Religious education in the UK is receiving renewed attention as education groups and policymakers discuss reforms to strengthen the subject across schools. Advocacy organizations, including NATRE and allied bodies, are calling for a broader national framework that would update curriculum expectations and improve consistency in teaching standards. Discussions have also included possible revisions to GCSE and A-level content to reflect contemporary religious and cultural understanding.
Recent evaluations by OFSTED have reinforced the view that religious education should be treated as an academically rigorous subject. The 2024 subject report, Deep and Meaningful?, highlighted examples of strong teaching while also identifying weaknesses in curriculum depth, teacher preparation, and pupil achievement in both primary and secondary schools. The findings have added momentum to efforts aimed at improving subject knowledge and classroom practice.
The government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report has supported the principle that all pupils should receive consistent, high-quality religious education. Alongside this, official guidance has emphasized that religions and beliefs should be taught accurately, responsibly, and within a non-confessional framework. Campaigners from the RE Policy Unit, including NATRE and RE Today, continue to advocate for a National Plan for Religious Education that would establish clearer standards, accountability measures, and long-term support for schools and teachers.
This report considers the evidence gathered through inspections and research visits. For our methodological note, see Annex A: Methodological note. The report is split into findings in primary schools and those in secondary schools; it includes evidence from Reception Year to sixth form. It evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of RE, building on the work of our 2021 research review into RE. It considers: … 4.
www.gov.ukStay informed about religious education news with NATRE's latest updates.
www.retodayorguk.natre.org.ukThe Religious Education Policy Unit has welcomed the Curriculum and Assessment Review panel’s recommendation to recognise the value of Religious Education by including it in the National Curriculum.
www.retoday.org.ukA collection of media articles over the last several years highlighting the issue of religious instruction in New Zealand primary schools.
religiouseducation.co.nz[footnote 39] This is particularly important given different expectations about what constitutes an ‘argument’ in RE. [footnote 40] So, although the building of subject-specific knowledge may not be sufficient for every possible suggested aim for RE, it is necessary and beneficial for a range of purposes. … We have used our own terms to define the types of knowledge due to a lack of established conventions within RE subject literature. Clearly, different professionals and researchers use a...
i777777o676f76o756bz.oszar.comIn RE that does not focus on the nurture of and/or induction into faith traditions (non-confessional RE), the accuracy of representations is particularly important.^[footnote 63]^ The representations should allow teachers to be able to teach accurately without advocating a tradition or ignoring unpleasant manifestations of traditions. … There is some disagreement within RE literature about the relationship between concepts and building complexity through the curriculum, and how to sequence...
www.gov.ukStay informed about religious education news with NATRE's latest updates.
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