Religious Education

Religious Education in Schools, instruction in schools in or about religious faiths, their history, and their followers. Practices across the world vary, but in Britain religious education (RE) must be taught in all state-run schools by law. Pupils must receive a grounding in the basics of Christianity. They must also gain some understanding of the other major faiths practised by members of the British population. These religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, and Judaism.

In Europe, the connection between schooling and Christianity dates from the Middle Ages (see Education, History of). During the Victorian period, the majority of schools in England were Church of England, in which the scriptures were taught and education was conducted along Church principles. Since the Education Act 1944, in Britain, RE—or religious studies (RS), as it is sometimes called—has been compulsory in law, but it remains outside the National Curriculum. This means that the specific content of lessons is not laid down by central government. Instead, it is agreed upon by locally run bodies called Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACREs). RE lessons in Church-run schools (see Religious Schools) are an exception. These schools, although maintained at the government’s expense, retain control over their RE syllabus. Private schools are also free to determine their own syllabus.

RE has changed significantly since the middle of the century when straightforward Biblical study was dominant. According to government inspectors this form of lesson is still common. But educational ideas have changed, as has the cultural make-up of Britain. Pupils are encouraged to look at many aspects of religion, with a more philosophical emphasis, and not just at Christianity. Schools might organize visits to mosques, temples, and synagogues and arrange for leaders of different faiths to discuss their beliefs with children. Younger pupils often study major festivals such as the Jewish Hanukkah, the Hindu Diwali, and the Muslim Id (see Islamic Festivals).

The multi-faith, non-doctrinal view of RE taken in Britain appears to be unique. Most other countries in Europe treat the subject as a matter of near-indoctrination. Members of different religions are given access to the classroom. In some cases, notably France and the United States, the education system is avowedly secular and no religious education takes place in school. Most Commonwealth countries have not taken on the British model of religious education, although there are similarities in New Zealand, where the curriculum includes religious and moral education. There is no statutory religious education in Canada.

RE in Britain faces a number of problems. It is seen by many pupils and teachers as a low-priority subject, even though it is compulsory. Evidence from official government inspectors suggests that many schools have failed to teach RE thoroughly, if at all, and there is an acknowledged shortage of RE teachers in Britain.

The complicated status of RE brings further difficulties. Many religious adherents continue to see RE as a “confessional” matter of faith, rather than as a topic of analytical study. The Christian emphasis in RE is resented by non-Christian groups who argue that their children will become confused about their own faith. Some Christian parents, in turn, complain about the study of Hinduism and Islam, for example. Parents who object to the current framework can withdraw their children from RE lessons (and also from the daily act of collective worship, another requirement of the law). Individual schools can also, if they wish, opt out of the legal framework and, with the backing of their SACRE, devise a religious programme more suited to the religious background of their own children, who, for example, might be largely Muslim. Some minority faith groups prefer to teach about religion in separate, after-school classes and in some cases they even establish their own, full-time, privately-run schools on religious lines.