Secure the Future of RE

The Religious Education Council is the UK’s only organisation that brings together faith and belief groups, academics and educators.  Since 1973, we have worked collaboratively, across religion and belief boundaries to discuss, inspire and support the teaching of religious and non-religious beliefs in modern Britain.

Our vision is for an inclusive, academic and personally enriching education in religion and worldviews for every child in every school.  We are motivated by the voices of pupils and students who value the way Religious Education prepares them for life, work and 21st century Britain.

Students Say

“RE is the one time in school where you can talk, listen and try to make sense of people, events and beliefs in the world.”

“We discuss issues that make me 100k inside myself and think very deeply about the world, behaviour, my personality, my beliefs.”

“In RE I like that there is not just one right answer. I like the debates. I like getting people to respond and I like to understand other peoples’ decisions.”

The Challenge

Religious Education is a success story. There are more children than ever studying it in our schools, and it continues to be a popular subject at GCSE. National surveys show a majority of parents (seven in ten) see schools as playing a vital role in helping young people understand the diverse views now found in society.

But despite this, Religious Education is facing decades-long neglect from government and schools. It is not receiving its fair allocation of resources, leading to patchy provision that can embed misconceptions and undermine its long history in delivering meaningful social cohesion. Its future is now under threat:

  • 28% Of secondary schools gave no dedicated curriculum time to the subject
  • The Department for Education has missed its recruitment target for RE teachers in 11 of the last
    12 years.
  • In academies, just 47% Of RE lessons are delivered by a qualified subject specialist.

In many schools, particularly in our most disadvantaged and divided communities, students are missing out on high-quality religious education.

Our Impact

Despite government neglect, the REC has worked to place Religious Education at the heart of policy, the media and the national conversation.  Our recent achievements include:

  • Launching a religion and worldviews curriculum toolkit based on the latest academic research to help schools develop and embed a high-quality RE curriculum, This is to help them overcome Ofsted’s recent finding that the “RE curriculum often lacked sufficient substance to prepare pupils to live in a complex world.
  • Campaigning to successfully restore the teacher training bursary for secondary RE teachers.
  • Raising the profile of the subject in the national press, radio and television.
  • Working to ensure that Religious Education is supported in the government’s upcoming school reforms and curriculum review, with appearances at the party conferences. meetings with MPs in parliament and evidence provided to the Education Select Committee.
  • Running the RE Quality Mark scheme to celebrate high quality RE. helping schools develop RE and encourage teachers to make use of collaborative networks in RE beyond their schools.

Help us ensure every child receives the high-quality RE they deserve

We have achieved all of this with a very small — but dedicated — team of 2 members of staff, and the support of many volunteers.

But with an urgent need to safeguard the future of RE, we need your help.

With your help, we can:

  • Support the next generation of RE teachers in delivering an academic and personally enriching education in religion and worldviews.
  • Overcome the crisis of specialism in schools by helping to embed a high-quality curriculum and lobby for a fairer allocation of subject resources.
  • Support high-quality RE in disadvantaged and divided communities to build social cohesion and grow awareness Of the critical role RE plays in society.