An education review by the federal government that can add religious education to the National Curriculum has been welcomed by the Church of England, the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, and the National Association of Teachers of RE.
At present RE is a compulsory subject, but it surely will not be a part of the National Curriculum. Instead local authorities agree on a syllabus.
As well as making RE an element of the National Curriculum, the federal government may also be scrapping the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a qualification that has been criticised for neglecting RE and other humanities, comparable to music and the performing arts.
The decision to scrap the EBacc has been welcomed, not only be the Church of England, but art, theatre and music bodies.
Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer on the Church of England, said, “We welcome the choice to scrap the EBacc, an accountability measure which has at all times had a negative impact on RE and can now make it easier for pupils to review Religious Education at GCSE as a part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
“At a time where the necessity for understanding and dialogue across different faith groups and worldviews is increasingly evident, the importance of youngsters studying RE couldn’t be clearer. The Church of England has already contributed to the curriculum and assessment review, including through the deep dive into RE.”
Adding RE to the National Curriculum has been described as the largest change in how the topic is taught in over 30 years.
Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, said, “This marks the beginning of a recent era for Religious Education and one which now requires collaboration across the topic’s community to assist deliver the vision of the brand new National Curriculum.
“The REC is able to work with government and college leaders across the country to be certain that the voices of RE teachers, academics and non secular leaders inform this recent direction.
“We are confident that together we are able to deliver a subject that’s intellectually rigorous, difficult and geared towards helping young people flourish in modern Britain.”
The council has previously warned that a shortage of specialist RE teachers was harming the education of scholars across the country. Many of those that teach RE are literally specialists in one other subject.
Katie Freeman, Chair of the National Association of Teachers of RE, also welcomed the federal government’s changes, saying, “This historic move will help strengthen the availability for RE, supporting schools and curriculum designers to deliver a subject that prepares young people for all times, work and further education.
“Alongside accountability measures and the restoration of the teacher training bursary, we now have a chance to finish the ‘postcode lottery’ of teaching in RE and ensure every student within the country gets the most effective of our subject.
“NATRE looks forward to continuing to work with other stakeholders within the sector to make sure the completion of this vital work.”
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