LEARNING ABOUT religionS and worldviews
It’s as important as ever that young people have the opportunity to learn about and understand the beliefs of others, as well as to question, explore, and decide for themselves what they believe. Religious education (RE) can offer a vital space for this. But as it stands, RE in some parts of the UK is lagging behind and lacks a balanced, rigorous approach. This is letting young people down.
Subject experts agree that studying non-religious worldviews such as humanism alongside world religions opens up the subject enormously. It makes the subject more academically rigorous, provokes children to explore bigger questions in philosophy and religion, and helps to prepare students for the world they’ll enter as adults. That’s why we’re campaigning to see reformed RE syllabuses that take a balanced approach to the teaching of not just religions, but other worldviews too.
What’s wrong with RE?
Currently, most curriculums for RE are drawn up by local bodies, but many academies, free schools, and faith schools can decide what they teach. All-in-all, it doesn’t make for a very consistent or balanced approach to the subject.
Faith-based state schools in particular tend to focus on the religion of the school and the ‘benefits’ of following it.
Systematic study of both religions and non-religious worldviews improves the rigour and quality of lessons, and respects the different beliefs of all children in the classroom.
Experts say RE needs to change
We believe that RE should be on the national curriculum, with a programme of study defined by experts and inclusive of humanism. This position was endorsed by the government backed independent Curriculum and Assessment Review panel which recommended that RE be placed on the National Curriculum. This recommendation is subject to agreement from the Education Secretary
We think schools should teach humanist and non-religious views, in respect of the values of a huge proportion of young people that do not have a religion. Many local syllabuses reflect this but it needs to be made universal. We provide resources to schools to help them do a good job.
Some parts of the UK are further ahead than others. In Wales, the law requires all schools to teach about humanist views. In Scotland, all non-denominational schools must teach about non-religious views, with humanism being the most useful example.
We also support proposals to rename RE in England to ‘Religion and Worldviews’, to reflect its evolution. The subject has such an important role to play, and these changes are integral to making RE inclusive, impartial, objective, and reflective of modern society.
The courts say RE should include humanism
In 2015, following a legal battle involving some humanist parents who challenged the curriculum in England for discriminating against humanists, the High Court made a landmark ruling that schools have a duty to teach about humanism alongside religion.
In 2021, the curriculum in Wales officially changed to take account of this ruling. The judgment is still binding law across the UK.
We’re campaigning to make RE a valuable subject – not a sermon
RE has such an important role to play in shaping our society. That’s why we’re passionate about reforming and reinvigorating it so that it can contribute to harmony and cohesion in our society. We want it to be a subject that really helps young people to explore their own identity and values and understand those of others.
- We are part of strategic groups advising on the curriculum in Wales
- We are an active member of many RE organisations and have been a founding member of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales since 1973
- We regularly work with the UK and Welsh Departments for Education and the wider Government to keep reform of RE high on the agenda
- We’re working alongside other groups to push for changes to the syllabus in Northern Ireland, which currently excludes humanism and minority religions
School assemblies and collective worship
One of the most problematic areas when it comes to balanced approaches to religion in schools is collective worship. This comes from old laws requiring schools in England and Wales to hold daily acts of ‘broadly Christian’ collective worship. The UN has said the law breaches children’s rights and in 2025 the UK Supreme Court called it out, in particular how the parental right of withdrawal does not address the issue of the state requiring all schools to carry out daily worship.
This law is deeply unpopular, with many schools ignoring it altogether. But just as many strictly enforce it, leaving parents with very few options. You can read our in-depth briefing on collective worship for more information.
And while parents (and older pupils) can ask to be opted out of these assemblies, this often singles them out and makes them feel isolated. We think all schools should instead provide inclusive assemblies, suitable for families of all backgrounds, rather than religious worship.
