Government publishes revised guidance for RE and a first ever programme of learning for primary RE

29 January 2010

- Primary pupils should learn about Christianity and the other five world religions -

- Teachers start counting down to the new primary curriculum as QCDA launches new curriculum website -

Schools Minister Diana Johnson today published the first ever programme of learning for primary religious education (RE), along with revised guidance for schools and local authorities on how to make sure RE helps pupils get a good knowledge and understanding of religion and belief in 21st century Britain.

The new non-statutory programme of learning and RE guidance will give local authorities and schools more ideas and support on how to develop their local RE curriculum. This will also make RE teaching consistent with the rest of the new primary curriculum, which is intended for first teaching in September 2011. The new programme of learning has been welcomed by teachers, parents, and faith groups during the primary curriculum consultation.

Suggested topics for learning in primary RE lessons include:

• Teaching about important festivals like Christmas, Easter, Pesach, Id-ul-Fitr or Diwali, and learning about different forms of religious expression, like music, dance and art
• Thinking about responses to ethical questions
• Studying traditional religions, such as those from African countries or from China – where appropriate.

The programme of learning covers the study of Christianity and the five principal religions – Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Hinduism. It also recommends that pupils should be given the chance to learn about other religious traditions such as the Baha’i faith, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism, along with secular world views, like humanism, where appropriate.
[the term 'where appropriate' does appear in the 2010 guidelines "The study of religion should be based on the legal requirements and provide an appropriate balance between and within Christianity, other principal religions, and, where appropriate other religious traditions and worldviews, across the key stages as a whole, making appropriate links with other parts of the curriculum and its cross-curricular dimensions."]

Schools Minister Diana Johnson said:

“In 21st century Britain, it is vital that young people develop a good understanding of other people’s beliefs, faiths and religions. This means learning about Christianity and other religions like Islam, Hinduism and Judaism, but also considering other secular beliefs such as humanism and atheism. 
[atheism is NOT mentioned in the 2010 guidance]


Our society has never been so diverse, and good Religious Education plays an important role in helping to keep this country a tolerant and inclusive place to live.

“RE goes much further than just helping children understand why different people believe different things: it also gives them the chance to ask questions about their own beliefs and spirituality, and provokes challenging ethical questions.

“RE can also make important contributions to other parts of the school curriculum such as citizenship, Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education and history. Through our RE action plan, we’re working hard to make sure this subject is as good as it can be. We know our efforts in improving RE provision and getting young people engaged are working – with 72,000 more pupils taking a GCSE in the subject in 2009 than in 2000.

“It is absolutely right that the RE curriculum remains something that is developed at a local level by local authorities in partnerships with schools and local faith groups, so it stays relevant and meets the need of pupils and parents in the community. We’re confident that through our new, more flexible and less prescriptive primary curriculum – which encourages teachers to make good links between subjects – schools will be able to take RE teaching and learning to the next level.”

Updated guidance on RE provision for primary and secondary schools and local authorities was also published today to support the delivery of good RE in schools in England. The guidance was produced in consultation with faith groups, RE professional bodies, representatives of the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and partners within the Religious Education Council.

The guidance to all schools was updated to take into account significant changes in types of schools and the curriculum, and to set out the Government’s views on the importance of RE in the early 21st century. It reflects the multi-ethnic and multi-faith nature of our society and the Government’s emphasis on community cohesion, which schools have a new duty to promote.

It also includes:

• A greater emphasis on personalising learning to help pupils to better develop socially and emotionally as well as in their studies
• Information on how different types of schools – from Academies to voluntary aided faith schools – should provide RE
• More guidance on how to link RE to other subjects in line with the new, more flexible and coherent primary and secondary curriculum
• Case studies and practical information on how teachers can work with local faith groups and can use RE to support community cohesion.

Brian Gates, Chair RE Council of England & Wales said:

“There is much here in both the RE Guidance and programme of learning that warrants welcome across the entire RE community: from across the Christian churches; from the range of other faith communities, and the traditions behind them, that enrich this country; from those who affirm a common humanity, but not religious beliefs; and from those who teach and learn in schools, advisers and inspectors, teacher educators and trainers, and their specialist associations.

“The challenge is highlighted of how to guarantee that the classroom experience of RE is of high quality for each child and young person in every school and academy.”

Oona Stannard, Chief Executive Catholic Education Service for England and Wales said:

“We welcome the publication of this Non-Statutory Guidance on Religious Education (RE) as a clear statement of the importance of RE as a subject in its own right as well as a statutory requirement in the school curriculum for all pupils.

“Too often it seems that curriculum discussions dwell on a narrow range of subjects to the exclusion of RE. The reality is that RE is vital with much knowledge and intrinsic value to offer young people. Through RE they learn not only about religion and belief and to probe the bigger questions of life, but also about the importance of faith in the lives of others. It helps to promote community cohesion and fosters the development of many skills as pupils both learn about and from religion, applying what they have learnt.

“This new Non-Statutory Guidance alerts us to legal requirements as well as to rights and responsibilities. It depicts the role of SACREs well, reminding local authorities of their resourcing obligation. It also offers advice on good practice.”

Diana Johnson today also kicked off the countdown to the introduction of the new primary curriculum in September 2011 by launching the new primary curriculum website at Spring Cottage primary school in Hull.

The new website, which includes all of the final programmes of learning along, with practical advice and guidance, will give teachers all the information they need to start planning ahead for the new curriculum.

Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'

1. Religious Education is a statutory subject in the curriculum of all maintained schools. RE must be taught according to the locally agreed syllabuses (for community schools, voluntary schools and foundation schools without a religious character). Voluntary controlled and foundation schools with a religious character should teach the locally agreed syllabus unless parents request that RE is taught in accordance with the trust deeds and faith of the school. Voluntary aided schools with a religious character should teach RE in accordance with the trust deeds and faith of the school. Academies and Trust schools should provide RE in accordance with their funding agreement or trust deeds.

2. This illustrative programme of learning is offered to support those who design statutory syllabuses, in order to promote consistency and quality in RE, in the context of a coherent curriculum. It is consistent with the secondary RE programmes of study.

3. LAs must, however, ensure that their syllabuses are consistent with section 375(3) of the Education Act 1996, which requires the syllabus to reflect that the religious traditions of Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.

4. Schools are not obliged to provide RE to pupils who are under compulsory school age (section 80(2)(a) of the Education Act 2002), although there are many instances of good practice where RE is taught to these pupils. Separate legislative provision on RE is made for maintained special schools. Regulations covering maintained special schools require them to ensure that, as far as practicable, a pupil receives RE.

5. This guidance replaces the elements of Circular 1/94 that relate to RE and explains that RE is a distinctive but core part of the basic curriculum for maintained schools in England. It relates to the Secretary of State’s duty to ensure that the curriculum for a maintained school is a balanced and broadly based one which ‘promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, social, mental and physical development of pupils and of society, and prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.’ It also provides checklists, case studies and electronic links to relevant websites for people involved in designing and teaching RE.

6. The programme of learning replaces guidance given to primary schools and LAs on RE provision in the RE framework.

7. The Government is investing £1m in the RE Action Plan announced two years ago. This came in response to the RE Council’s strategic proposals for the regeneration of RE throughout maintained education, has achieved a number of things:

• encouraging and enabling the disparate strands of the extended RE community to work more closely together through the agency of the RE Council
• strengthening of practical support for RE teachers by the National Associating for Teachers of RE (NATRE)
• improving recruitment and training of faith community representatives on SACRE’s
• scrutiny of available resources and their use in teaching world religions in primary and secondary schools.

8. The primary curriculum consultation findings for RE showed that:

• just over seven in ten respondents (71 per cent) believed that 'Why is this area of learning important’ captures the significance of this area of learning
• Nearly two thirds of respondents (65 per cent) felt that ‘Essential knowledge’ captures the big ideas of what children need to learn in this area of learning at primary school
• Three in five respondents (60 per cent) agreed that ‘Breadth of learning’ covers a sufficient range of content and experiences in religious education.

9. The full consultation report can be found here:http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=QCDA/09/4355

10. The independent review of the primary curriculum, the first in ten years, was led by educational expert Sir Jim Rose and began in spring 2008. During the review, he listened to thousands of teachers, children and parents and met with education specialists. He looked at what is already happening in good schools to bring learning to life. And he looked at what other successful countries are doing with their national curricula. In April 2009 Sir Jim Rose published the findings of his review and made a series of recommendations to modernise the curriculum for 21st century pupils. Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, accepted all of the recommendations which can be found online athttp://www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview .

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Press Notice 2010/0027

Religious Education in English Schools: non-statutory guidance 2010

Published January 2010 - Religious Education in English Schools: non-statutory guidance 2010 (pdf)


A search for 'humanism' in the above document gives one citation only:-

page 24
Case study: How an ASC might handle breadth and balance within an integrated curriculum 
A Systematic study that looks at one or more religion and nonreligious view in detail, by exploring some of its key concepts, such as beliefs, teaching and sources, or values and commitments. For example, a major unit in Year 5 on Christianity could include a study of how Christian worship and practice reflects the life and teachings of Jesus; or in a Year 9 unit comparing Judaism and Humanism, examples could focus on the beliefs, teachings and sources that motivate them to take social action to improve the world.

A search for 'humanist' in the above document gives one citation only:-

page 21
Case study: SACRE membership 
A SACRE had several vacancies that needed to be filled and decided to carry out a review of membership in partnership with the LA. This brought to attention the fact that there were significant religious communities in the area not currently represented on Group A, that there were no representatives of higher education on Group C, and that the voices of the young people most affected by the SACRE’s work, the pupils, were entirely absent. It was decided that in the interests of inclusion the membership should be expanded to include a Bahá’í representative and through co-option to include young people as well as a Humanist representative and somebody from a nearby university. Formal votes were very rarely necessary, and the SACRE and LA agreed that since the statutory requirement was for each group, not each individual representative, to have a single vote, there was no problem about these additional new members contributing to the decision making process.

A search for 'non-religious' in the above document gives three citations:-


page 8
In summary, religious education for children and young people: 

• provokes challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It develops pupils knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, and religious traditions that examine these questions, fostering personal reflection and spiritual development 
• encourages pupils to explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or non-religious), in the light of what they learn, as they examine issues of religious belief and faith and how these impact on personal, institutional and social ethics; and to express their responses. This also builds resilience to anti-democratic or extremist narratives

page 13
A SACRE may... co-opt members who are not members of any of the four groups – such co-opted members may provide educational expertise, young peoples’ views or religious and non-religious views that reflect a diverse multi-cultural society.


page 24
Case study: How an ASC might handle breadth and balance within an integrated curriculum
Thematic study that looks at a question, concept or issue and explores it in relation to one or more religions or beliefs, by enquiring into how and why the questions are answered. For example, ... A Year 8 unit on environmental campaigners could look at the religious and non-religious values and commitments that lead some people to take action against roads, runways or the treatment of animals.

A search for 'British Humanist Association' in the above document gives one citation:-

The Religious Education Council All major faith communities and professional RE associations are members of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) (www.religiouseducationcouncil.org). This body acts as an umbrella group to represent the diverse groups and interests of the subject, and works in partnership with the DCSF. Members include academic and professional associations, along with the main faith communities of faith found in the UK. In addition to Christian denominations, these include Baha’is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Zoroastrians and the British Humanist Association.

A search for 'religion or belief' in the above document gives one citation:-

page 32
Good-practice examples [of creative curriculum planning] include schools providing opportunities for: ... pupils with strong commitments to share their experience in a safe context and see that their religion or belief is valued and respected.

A search for 'religion and belief' in the above document gives sixteen citations. The Equality Act 2006 states that 'belief' means "religious or philosophical belief", but this definition is omitted in the above document.

1. The guidance is intended for:... representatives of religion and belief groups locally and nationally (page 4)
2. The wider context for RE The UK has a rich heritage of culture and diversity. This is continuing today in an era of globalisation and an increasingly interdependent world. Religion and belief for many people forms a crucial part of their culture and identity. (page 6)
3. Religion and beliefs have become more visible in public life locally, nationally and internationally. (page 6)
4. The importance of RE: Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. (page 7)
5. Exploring the concepts of religion and belief and their roles in the spiritual, moral and cultural lives of people in a diverse society helps individuals develop moral awareness and social understanding. (page 7)
6. RE provides opportunities to investigate patterns of diversity of religion and belief and forge links with different groups in the local area. (page 8)
7. a major focus of RE is the study of diversity of religion and belief in the UK and how this influences national life. (page 8)
8. RE involves the study of matters of global significance recognising the diversity of religion and belief and its impact on world issues. (page 8)
9. Breadth and depth in RE for all pupils can be achieved if the following are taken into account: .. Pupils should develop understanding of concepts and mastery of skills to make sense of religion and belief, at an appropriate level of challenge for their age. (page 23)
10. Building on the statutory requirements, it is recommended that there should be a wide ranging study of religion and belief across the key stages as a whole.(page 23)
11. By offering a balance of all three [systematic, thematic and cross-curricular studies], RE syllabuses can promote pupils' understanding of the different impacts that religion and belief have on individuals and communities and enhance pupils' awareness of the kinds of questions raised by religion and ethics and how different religions answer them. (page 24)
12. The responsibilities of governors and headteachers... teachers are aware of RE’s contribution in developing pupils’ understanding of religion and belief and its impact as part of the duty to promote community cohesion (page 26)
13. Checklist for governors and headteachers ... Are teachers aware of RE’s contribution to developing pupils’ understanding of religion and belief and its impact as part of the duty to promote community cohesion? (page 30)
14. Religion and belief communities: Members of religions and belief organisations can make a real contribution to RE both locally and nationally. (page 37)
15. Checklist for monitoring and evaluating RE provision: Does the school treat religion and belief seriously? Does it model ways of building respect?
16. dfd Checklist for planning RE post 14 ..Do the pupils have opportunities to:.... .develop their own values and attitudes so that they can recognise their rights and responsibilities in light of their learning about religion and belief?

A search for 'religions and belief' in the above document gives six citations:-

1. The LA wanted to develop RE’s contribution to community cohesion and encouraged this by supporting events for pupils such as a ‘Beliefs and the environment’ week, a young people’s SACRE and a ‘Religions and beliefs in our area’ website. (page 19)
2. Creative curriculum planning: Many schools have been exploring creative and flexible ways of providing RE. For example, at one school, primary pupils study stories and myths that introduce them to concepts of good and evil, fear, courage, conflict and justice, in ways that are safe, enjoyable and yet exciting. All religions and beliefs provide such stories. (page 32)
3. RE for this age group [RE post 14] should, among other aims, be relevant to pupils’ needs and to the rest of their curriculum, and provide opportunities for pupils to: develop their own values and attitudes in order to recognise their rights and responsibilities in light of their learning about and from religions and beliefs.  (page 35)
4. Members of religions and belief organisations can make a real contribution to RE both locally and nationally. By working with people whose beliefs they may or may not share in an atmosphere of respect and mutual understanding, faith and belief representatives can act as models of community cohesion in action. They may also contribute a greater awareness of inter-religious perspectives, as well as representing their own individual traditions.  (page 37)
5. Learning outside the classroom (LOtC): Local members of religions and belief groups have an enriching contribution to make in hosting visits at local centres, places of worship or sacred spaces.  (page 38)
7. The Toledo guiding principles on teaching about religions and beliefs in public schools. (page 44)

A search for 'faith and belief' in the above document gives one citation:-

1. Religion and belief communities: Members of religions and belief organisations can make a real contribution to RE both locally and nationally. By working with people whose beliefs they may or may not share in an atmosphere of respect and mutual understanding, faith and belief representatives can act as models of community cohesion in action. (page 37)
2. The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) (www.qcda.gov.uk) works with the DCSF to develop and deliver the Government¦s policy on qualifications, curriculum and assessment. Core responsibilities for RE include: working with stakeholders and strategic partners, including standing advisory councils on religious education (SACREs) and faith and belief communities, to develop and review the curriculum, so that pupils in every school have access to a high-quality curriculum - this includes receiving SACRE annual reports. (page 42)
3. The LA drew on SACRE expertise by inviting some of its members to give talks to the LA’s workforce on each of the faith and belief traditions represented. (page 19) 

Religious Education in English Schools: non-statutory guidance 2010 - BHA comments

BHA comment (1 February 2010)

Two cheers for new Religious Education Guidance

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has given a partial welcome to new government guidance on ‘Religious Education’ in schools in England and Wales, including a new primary curriculum. The new guidance has been produced after a long public consultation and has made several significant changes in official advice. 

BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, ‘We welcome the fact that the government, along with all those RE professionals involved in producing the new primary curriculum, has once again affirmed that RE is about non-religious worldviews like Humanism as well as about religions.’

The new guidance makes it clear that the co-option of humanists onto SACREs – the local committees that oversee RE in a local authority area – is a practice which helps to improve the quality of RE. It has also removed a previous prohibition on humanists being appointed as full members of SACREs, which had previously prevented many SACREs from making such appointments.

‘We now hope,’ Mr Copson continued, ‘that more and more SACREs and local authorities will see the benefit of appointing humanists as full members. It is unfortunate that the guidance itself has not caught up with the practice of increasing numbers of SACREs and local authorities that are appointing humanists as full members and positively advised that they should do so. Equally, it does not prevent SACREs that wish to promote good RE from making humanists full members which, many of them have accepted, the Human Rights Act has made it possible for them to do.’

Compare above comments to the written BHA comments to the 2009 consultation.