New National Curriculum could include Religious Education

A Government-commissioned report recommends absorbing Religious Education (RE) into the National Curriculum for England, which could end local churches’ input into the subject.

Currently, RE is mandatory in state-funded schools for all children up to 18 years old, and each syllabus is determined at a local level by an Agreed Syllabus Conference, which includes representatives of Christian denominations.

But following an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, the Government has agreed to take the first step in implementing its recommendations by consulting stakeholders about a draft RE curriculum for potential inclusion in the National Curriculum.

Christianity

The Curriculum and Assessment Review emphasised that there is a “strong consensus about the subject’s importance”.

In addition, it argued that understanding the “tenets of Christianity also unlocks a wider understanding of British culture in terms of Christianity’s historic influence and how it has shaped modern-day Britain”.

But the report claimed that the Religious Education Council of England and Wales’ controversial ‘Religion and Worldviews’ approach has “consensus from across the sector”.

However, other groups involved in religious education have been critical of the Council, which was co-founded by Humanists UK, and its promotion of non-religious worldviews within Religious Education.

‘Religious illiteracy’

The Christian Institute’s Head of Education, John Denning, commented: “RE at its best is a fantastic subject which stimulates deep thought, ensures pupils can understand and reflect on Christian beliefs and those of other religions, and equips them to understand British history and culture, which have been fundamentally shaped by the Bible.

“Sadly, RE in too many schools does not live up to this. But reform must be aimed at raising standards, not compelling all state schools to adopt the REC’s worldview education approach, which is far from the consensus position the review claims.

“This approach risks turning RE into a content-free exploration of individual perspectives, at the expense of learning anything of substance about religious beliefs, let alone studying the Bible. Human perspectives, rather than God, become the subject of study. This would only lead to more pupils leaving school religiously illiterate.

“Going forward, it is critical that people who hold a different perspective from the REC are given a full role in the Government’s consultative process.”

Teacher shortage

Last month, the Government was urged to reverse its decision to cancel the bursary for RE teachers.

Since 2024-25, the Department for Education has offered a £10,000 Initial Teacher Training bursary to encourage more teachers to take up the subject. Despite the fact that applications have increased by 40 per cent, and recruitment has only reached 54 per cent of the Government’s target, the bursary will be scrapped from next September.

Last year, the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) highlighted that 51 per cent of those teaching RE mainly teach another subject, and the number of specialist RE teachers had remained stagnant since 2011.