Religious Education in Crisis

The ongoing decline in RE teaching is a serious problem the government should be addressing but also an opportunity for churches.

According to new research by the National Association for RE Teachers, a quarter of England’s secondary schools are not offering Religious Education to their students despite the law saying they should. Academies, who can choose their own RE curriculum, have the worst record with nearly half not offering RE to 14-16 year olds.

For at least a generation Religious Education has been the poor relation in the education system. We call on the government to ensure that RE teaching legislation is being carried out – and by competent teachers trained in the basics of the major world religions but also in the essentials of philosophy and apologetics.

However, this does present an opportunity for churches who can often help schools by providing the Christian and ethical elements in the teaching programme. There are plenty of excellent materials available for teaching about the Christian faith and also about Christian views on sexual ethics and beginning and end of life issues. We encourage churches to contact their local schools and offer to assist in this way.

Graham Nicholls, 17 September 2017