You may have already read or heard about this over the weekend, but the Free Churches Group are concerned about the lack of opportunities for children and young people to study RE at school. 800,000 secondary pupils lose out on religious literacy: No Religious Education (RE) is being taught in a quarter of all state secondary schools, raising serious implications for community cohesion and inclusivity.
The National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, the RE Council and RE Today Services have jointly published a report on the current state of RE. It's called "The State of the Nation". You can read the full report HERE
New analysis of the Government’s School Workforce Census reveals that more than one in four (28%) state secondary schools are struggling to meet their legal obligation to teach pupils about major religions and systems of belief, depriving teenagers of vital knowledge about different faiths and beliefs in community, public and world affairs.
All state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, are legally required by the 1998 School Standards and Framework Act to provide Religious Education as part of a balanced curriculum.
The analysis of Government figures prompted the Religious Education Council and the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) to create a new State of the Nation report.
To read a summary of the report and hear from key people in the RE sector, see link HERE