Out-of-school settings: voluntary safeguarding code of practice
The Department for Education is seeking views on a draft voluntary safeguarding code of practice for out-of-school settings providers, and associated parental guidance.
Around 250,000 children are thought to be attending up to 5,000 religious supplementary schools in England and despite serious safeguarding concerns, no system for registering and inspecting such schools exists.
In 2016, in an attempt to reduce the risk of children and young people being exposed to harm, the government set out proposals to regulate 'out of school educational settings'. Under the plans, any settings providing 'intensive' tuition, training or instruction to children outside of school would be required to register and be subject to risk-based inspections. Following opposition from religious groups, these plans were shelved and the government committed to bringing out a voluntary 'best practice' guide for supplementary schools.
Sun, 24 Feb 2019 23:45
Our National Mission: A Transformational Curriculum
The Welsh government are consulting on the legislative framework to facilitate the new curriculum's implementation. This includes:
- The purpose and structure of the curriculum
- The Welsh and English languages
- Relationships and Sexuality Education for 3 to 16 year olds
- Religious Education for 3 to 16 year olds
- Right to withdraw from RE and RSE
- The assessment of learners.
On religious education the NSS have largely welcomed the proposals. But we would go further, abolishing SACREs and removing faith schools' ability to teach confessional RE. We would like a requirment for all schools to prepare young people for life in modern Britain by teaching pupils about:
- The diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews.
- How people's worldviews may influence their thinking on philosophical, moral and cultural issues.
- Worldviews and rights: how the freedom to manifest religion and belief interacts with the rights of others.
Any form of confessionalism/religious instruction should be separated from this subject, and should only take place in a voluntary - non-state funded environment.
We want Sex and Relationships Education in all schools to be comprehensive and non-discriminatory. No school should promote faith based sex education.
Mon, 25 Mar 2019 09:00
