Teach about non-religion and religions equally! Peer urges law change after Supreme Court ruling

The future of Religious Education (RE) was raised in the House of Lords yesterday during a debate on the Government’s curriculum and assessment review, with peers highlighting longstanding concerns about the subject’s quality and status.

RE is compulsory for all pupils in England but is not part of the national curriculum. This results in significant variation in what is taught. Humanists UK has long called for RE to be reformed into a subject that is consistent across all schools and fully inclusive of non-religious worldviews, in line with the law, and welcomed the curriculum and assessment review’s recommendation that RE be placed on the national curriculum.

During the debate, All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group member, Baroness Burt of Solihull, highlighted the legal requirement for teaching about religion and belief to be ‘objective, critical and pluralistic’, and stressed the importance of including non-religious worldviews:

‘In England, the High Court in Fox v Secretary of State for Education drew attention to the importance of ensuring that pupils receive a balanced understanding of the diversity of beliefs present in modern society, including non-religious world views such as humanism. The judgment highlighted concerns that such perspectives should not be treated as marginal or incidental but rather form a meaningful part of pupils’ education about religion and belief.’

Baroness Burt also pointed to recent case law, reinforcing that RE must not privilege particular religious perspectives, and that the parental right of withdrawal is not a sufficient solution to not having an inclusive curriculum.

Responding for the UK Government, Baroness Blake of Leeds said:

‘We will be shaped and guided by the sector and take further steps on moving forward with regard to religious education.’

Following the review panel’s landmark recommendation, an independent task and finish group made up of representatives from faith bodies, secular groups, and experts from the education sector, was established to develop a draft RE curriculum. This group will report back to the Education Secretary, who will then decide whether to implement the recommendation.

Responding to the debate, Humanists UK’s Policy and Campaigns Manager, Lewis Young, said:

‘There is an increasing recognition that the current way of delivering Religious Education is not equipping pupils with the skills and knowledge they need. Too many young people receive a patchy and sometimes unbalanced education about religions and beliefs.

‘The curriculum review’s recommendation to place RE on the national curriculum is a crucial opportunity to finally reform the subject so that it is taught on a national basis, is objective, critical, and pluralistic, and is inclusive of humanism.’