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Pupils in schools are either receiving tokenistic religious education or none at all, according to a group of more than 30 MPs and peers who have written to the Education Secretary. The MPs blame a lack of trained teachers and funding for the poor quality of religious education. They argue that this lack of education leaves children ill-prepared to understand their own and others’ world views, hindering their ability to participate in society. The MPs are calling on the Government to provide funding for bursaries to encourage more people to pursue a career in religious education and improve teacher recruitment. The cross-party group warned that RE received no Government funding for subject-specific projects between 2016 and 2021, while music received £387m, maths £154m and science £56m. The Department for Education states that religious education is compulsory for all pupils up to the age of 18 and is taught in secondary schools.

Link to full article in The Daily Telegraph

Hello! My name is Taylor Hatch, and I am delighted to have recently joined the team at Culham St Gabriel’s where I will be working as the new Communications Officer. Having worked in the public sector for the last few years I am very well versed in the world of communications – I am passionate about connecting with others and building relationships that create meaningful impact. I also graduated from The University of Manchester with an undergraduate degree in Religions and Theology, and I am always eager to integrate this knowledge and understanding when interacting with others.

I was always conscious that a degree in theology and career in comms may never perfectly align – no doubt the skills I gained in both fields have been of utmost use to me – however, I realised that the chances of finding a role which directly linked the two together would be scarce. This soon changed when an opportunity to work for Culham St Gabriel’s arose, I couldn’t have been more wrong! It seemed as though the stars had aligned and created this job especially for me.

I am so excited to be taking up this role and to be a part of an organisation who is just as passionate about the Religion and Worldviews curriculum as I am. From first-hand experience I can confidently say that an education in Religion and Worldviews sparks imagination, curiosity, and exploration… and I want everyone to know about it! Not only within the immediate world of RE professionals but I am also eager to spread this message to the public, policy makers, and other influencers.

Working in comms provides me with a sense of purpose and motivates me to connect with other like-minded people. Ultimately, no one day is the same and we must dig deep to understand our audiences and to effectively make change. I accept this challenge with open arms.

I am particularly looking forward to creating a new comms strategy, as I can fully immerse myself in the needs, mission, and priorities of the Trust. Relationship building is also an integral part of my role, and I am eager to network with our trustees and stakeholders to help shape the impact of the Trust.

I hope this brief introduction has perfectly encapsulated my enthusiasm! If you would like to get to know me a little better or throw some ideas around, please do not hesitate to contact me: taylor@cstg.org.uk

Recruitment challenges mean schools are now struggling to offer the subject at A level after decades of growth in entries

Religious Studies A level exam entries have decreased by 3.5 percent in England and 24 percent in Wales.

The fall comes as the overall number of A level entries in England and Wales increased this year by 2 percent from 812,124 in 2022 to 830,312 in 2023.

14,690 students took an RS A level in England in 2023 compared with 15,216 in 2022, while in Wales entries were recorded at 748, a fall from 982.

A level entries for RS also fell last year by 2.7 percent, despite a 6.1% increase in 2021. Between 2003 and 2022, A level RS has been one of the fastest growing subjects at A level, with an increase of 39 percent in the number of entries to the subject.

The fall follows the launch of a campaign to recruit a new generation of RE teachers to the subject, with the Religious Education Council of England and Wales warning that a shortage in specialist teachers means some schools, particularly in the Midlands and North East, are now struggling to offer the subject at A level.

A level Religious Studies is the humanity most likely to be taken by disadvantaged pupils. Research by the FFT Education Datalab has found that this group is twice as likely to choose to study A level Religious Studies than their peers.

Sarah Lane Cawte, Chair of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC), said:
“These results show the really concerning impact that teacher retention and recruitment is having on the subject. For the last two decades, A level Religious Studies has been a success story with growing numbers of entries and impressive results that have opened up a world of opportunity, particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing them with access to top universities and careers in law, journalism and teaching.
“That legacy is now threatened. A teacher training bursary and a fair allocation of resources to the subject would help reverse this trend and ensure RE continues to thrive as it has done for the last decades.”

Katie Freeman, Chair of the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE), said:
“Despite this dip in entries, A level RS continues to be a very popular choice at A level, being both personally enriching and intellectually challenging. RS A level teachers are highly trained professionals, managing classroom debates on sensitive ethical and theological issues that continue to inform the modern world.
“To be in a situation where students are not able to take Religious Studies at an advanced level is a real travesty, denying many young people an opportunity to partake in a subject that has opened up a world of opportunities in higher education, their personal lives and the world of work.”

The key outcomes of the 2023 A level results in England and Wales for Religious Studies are as follows:

• 15,438 RS A level entries were recorded in England and Wales, a decline of 4.5 percent from 2022
• There were 39 percent more A level entries for RS in England and Wales than in 2003 (11,132 entries were recorded in 2003).

Parliamentarians and faith and belief groups join calls to attract a new generation of teachers to the subject

A campaign to attract a new generation of RE teachers has kicked off with teaching groups, religious organisations and parliamentarians stressing the importance of the subject for preparing students for life in modern Britain.

As of January, UCAS data show that teacher recruitment for all subjects is down 22% from last year. However RE stands out, being down a third of applicants from the last recruitment cycle.

Government inaction over recruiting teachers to RE has been blamed. The Department for Education (DfE) has so far missed its target for the recruitment of RE teachers in nine of the last ten years.

Despite this year’s fall in applicants, the subject continues to grow in popularity. Over the last five years entries to the GCSE have stood around an average of 250,000 with entries to the full course GCSE rising by 30% over the last decade.

The recruitment campaign – entitled ‘Beyond the Ordinary’ – draws attention to the academic and knowledge rich approach of the subject to life’s big questions, and will seek to attract a set of talented graduates up to the task of getting young people to grips with the complex nature of modern belief.

Kathryn Wright, Chief Executive Officer of Culham St Gabriel’s Trust, which is supporting the campaign, said: “Religious education is an important curriculum subject enabling children and young people to navigate our complex multi religious, multi secular society. Everyone has a worldview, and it’s important we prepare young people to become free thinking, critical participants in public discourse, who can make informed judgements about matters of religion or belief and reflect meaningfully on the big questions in life.”

We are looking for ambitious graduates from a range of humanities and social science subjects who can deliver an academic and rigorous curriculum aimed at getting young people to think critically about their own beliefs and those of others.”

Last March, the Father of the House, Sir Peter Bottomley MP hosted a roundtable on the future of the subject. In October, a Westminster Hall Debate saw MPs and Peers from across the House agree on its importance for life in modern Britain as well as express concern around a lack of government support for the subject.

Lord Karan Bilimoria said: “The latest teacher recruitment figures are deeply worrying. Parents are concerned, schools are concerned and so too the young people are missing out.

“As a Champion for RE, I’ve heard numerous times from students that this is one of the few times in the classroom where they get to say what they think about the world around them. At present we face doing a disservice to a generation of young people ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of belief in Britain and the world beyond. This campaign is about getting the best humanities graduates into the classroom to help them deliver a modern RE curriculum reflective of belief in our society.”

Teacher training courses are open to graduates from a range of academic disciplines and from all sorts of diverse backgrounds, with Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses available from schools, universities or other providers.

Anyone looking for more information about training to be a RE teacher should visit https://cstg.org.uk/campaigns/teacher-recruitment/becoming-a-teacher

Beyond the headlines about teachers’ strikes, there is a serious crisis brewing around recruitment of teachers through the initial teacher training (ITT) scheme. Despite the DfE’s targets for ITT trainees, numbers have fallen short According to UCAS data, the 2021/22 academic year had a 36% shortfall of the target of 32,600 trainees, a 10% increase from the previous year. Despite the offer of a starting salary of £30,000, it is unlikely to boost ITT applications for the upcoming September intake.

The shortage of trainee teachers is particularly affecting Religious Education (RE). Research by NATRE (2022) shows that nearly all Higher Education Institutions offering RE ITT courses have experienced a decline in trainee numbers, with some courses facing an 83% drop and others facing closure. This creates a patchy availability of RE teacher training, with areas like the West Midlands and North East being most affected. The Department for Education (DfE) has been aware of this problem for some time. Research by the RE Policy Unit (2022) found that it missed its target for recruiting RE teachers in nine out of the last ten years, even with lowered targets. Other subjects facing similar shortage issues have been offered consistent or reinstated bursaries that have been successful in attracting applicants. Geography, for instance, show signs of bucking the trend, with trainees eligible for a £25,000 bursary for the 2023/24 PGCE course.

The removal of the 2021/22 bursary for ITT religious education (RE) teachers has clearly had an impact on recruitment. Given this year’s data, it’s now clearly needed as a part of a broader strategy to reverse the decline. The Government has said it prioritises ‘investing in raising the standard of the workforce: to ensure all children in all schools are taught by well trained and qualified teachers’. RE is a subject where action on this commitment is much needed. The problem of using non-specialist teachers in RE occurs three times more frequently than in subjects like History. NATRE’s 2019 survey found that over half of RE teachers (53.6%) lack post-A level qualifications in the subject. For years, Ofsted has recognized this as a major problem. In its 2021 research review they warned that poor quality RE provision can imbed misconceptions about religious and non-religious worldviews. Other bodies, such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education have also expressed concerns around the impact of poor quality RE provision on young people and society. A recent Westminster Hall Debate saw members from across the house warn that poor quality RE provision threatened deeper thinking about life’s big questions, poor representation of faith communities, and a failure to prepare young people for life in global Britain.

The use of non-specialist teachers in religious education (RE) is a concern not only in the classroom, but also among parents and communities represented in RE lessons. According to a survey conducted by Culham St Gabriel’s Trust (2021), seven in ten of parents considered what their children learn in RE as important, with a similar majority stating that these lessons are their child’s main source of information about different religions and worldviews. It is therefore crucial to ensure that the teaching of RE in classrooms throughout the UK is accurate, relevant, and up to date.

The best way to achieve this is through well-funded RE ITT programs, supported by the Government. Teachers with subject specialisation understand the importance of promoting cooperation and presenting a diverse and accurate representation of religious and non-religious beliefs through drawing on sound scholarship and a range of voices. They are a vital part of our communities and the education of young people across Britain.

These are some of the suggestions of what we can all do to help stem the RE recruitment issue:

• Write to your MP or visit them in a local surgery and raise their attention to the critical problems faced by RE, such as the decline of trainee teachers and the absence of an RE ITT bursary.
• Share information about these issues on social media to create awareness among parents, pupils, headteachers, faith communities, etc.
• Promote this article by posting its headlines on your website to reach a wider audience and encourage action.
• Discuss the issue with headteachers, senior leadership teams, etc. to raise their understanding of the importance of RE and the challenges facing the subject.
• Keep your local SACRE informed, for example, by attending meetings, emailing the chair, or requesting an agenda item, to ensure that the key decision-makers in RE are informed about the situation.
• If you are a member of a faith, spiritual, or secular group, engage with governing bodies and leaders to ensure they understand the potential impact on the community’s understanding and representation.

References:

Culham St Gabriel’s Trust (2022) Religion & Worldviews Parent Survey 2022: https://www.cstg.org.uk/activities/campaigns/parent-survey/

DfE (2019) from a NATRE Fol request to the DfE in 2019

DfE (2022) Package to transform education and opportunities for most disadvantaged: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/package-to-transform-education-and-opportunities-for-most-disadvantaged

DfE (2022) Statistics: school workforce: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-workforce

Insight UK (2021) A report on the state of Hinduism in Religious Education in UK schools: https://insightuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Hinduism-in-RE_Project-report.pdf

NATRE (2022) REPU Report to RE Council Autumn 2022

Ofsted (2013) Religious education: realising the potential

UCAS (2022) 2022 Cycle Applicant Figures: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-releases/applicant-releases-2022-cycle/2022-cycle-applicant-figures-30-june-deadline

We are delighted to share our annual review and financial statement. We hope you enjoy reading about some of our highlights last year. In 2021-22, the Trust gave over half a million pounds to grant funded projects, strategic funding awards, campaigns and programmes to further its charitable objectives. Our review showcases some of the amazing work of those we have supported and partnered with over the last year.

Congratulations to our winners

As part of our 10^th Anniversary celebrations Culham St Gabriel’s Trust invited organisations to apply for ten £1000 grant awards. We had an exceptionally high number of applications and trustees had some very difficult decisions to make, however the following projects stood out for their innovation and creativity. We look forward to sharing more about these projects in due course through our blogs, newsletters and events.

Denise Angell, Warren Road Primary School – Celebrating diversity with our parents and community

Jennie Downes, Diocese of St Asaph – Cynefin- identity and belonging

Joanne Harris, Broughton High School – Religious Education and Careers Webinar

Terry Hart, Diocese of Manchester – Engaging with Judaism

Laura Knight, Saxlingham Nethergate CE Primary School – Our Multi-Faith Society

Hannah Jones, Myton School – Promoting learning about world religions and global culture

Helen Jones, LTLRE North West – A Learn Teach Lead Primary Early Career Teacher Network

Karen Longden, St Barnabas CE Primary School – Faith Food Café – a place to share, support and celebrate

Catriona Martin, RE Matters – Challenging religion and worldview stereotypes

Ruth Marx, Tower Hamlets SACRE – Key Stage 5 Core Religious Education Provision across Tower Hamlets

In our 10^th Anniversary Year, it is perhaps fitting that we also celebrate the dedication and leadership of John Keast OBE as Chair of the Trust over the last 4 years. At the end of August John stepped down as Chair, as his term came to an end. John has not only given his time, but also his wisdom and enthusiasm taking the Trust through a strategic review. I am personally indebted to John for supporting me as I took on the role of Chief Executive in 2019.

In addition to his work for the Trust, John has given hugely to the wider religion and worldviews community over many years. He will be greatly missed, but we wish him all the very best in his long-awaited retirement.

John Keast OBE, Chair of CSTG 2018-2022

Some of our trustees past and present with John Keast OBE and Kathryn Wright, Chief ExecutiveWe are delighted to announce that Dr Linda Whitworth became the new Chair of the Trust on 1^st September, and that Nansi Eliis has become the new Chair of Grants and Education Committee.

Dr Linda Whitworth, new Chair of CSTG from September 2022As incoming Chair Linda writes,

Following John Keast’s wise and very effective leadership as Chair of Trustees over the last few years, I am excited to be taking over as Chair at a time of both challenge and opportunity. Religion and Worldviews education has seen considerable developments recently and the Trust is in the forefront through campaigning and supporting research and teaching.

I am particularly looking forward to working with the growing team of staff, consultants and trustees who make up the Trust. Our vision and strategy objectives are at the heart of all we do, from leadership programmes to understanding and promoting a positive perception of the subject.  As a teacher educator I have benefitted from the support of the Trust and I am delighted that we continue to support teachers and other colleagues at all stages of their careers.

The Trust is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year, so this is a good time to reflect on what we have achieved and how our continuing vision could develop. There is plenty of work to do and I am looking forward to contributing to the Trust’s role in the religion and worldviews community.

To: The Chair of the ISRSA and its council members,

We are writing as Chief Executive, the Chair of Trustees and the Chair of Grants and Education Committee of Culham St Gabriel’s Trust to express our disappointment and concern at the publication of your recent report: Religion and Worldviews (Weltanschauung); we respectfully urge you to withdraw it.

We are disappointed because the report is an inaccurate representation of the Commission on RE (2018) and subsequent developments of religion and worldviews. In light of this we are concerned about the ISRSA’s reputation. This is important to us as we have funded your essay competition, and there is an associated reputational risk for the Trust. We note, for example, that Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, Chief Executive of the Independent Schools Association, has expressed publicly his personal reservations about the report. In addition, we see that several academics have expressed grave concern regarding claims made in your report about recruitment being undermined by a religion and worldviews approach, claims these academics say are unfounded. The report does not consider the many developments, including a literature review and discussion papers which build on the Commission report.

We are concerned about the lack of transparency regarding the process of development of the report and its research base. The report as published by the ISRSA does not explain the following:

• Who authored the report
• How views of the ISRSA Council were gathered
• If and whether ISRSA members views were surveyed, how these results were analysed, and conclusions drawn
• Whether the views are representative of the ISRSA membership, and/or the views of the entire ISRSA council and/or the views of the authors on behalf of the ISRSA.

This contrasts starkly with the report of the Commission on RE (2018). The CORE Report makes clear who drafted the report (Amira Tharani), the Chair of the Commission (Very Revd Dr John Hall) names of the commissioners (p.78-80) and 17 pages of organisations and people consulted or who provided evidence (p.81-97). Therefore, the lack of transparency about the methodology used for your own report is not just telling but concerning. 

Our call to you is to withdraw the Report and enter a dialogue with the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, to whom many of the comments in your report are directed, about the development of the subject. We note the eight reservations regarding a religion and worldviews approach. We would encourage you to read the following well-informed critiques of your arguments listed at the end of this letter. 

Yours sincerely,

Dr Kathryn Wright, Chief Executive
John Keast, OBE, Chair of the Trust
Dr Linda Whitworth, Chair of Grants and Education

 

Professor Trevor Cooling, with accompanying statement from Professor Bob Bowie https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/nicer/personal-response-addressed-to-the-isrsa-patron-and-council-from-professor-trevor-cooling-emeritus-professor-at-canterbury-christ-church-university-to-the-isrsa-report-religions-and-worldviews-welt/

Dr Wendy Dossett https://reformingre.wordpress.com/2022/07/02/the-isrsa-report-a-personal-response/

Mr Wayne Buisst https://venividiteachy.wordpress.com/2022/06/15/obscure-german-words-and-other-such-ablenkungsmanovers/

Luke Burns https://ocrs.online/2022/06/20/what-the-weltanschauung/

Culham St Gabriel’s in association with the RE Policy Unit is delighted to be working with the UK Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief to host an exhibition stand at an International Ministerial taking place on 5-6 July in London. Our chief executive is speaking at the official conference, and also at a fringe event organised by Humanist UK. The conference will bring together governments from around the globe, parliamentarians, faith and belief representatives, and civil society to urge increased global action on freedom of religion or belief for all. The overarching themes of the conference will be preventing FoRB violations and abuses, and protecting and promoting freedom of religion or belief. Culham St Gabriel’s are involved in promotion the importance of education in furthering freedom of religion or belief. There are resources and events to support the conference, many of which could be used in schools or other educational settings. Details can be found here: https://www.londonforbfringe.com/