Grades for Religious Studies GCSE hold their very own, despite lack of specialist teachers

THE number of scholars taking Religious Studies (RS) GCSE in England and Wales fell by 2.6 per cent this yr — however it stays a well-liked subject that requires more specialist teachers, the Religious Education Council (REC) of England and Wales said on Thursday.

Last yr, there was a small increase of 0.3 per cent within the numbers taking the course (News, 23 August 2024).

The REC said in a press release that RS was “the seventh most generally taken subject in England and Wales out of the 31 offered at Key Stage 4”, with 249,422 taking the topic.

The decline was steeper in Wales, where 10,988 students sat the GCSE: 11.8 per cent fewer than last yr. In England, 238,434 sat RS GCSE: a decline of two.1 per cent.

The number who achieved grade 4-9 rose by one per cent in England, to 73.2 per cent, and a couple of.1 per cent in Wales, to 67.8 per cent.

The REC expressed concern about an absence of specialist RE teachers, especially given the topic’s popularity. “School workforce data show that 51 per cent of those teaching RE mainly teach one other subject while the variety of RE teachers has remained roughly the identical since 2011,” a press release said.

“The teacher training bursary for RE was restored in 2024 but at a much lower rate than subjects like Geography, Computing and Maths, but a shortage of specialism in schools is resulting in teachers warning of tokenistic, low quality RS that risks embedding misconceptions, undermining societal cohesion.”

Daniel Thornton, 16, a pupil at Twyford Church of England High School in Acton, West London, receives his GCSE results on Thursday. He was awarded ten grade 9s, certainly one of which was in Religious Studies

The Chair of the REC, Sarah Lane Cawte, said on Thursday: “We have a worrying situation in our schools where some of the widely taken GCSEs is taught by an ever-declining variety of specialists. Too many on this enormous cohort proceed to receive poor quality, tokenistic RE as an afterthought, something that threatens to undermine societal cohesion and leaves students poorly prepared for all times in modern Britain. . .

“We now need a national plan that may restore Subject Knowledge Enhancement course funding, prioritise teacher recruitment and adopt the REC’s National Content Standard as a part of the Department of Education’s statutory guidance to make sure all students receive their entitlement to high-quality, modern RE.”

The Chair of the National Association of Teachers of RE, Katie Freeman, congratulated students who had received GCSE results, in addition to their teachers. RE lessons, she said, were “amongst probably the most difficult a teacher will ever deliver. RE teachers are hardworking, highly trained professionals who open up wealthy mental opportunities, helping young people flourish of their ongoing education, life and work.

“We must recognise their contribution to varsities and society by providing religious education with its fair allocation of resources and a spotlight to make sure this useful work continues and reaches every young person.”

The day before GCSE results, the Archbishop of York read a prayer in a video posted on social media. “As you await your GCSE results let me offer this prayer and assure you that regardless of the results, God cares for you and believes in you,” he said. “I pray that you’ll have the opportunity to persevere to turn out to be the person who you’re meant to be.”