Religious Education is outdated, unpopular and opens the door to proselytising.
There are many more subjects children and young people need to learn.
It's time to replace RE with something more appropriate for 21st century students.
It is important for children and young people to learn about different religions and beliefs. But we don't think our schools need a dedicated subject to do this – especially a subject as out-of-date and as irrelevant as Religious Education (RE).
Surveys consistently show RE is one of the least popular school subjects, an indication of its increasing irrelevance.
58% of British adults think religious studies is unimportant at secondary schools. And a quarter of England's secondary schools do not offer RE.
Unlike any other compulsory subject, RE is determined at a local level in England. In each local authority the agreed syllabus for RE is determined by committees representing the Church of England and other religion and belief groups, as well as the local authority and teacher's groups.
As a result, schools not only face a local lottery regarding what their RE syllabus will contain; they will have to teach a subject under significant control from religious interest groups. These groups are strongly motivated to ensure their religion is represented in an overwhelmingly positive light. The current arrangements mean the subject lacks objectivity.
Many faith schools don't even need to follow the locally agreed syllabus and can instead teach religion from their own exclusive viewpoint.
A new nationally-determined civics and citizenship subject could encompass teaching about religious and nonreligious worldviews and allow students to consider moral and ethical issues. Religion and belief could also be explored in other relevant areas of the curriculum.
In Wales, RE has recently been replaced with Religions, Values and Ethics (RVE). While we welcome this broader and more inclusive subject, problems remain regarding the influence of religious groups and exceptions allowing faith schools to teach confessional RE.
We need a reformed subject to ensure education about religion and belief is broad, balanced and proportionate.
We've created a series of resources – Exploring Secularism – for anyone wishing to explore issues of religion, belief, ethics, and worldviews in schools. The resources aim to provide teachers with the material they need to engage with secularism in an informed way.
As British society considers how to respond to greater religious diversity and growing irreligiosity, it is become increasingly important for children and young people to develop their understanding of the interaction between religion, society, and politics. The study of secularism explores this interaction, together with questions about how we balance freedom of, and from, religion with other rights.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Support our campaign to ensure every pupil has the same entitlement to high quality, non-partisan education about religious and non-religious worldviews.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
NSS calls for end to state funded ‘religiosity inspections’ in schools
Posted: Wed, 21 Jun 2017 14:04
The National Secular Society has called for Ofsted to inspect religious education in faith schools after research revealed that millions of pounds of public money has been paid to religious organisations to carry out additional inspections of denominational RE.
Inspections under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005 evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of a school as a religious institution, including its provision of collective worship and RE.
In the last six school years, figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that almost £5 million in Section 48 grants has been handed out to "faith bodies". The vast majority of the £4,904,800 grant money went to the Church of England (over half a million pounds per year) and the Catholic Church (over a quarter million). The Association of Muslim Schools, the Board of Deputies and two Sikh organisations also received tens of thousands of pounds.
The National Secular Society has now written to schools minister, Nick Gibb, urging him to ensure that Ofsted, rather than 'religious authorities', inspect schools' RE provision.
Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns director, commented: "The purpose of state funded inspections should be to ensure that schools are serving the needs of their pupils, not the interests of religious organisations.
"Putting all schools on the same inspection regime should have no discernible impact on Ofsted's costs as they already inspect these schools, but it would save millions in unnecessary grants to religious bodies. More importantly it would better ensure that religious education in faith schools is broad and balanced and not being used to promote religion or inculcate pupils into a particular faith.
In Anglican and Methodist faith schools the Section 48 inspections are known as SIAMS reports. Staff and governors at church schools have raised fears with the NSS that such inspections are being used to 'pressure' church schools to advance a more rigorous religious ethos – whether or not it's suitable for their school community.
At a time where Ofsted is facing a 'funding black hole', the NSS argues that getting rid of Section 48 inspections and giving the money to the school inspectorate could help them meet over 10% of their budget deficit.
Defending the separate inspection regime, a Church of England spokesperson told Schools Week that the Church was "legally obliged to ensure the religious education in its schools was consistent with its ethos".
Mr Evans said that a big part of the problem was that schools are still delivering denominational RE, rather than objective education about religions and beliefs.
"We want to ensure that all pupils to have the same entitlement to high quality, non-partisan education about religion and belief. Under the current legal framework, the religious education syllabus is decided locally by committees dominated by faith representatives or by religious bodies responsible for running faith schools.
"The whole legal framework around religious educations needed serious review. Denominational RE and 'local determination' survives merely because of the privileged position of churches and other religious organisations. The needs of pupils growing up in 21st century Britain must now take priority."
NSS rejects Church’s call for end to RE right to withdraw, without meaningful reform
Posted: Thu, 27 Apr 2017 16:43
The National Secular Society has said that Religious Education must be fundamentally reformed before the existing right to withdraw children from RE can be removed.
The Society was responding to a statement released by the Church which said "the right of withdrawal from RE should be repealed."
The Church has expressed its concerns that parents are withdrawing their children from lessons on Islam, partial withdrawal is currently permitted. It also said there were concerns that religious fundamentalists were withdrawing their children from lessons on other religions.
Stephen Evans, the campaigns director of the National Secular Society, said, "We share concerns about some parents attempting to shield children from knowledge about other religions and beliefs. However, the fundamental problem is that Religious Education remains a confused subject area, still sometimes taught in a biased or partisan way.
"If RE was reformed into an objective academic study of religious and non-religious worldviews, as a part of the National Curriculum, the right to withdraw may no longer be necessary. But until such time the right of withdrawal is required to protect parental rights and freedoms.
"The Church isn't exactly whiter than white when it comes to partisan teaching, we have dealt with plenty of examples of Church of England schools teaching RE in an unsuitable way."
Mr Evans added, "Unless the Church of England support an end to the exemptions allowing faith schools to teach RE in a partisan way according to the school's own religious ethos, talk of ending the right of withdrawal is clearly premature."
The NSS has launched a new campaign calling for a '21st century RE for all', arguing that every pupil should have the same entitlement to high quality, non-partisan education about religion and belief across the country, and that this shouldn't depend on where they lived or what school they attended. It said RE should be "broad, balanced and inclusive."
