Subject leaders warn the success story of A level RS risks being undone by neglect of RE specialism in schools
The number of students taking Religious Studies at A level has dipped in England and Wales by 1.5% to 15,201 prompting calls from subject leaders for a national plan to help the subject grow again at A Level.
A Level RS had previously been a success story, reaching a peak of 21,577 entries in 2015, an increase of 10,000 since 2003. However, recent years have seen a steady decline in entries, with a lack of specialist teachers meaning fewer students who take the popular GCSE subject going on to study it at A level.
In Wales the number of students taking RE declined by 6.1% to 702. In England the number of students taking the subject was 14,499, a fall of 1.3%.
Most other Humanities subjects also saw a drop in A level entries, with History falling by 2.3% and Sociology by 6.5%. Religious Studies was a more popular option than Law and had one of the smallest drops of all the Humanities subjects.
The teacher training bursary for Religious Education was recently restored for the academic year 2024/25 after the Department for Education had missed its recruitment target for nine of the last ten years.
A recent analysis of the school workforce survey found that 3,544 teachers deliver RE at the 16-19 level in 2023/24, an 11% decline over the last decade. 51% of all those teaching RE mainly teach another subject, with these teachers far less likely to be expected to teach A level given the expertise required.
Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the Religious Education Council, said:
Religious Studies continues to be a popular A level, grounding students in an academic and personally enriching exploration of life’s biggest questions. The subject has helped students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, go onto university and into careers such as law, journalism and teaching.
“However, students are losing out, with an ongoing lack of specialist recruitment leaving too many schools unable to offer it at A-level. A national plan would provide the funding, recruitment and resources to help the subject once again thrive at its most advanced level in all our schools, preparing students for further academic study, employment and active engagement in our society.”
Katie Freeman, Chair of The National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE), said:
“Congratulations to all RE teachers and their students on their exam successes. There have been some fantastic results, helping students get to some of the best universities in the country. However, sadly it seems that year on year, the opportunity to study RE at A Level is dwindling for far too many.
“We have a wealth of RE teaching talent in this country. Backing it with support from government and school leaders will allow RS A level to once again become a success story, allowing thousands of students across the country to pursue their interest in life’s biggest questions into university, the workplace and our communities.”
Courtesy of 3:nine Communications, www.3nine.co.uk