The Commission on Religious Education has just published its final report, Religion and Worldviews: The way forward. The Commission calls for an overhaul of the subject, to include teaching about non-religious beliefs so that it better reflects the diversity of modern society.
The report sets out recommendations to improve the variable quality of RE experienced by pupils in England and to address the legal arrangements around RE which are “no longer effective” as more schools become academies. The Commission suggests a new National Plan for RE to ensure “that learning in this area remains academically rigorous and a knowledge-rich preparation for life in a world of great religion and belief diversity”. The three core elements of the plan are:
- To offer a new vision for Religion and Worldviews as “the subject should explore the important role that religious and non-religious worldviews play in all human life”.
- For all pupils to have access to high quality teaching through a statutory National Entitlement which should apply to all schools.
- For significant investment in two crucial areas: teacher education and the local structures that support local communities to continue to have a role in supporting RE.
Read the findings of the report and recommendations (external link).