thinking, values, and understanding of different traditions. There are much better ways to achieve this than through an outdated model of religious education."
See also: Religious education isn't the right vehicle for civics
