The number of pupils taking GCSE Religious Studies (RS) has suffered a 13% drop compared to 2017, provisional figures published by Ofqual have revealed. Whereas 297,800 students chose to study GCSE RS in 2017, just 260,300 were entered for GCSE RS in 2018, a fall of 37,500. This is the largest drop in both percentage and real terms of any major subject, and runs counter to the rise in GCSE entries for other humanities subjects such as history and geography.
Humanists UK, which has always spoken out about the value of good-quality education about religions and beliefs in schools, believes the latest slump in RS entries demonstrates again the urgent need for reform.
The decline in the number of students taking GCSE RS is not a novel trend. The number of entrants has been falling for several years. In 2016, 328,000 GCSE students studied RS, 67,700 more than in 2018 – a drop of more than 20%. The decline is largely attributed to the Government’s decision to exclude RS from the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), as well as to no longer take account of the short course RS GCSE in school performance tables. Indeed, entries for short course RS specifically fell by a staggering 27% this year according to Ofqual’s provisional figures.
Whilst Humanists UK has joined groups such as the Religious Education Council (REC), and the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) in calling for a reversal of these policies, it also advocates for a more significant overhaul of the subject.
Its formal response to the Commission on RE, an independent panel established to review the legal, educational, and policy framework for RE, focussed on updating the subject to be more inclusive and relevant in modern Britain. Recommendations included more balanced content about a fuller range of religions and beliefs, greater weight given to humanist perspectives, changing the subject’s name to reflect its inclusion of non-religious beliefs as well as religions, and replacing the outdated system of locally agreed RE syllabuses with a national entitlement statement. The Commission, which picked up many of these recommendations in its interim report last year, is due to publish its final report in the Autumn.
Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Jay Harman commented, ‘If Ofqual’s provisional figures are accurate, the drastic fall in pupils taking GCSE RS shows that reform is badly needed. RE is one of the most important subjects that schools teach and vital to fulfilling its duty to promote British values and the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural (SMSC) development of their pupils.
‘The latest figures from the British Social Attitudes Survey show that 71% of young people in Britain are non-religious, and that the country is more diverse in terms of religion and belief than ever before. If the decline in GCSE RS is to be halted, more attention has to be paid to reflecting this diversity and including the perspectives of the non-religious majority. We hope these figures prompt the Government to look urgently at how they can save a subject that is simply too valuable to squander in this way.’
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For further comment or information please contact Humanists UK Education Campaigns Manager Jay Harman on jay@humanists.uk or 0207 324 3078.
Read Humanists UK’s previous article on the interim report of the Commission on RE: https://humanists.uk/2017/09/21/commission-on-re-calls-for-major-shake-up-of-subject-in-english-schools/
Read Humanists UK’s full response to the Commission on RE consultation: https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017-11-27-FINAL-CoRE-interim-report-response.pdf
Read more about Humanists UK’s work on religious education: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/religious-education/
At Humanists UK, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work brings non-religious people together to develop their own views, helping people be happier and more fulfilled in the one life we have. Through our ceremonies, education services, and community and campaigning work, we strive to create a fair and equal society for all.