To receive an update on the latest position concerning the government education strategy and consider possible implications for Religious Education.

SACRE received an update on the latest position concerning the government education strategy and considered possible implications for Religious Education.

The Lead Officer for SACRE reported that the Secretary of State had set up an expert group to review the National Curriculum.  Religious Education had not been included in the remit for the review as the Secretary of State had stated that the exclusion was due to the nature of the programmes of study which were agreed locally.  It had also been stated by the Department for Education that in the remit for the review the Government did not intend to make any changes to the statutory basis for religious education.  Academies and Free Schools will retain the freedom they have currently to depart from aspects of the National Curriculum but they will be required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum.  Current understanding is that this will include the Locally Agreed Syllabus for RE.

The Consultant for RE commented that, from his knowledge, a number of the concerns listed in the agenda report were already materialising.  Unless there was clear and unambiguous government guidance, there was a strong temptation for secondary schools and academies to focus on the Humanities subjects of history and geography that would improve their performance outcomes, reported under the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), rather than teach RE since the Secretary of State proposed that RE is not included as an eligible subject.  He also questioned whether there was in fact a need to raise the status of Geography and History through the EBacc as was currently intended.  The number of entrants to RE teacher training was already down and may reduce further if the status of RE within the curriculum was further eroded.  He was aware that within weeks of the government’s EBacc announcement a number of schools had plans to reduce their teaching provision for RE from September 2011.

SACRE debated the fact that Religious Studies had not been included in the list of eligible humanities subjects and questioned whether government had missed the point that current day teaching of RE covers, not just what is in the Bible, but makes a valuable contribution to a person’s breadth of knowledge, values and understanding. RE teaching could contribute to a major element of the government’s Big Society agenda.

SACRE noted that the NASACRE website contains further information and template letters to local Members of Parliament on the E Bacc issue, requesting that MPs support an Early Day Motion to get the issue debated in parliament and lobby the Department for Education to have the place of RE assured by having it included as an eligible subject in the English Baccalaureate.  SACRE agreed that the local MP’s be requested to support the Early Day Motion.  It was also noted that the Bishop of Hereford was taking a keen interest in view of his position in the House of Lords.

RESOLVED: that 

a)      the Chairman write to the local Members of Parliament to request that they support the national lobbying of the Department for Education to have the place of RE assured by having it included in the English Baccalaureate;

b)     individual members of SACRE be encouraged to lobby their own MP on the issue; and

c)      SACRE be kept informed of any further developments concerning Religious Education arising from changes to the government’s education strategy.