New figures released by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education reveal that the overall number of pupils studying RE at GCSE level has continued to decline.
Although the number of pupils in England and Wales taking GCSE Religious Studies in 2015 rose by 5.3% to 283,756, the number taking a Religious Studies short course declined by 30.9% to 68,890, meaning that the combined entries fell by 4.5% since 2014 and 18.1% since 2009. Broken down by country, the number of combined Religious Studies entrants in Wales has risen by 12.1% , but fallen in England by 20%. In 2014 1,197 schools had no pupils entered for any RS qualification, up from 268 in 2010.
RE in England has been downgraded in several ways in recent years, including by Religious Studies GCSE being excluded from the government’s key English Baccalaureate performance indicator and through the number of RE teacher training places being reduced. The number of students being entered for an RS short course is now being seriously impacted since short courses have been removed from Department for Education’s performance tables. Almost two thirds of short course GCSEs taken are in Religious Studies.
The latest figures come ahead of the introduction next September of revised RS GCSE and A levels that adhere to the Department for Education’s new subject content requirements. RS GCSE and A levels are to have less focus on philosophy and ethics and more on theology and textual studies. The systematic study of non-religious beliefs has been ruled out.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, said ‘It is vital that children learn about the range of religion and beliefs held in society. This is partly out of general knowledge, but also as a pathway to good citizenship, so that they can better understand those from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
‘It is therefore disappointing that a growing number of schools do not have any students entered for Religious Studies at GCSE level, although the increase in the number of full course GCSE Religious Studies entries is encouraging and testament to how relevant and engaging the subject can be. RE has suffered due to recent policy changes, and must be allowed to flourish.’
‘Accordingly forthcoming changes to the content of RE at GCSE and A level should avoid the pitfalls of being too doctrinaire and facilitating instructional religious teaching by the back door. RE should be about education, not indoctrination. It has everything to gain from not being too regimented and in allowing students to explore wider moral and ethical questions.’
