Transforming Religious Education - report by Ofsted June 2010

A report written by Ofsted by Alan Brine.
Religious education in schools 2006 ̶ 09

Chris Robinson (Chair SHH & Humanist observer Southampton SACRE), South Hants Humanists reviewed Alan Brine's Ofsted report, 28th November.

Academies Bill will create irreversible religious divisions in the schools system, say BHA

The 14th June BHA e-bulletin says "The Academies Bill, which was debated in Parliament for the first time last week, represents a step-change in policy, allowing high-performing, state-maintained schools automatically to become Academies. The Academies Bill has bypassed scrutiny by MPs and has been introduced straight into the House of Lords.

Andrew Copson commented for the BHA, ‘We are especially concerned about the provisions of the Bill that will make it compulsory for state-funded religious schools to become religious academies but builds in no analogous protections for community schools to always become inclusive secular Academies. This double standard dangerously entrenches irreversible religious privilege in the system. Religious Academies will increase massively in number, and be totally freed from any sort of curriculum entitlement for our children. The spread of creationist teaching and of biased and counter-educational RE and sex education that occurred under the previous government will receive an additional boost from this Bill.’

Response to Queens Speech by BHA on Academies, faith schools, Admissions & Curriculum

The British Humanist Association responds to the following paragraphs in The Queen’s Speech, 25th May 2010:-

• Academies “Legislation will be introduced to enable more schools to achieve academy status, give teachers greater freedoms over the curriculum.” 
• Faith Schools “Legislation will be introduced to…give teachers greater freedom over the curriculum and allow new providers to run state schools.” 

In Conservative-LibDem Coalition Agreement:-

• Admissions the Government states that it wants to ‘facilitate inclusive admissions policies in as many [faith] schools as possible.’
• Curriculum In its more general education programme, the Government has announced that it will ensure ‘all schools have greater freedom over the curriculum’.