The Accord Coalition for Inclusive Education has called for a review of Religious Education (RE) following a recommendation today from the Head of Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw, that the Department for Education reinforces requirements on all schools to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, said ‘RE is anomalous – it is mandatory, but not a National Curriculum subject and, unlike other subjects, its standing has remained much the same since the 1988 Education Act. It means that schools have to teach about religion, but not in any particular way and therefore they can limit their pupils’ horizons. Since the Act a broad consensus has developed – among professional bodies, religion and belief groups and schools – about what RE should provide for pupils. This was further highlighted last year by the publication of a popular and flexible subject framework for RE by the Religious Education Council of England and Wales.
‘Inspectors cannot be in schools all of the time. National guidance on RE teaching would help ensure it is balanced, of a sufficient quality and that children are better prepared for life in our diverse society. RE is currently being reviewed at GCSE and A-Level. A review at earlier stages is long overdue.’
Sir Michael’s proposal is made in an advice notice to the Secretary of State for Education, The Right Hon Nicky Morgan MP, following Ofsted undertaking 35 no notice school inspections during September and October. 16 of the schools were inspected, either solely or partly, due to concerns about the curriculum provided. Inspectors were concerned about the curriculum in 17 of the 35 schools, and 11 were considered to be ‘… not preparing pupils for life in Britain today’. This included schools that were ‘… not teaching respect for and understanding of the various faiths found in Britain today’ and ‘… were not developing pupils’ awareness and tolerance of communities different to their own.”
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Support for broad and balanced RE is popular. A ComRes survey from June 2011 commissioned by Premiere Christian Radio found that 84% of British adults agreed that ‘Learning about the religions and cultures of other people is an important part of understanding modern society’, with 11% against. It also found that only 14% agreed that ‘Children do not need to learn about other religions and cultures’, with 81% disagreeing.
RE is declining, especially at non-faith schools. A November 2013 survey by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education found that secondary schools were increasingly providing RE GCSE over three years, rather than two. 26% of schools in the survey did not provide RE at Key Stage Four, at all, and 12% did not provide RE to all students at Key Stage Three.
Oftsed has urged the DfE to review RE. Ofsted painted a worrying picture in its triennial review of RE, published in October 2013, concluding that the subject was suffering from low standards, weak teaching and gaps in teacher training, as well reduced support by local authorities. Its recommendations included that the Department for Education should ensure the provision of RE was better monitored (particularly in secondary schools); that it works more closely with professional associations for RE, and reviews the current statutory arrangements for the subject.
