The Secretary of State for Education has today announced that there will be a public consultation on the future content of the national curriculum – including Religious Education – in September.
Proposed Programmes of Study and national standards for RE have been developed by the RE Task and Finish Group, which brought together education professionals alongside representatives of religious and non-religious organisations across England.
It followed the recommendation by the Curriculum and Assessment Review that RE be included in the National Curriculum through a phased approach to “improve access to high-quality provision and to prevent further diminishment.”
The Programmes of Study and national standards set out, for the first time, a nationally consistent framework for religious education. Together, these complementary elements provide a common benchmark of breadth, depth and ambition, built around substantive, disciplinary and personal knowledge, while recognising distinct legal frameworks governing categories of school.
Through this framework, every pupil studies religious and non-religious traditions with depth and academic rigour from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4.
This is an exciting, historic moment, with organisations from education as well as religious and non-religious communities formally supporting the proposed Programmes of Study to improve provision of the subject across the country.
Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, said: “I welcome the Secretary of State’s recognition of the unprecedented consensus across religious and non-religious communities, educators and professional bodies. A National Curriculum for RE will ensure every child, in every school, receives their entitlement to high quality religious education – in both religious and non-religious traditions – that is academically rigorous and personally inspiring.”
Katie Freeman, Chair of The National Association of Teachers of RE, said: “We welcome this historic consensus and most importantly the collaboration and dialogue that has taken place amongst all involved in the process. Placing RE in the National Curriculum will put it on an equal footing with other subjects, end the ‘postcode lottery’ of provision and ensure all students receive access to high-quality RE.”
Stakeholder Comments
“We welcome the approach proposed by the Task & Finish Group to both include RE in the National Curriculum while preserving long-standing arrangements for church schools which make up a third of the state sector.
“The CES will of course participate in the forthcoming consultation in support of the inclusion of RE in the National Curriculum, to help improve standards of non-denominational RE.
“RE has long been compulsory in all schools, and in Catholic schools 10% of curriculum time is dedicated to it. This means alongside Catholic Christianity, other religions like Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and non-religious worldviews are given more study time than in most non-denominational schools, contributing to community cohesion.”
Paul Barber
Director, Catholic Education Service
“We are delighted that the government has decided to consult formally upon moving RE from the basic curriculum into the National Curriculum. An agreed national programme of study of RE, in place of the current plethora of local syllabuses, will ensure that every child, no matter where they live, gets high quality religious education which fully respects this country’s religious and cultural traditions. That is particularly important for social cohesion in a context of religious and non-religious diversity and to inform personal development.”
Charles Clarke
Secretary of State for Education 2002-2004
Linda Woodhead
Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London
“This is a momentous step for inclusion. Young people deserve to learn about the full range of beliefs that shape the world around them. Putting RE on the National Curriculum would end the postcode lottery in provision, and including humanism would give every pupil a richer, more relevant, and more rounded education. We have campaigned for this since 1944 and are proud to have contributed to the group’s work under Vanessa Ogden’s inspirational leadership.
“We will engage fully with the consultation to make the case for an RE that is inclusive of humanism and fit for the modern world, and we encourage others to do the same.”
Andrew Copson
Chief Executive, Humanists UK
“As lead drafters, we aimed to produce a high-quality entitlement in religious education for every child, to help them navigate and share in a complex world. We are grateful for the expertise and care that so many brought to the process, for the benefit of pupils.”
Dr Richard Kueh (former HMI national lead for RE and former deputy director Ofsted)
“Religious Education plays a distinct role in helping young people to engage with diverse communities, fostering an aptitude to interfaith and belief dialogue and in calling out prejudice – all of which are essential for peaceful coexistence. With antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility rising, this major development for the subject couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Ruth-Anne Lenga OBE
University College London, Institute of Education
“Religious Education helps young people understand themselves, others, and our diverse world. It creates a safe space to explore religious and non-religious beliefs and values, develops critical thinking skills, and teaches us to disagree respectfully. When delivered well in schools, RE becomes a powerful tool for building social cohesion and bringing communities together.”
Bushra Nasir, CBE DL FCCT
Former CEO, Drapers MAT
“I applaud and am grateful for the work of Dr Vanessa Ogden, the programme of study drafters and the Task and Finish group for taking this forward to try and ensure high quality RE for all pupils. Portraying the authentic views and practices that make up our wonderful, diverse nation plays a vital role in breaking down prejudice and increasing social cohesion across society, which is essential in current times.”
Anna Silver
Education Officer
British Board of Deputies
“The willingness of colleagues across the sector to listen carefully to one another, find common ground where they could, and agree compromises where necessary has made reaching a genuine consensus possible, in the interests of children and young people.”
Deborah Weston, OBE
Chair, Religious Education Policy Unit
“The need for the inclusion of Religious Education within the National Curriculum has never been more acute. The provision of high quality RE for all pupils is paramount in promoting and embedding societal cohesion. It has been an honour and privilege for me as an education system leader within the Church of England to be a member of a broad and diverse group that has worked collegiately and collaboratively over many months to produce a report that takes us a long way along this journey. It is my prayer and hope that our shared vision will become actualised to ensure and enrich the experience of current and future generations of children and young people within the subject.”
Tony Wilson
Chief Executive Officer & Director of Education
Oxford Diocesan Board of Education
“We fully support the government’s vision both for RE to become part of the National Curriculum and also to ensure that the arrangements for church schools are fully preserved in order to continue to support their strong and embedded practice in the teaching and leadership of RE.
The shared work of the Task & Finish group has demonstrated strong collaboration, deep curriculum thinking, and offers a transformational future for RE as a vital part of our national vision for every child to flourish. We look forward to participating fully in the consultation process and working in partnership with our Dioceses to resource the effective professional development of leaders and teachers who will now be needed to deliver these exciting new programmes of study.”
Andy Wolfe
Interim Chief Executive
National Society for Education (Church of England)
“I warmly welcome the consensus around the National Curriculum programmes of study for Religious Education in England. This represents an important landmark step towards greater entitlement, coherence and quality for all pupils, and a renewed confidence in the subject’s vital role in helping young people understand the world they are part of.”
Dr Kathryn Wright
Chief Executive, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust