This Ofsted report looks at how religious education (RE) is being taught in England’s schools. The report finds there is still a lack of clarity on the curriculum and recommends that government should provide better guidance about what should be taught and when.
RE forms part of the basic curriculum for all state-funded primary and secondary schools up to the end of sixth form. Unlike the content of other subjects, the RE content is not nationally defined. Maintained schools and voluntary-controlled schools must teach the agreed syllabus that has been proposed by their local Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education and approved by the local authority. Voluntary-aided schools must teach RE but do not have to follow this syllabus. They can determine their own curriculum, which should be in accordance with their trust deed. If they convert to academy status, this requirement remains in place.
While the report notes some examples of stronger practice, it concludes that the RE curriculum in most schools is superficially broad but lacks depth.
Where the curriculum tries to cover many religions, pupils generally remember very little. Where the curriculum prioritises depth of study, pupils learn much more.
The report also shows that the content of some secondary curriculums is restricted by what teachers decide pupils need to know for their Key Stage 4 exams. Sometimes pupils practice GCSE style assessments before they have mastered enough substantive knowledge.