THE Bank of England is amongst 30 organisations which have signed an open letter calling on the Government to enhance the teaching of non secular education (RE) in schools.
The letter, written by Lord Bilimoria and published on Tuesday, expresses concern with the usual of RE in England. “RE teachers are among the most passionate within the country,” he writes, “but an absence of funding and proper support for the topic has led the outgoing Chief Inspector of Education to explain teaching of the topic as ‘generally of a poor quality’.”
A recent Ofsted report on RE, which observed the curriculum and teaching practices in quite a lot of schools in England, concluded that the availability was too simplistic and ill-informed, and didn’t prepare students to “live in a fancy world” (News, 19 April).
A 2022 study of faculties data by the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) found that as much as 500 secondary schools within the country weren’t fulfilling their statutory obligation to show RE (News, 20 May 2022).
Lord Bilimoria is a former vice-president of the Confederation of Business and Industry, and Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. He writes: “Over the last decade the topic has evolved to offer a much-needed place within the classroom for young people to have interaction with the complexity of recent belief, avoid misconceptions, and leave school able to work with people all over the world from all walks of life.”
His letter, which is supported, amongst other organisations, by universities, schools, and the RC diocese of Westminster, concludes with “a call to motion for employers and business leaders, a likelihood for them to face by students who’ve expressed an interest in a high-quality education in religion and worldviews as preparation for the long run workplace”.
As a part of the “REady for work” campaign, Young Ambassadors for RE have submitted videos about how the topic helps them to organize for the workplace. Aiyra, a Year 9 student from Okehampton College, said that the topic “plays a large role in people’s lives, concerning understanding one another, cultures different from our own, and beliefs we aren’t exposed to regularly. I feel it’s a superb preparation for any profession.”
Deborah Weston, a NATRE research officer, said of the letter that it was “encouraging to see major employers recognise the worth of high-quality RE. It’s clear there may be an actual desire to offer young individuals with a tutorial and personally enriching education in religious and non-religious worldviews that can help young people take their place in society and the world of labor.”
Other signatories include the Peter Jones Foundation, University College London, Bangor University, Edwardian Hotels London, Coop Academy, Bellevue Law, The King’s School, Christian Education, and the Catholic Union of Great Britain.
