ENGLAND, November 27, 2015 (BBC): Religious belief has changed sharply in recent years but religious education has not kept pace, says the Goldsmiths, University of London, report. “Content should reflect the real religious landscape,” said co-author Prof. Adam Dinham.
The report comes after a High Court ruling that the government made “an error of law” in leaving “non-religious world views” out of a new religious studies GCSE to be taught from next year. Teaching is currently required to reflect mainly Christian traditions while also taking into account the teaching and practices of other principal religions – but official statistics from the 2011 Census showed an increasingly fractured pattern of religious belief, argue the authors.
Daniel Hugill, chairman of the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, said the key was better training for all teachers of RE. “This report confirms what RE teachers know already, that the students in their classrooms value the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the phenomena of religion and belief… “In order for every young person to experience high quality religious education we need the Department for Education and school leaders to value and make further investment in teacher training and ongoing professional development.”