On Monday 13th June the REC met with the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb MP. Trevor Cooling, Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, and Deborah Weston, respectively the Chair of the REC, the CEO of the REC, and the Chair of the joint REC/NATRE/RE Today PR Group, met with Nick Gibb to discuss the REC’s plans to establish a Commission on Religious Education.
In a long and thorough meeting, Nick Gibb was briefed on why the REC feels there is a need for a Commission, and why the time is right to review the legal, education, and policy frameworks for religious education, given the context of continuing educational reform. We also agreed in principle ways in which the Department for Education might be able to provide important data to inform the Commissioners.
The REC is looking forward to further opportunities to work with the Government in this critical area once the Commission has been formally established. A further meeting with the Minister is planned in the near future.