SCHOOLS NOT OFFERING RE
30% don’t teach it, group claims
MORE than a third of secondary schools in England are breaking the law by not offering religious education, it has been claimed
RE is compulsory in statefunded schools, but government figures from 2015 suggest that 34% of academies were not offering it to 11 to 13-year-olds and 44% failed to teach it to pupils aged 14 to 16.
The National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, which obtained the data through a freedom of information request, also found there was a shortage of specialist RE teachers. Fiona Moss, of NATRE, said pupils were missing out on the chance to “develop their own ideas, beliefs and values”. She said: “We’re not teaching people to be religious. We’re teaching children about religions and beliefs that exist in this country.” But the main union for secondary heads said schools often covered religion in other lessons. Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “They might be teaching it through citizenship lessons or assemblies.” A Department for Education spokesman said: “We expect all schools to fulfil their statutory duties.”