The REC was delighted that the Minister for Schools, Nick Gibb MP, took up its invitation to speak at our AGM on 3^rd May. We hope that this fruitful dialogue will continue.

The text of his speech has been reproduced here.

Welcome to the May 2012 RE Council newsletter

April was an interesting month for RE in the media. In his Easter sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury was unequivocal in voicing his opinion: "It is about the worst possible moment to downgrade the status and professional excellence of religious education in secondary schools", which was covered and commented on by several national titles, including the Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Independent.

Radio 4's Sunday Programme also discussed the subject, interviewing Professor Linda Woodhead of Lancaster University, and Deborah Weston, Secretary to the RE Council. Prompted by the results of a survey commissioned by the BBC's Newsround programme, the item focused on young people's views on religion. Both Linda and Deborah took the opportunity to make pertinent comments, highlighting in particular the need for children to hear about different religions from those who practise them and to experience positive models of interfaith dialogue.

The Guardian hosted a blog from Caitlin Prentice, a primary school teacher in Peckham, South London, who pulled no punches in her arguments for quality RE: "Any system of education interested in promoting a mutually respectful populace had better think hard and think fast. I want to help my pupils talk about religion constructively, but I need guidance. We need a more robust religious education in primary schools that ... challenges children to ask difficult questions about faith."

It is to be hoped that these high profile viewpoints will find their way into the corridors of power and have a positive influence on future RE policy

Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibb, has asked the Religious Education Council for England and Wales (REC) to consider excellent practice in RE teaching and present its findings in a report.  The report will consider the views of teachers, academics and faith and belief organisations. The minister has also offered support to help shape a revised RE teaching framework that ensures RE retains its academic rigour and is in step with the design and style of a National Curriculum. 

Today, the Church of England, the Catholic Church, the Buddhist, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim faiths, the British Humanist Association and professional RE teaching associations are joining forces to support a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). When it is set up, the new APPG will focus on safeguarding the provision of RE in our schools and explore how the subject can continue to deliver a valuable dimension to the education of all children and young people.

There has been considerable concern recently that support materials for RE which were formerly available on the QCDA website, alongside other national curriculum subjects, seemed to have disappeared without notice from the DfE website. The REC has been assured that there was no intention of undermining the status of RE when this was done but there was an acknowledgement that there should have been some notification before the change took place. The materials for both primary and secondary RE continue to be available in the National Archive at the following link (then click 'Subjects' and 'Religious education').

Visit the related National Archives webpage.