Religion in schools

[fredpuli47]

Do state schools still have to teach religion ? The previous law, of 1944, was that they had to have such teaching, which had to be broadly Christian in character, but the Act has been repealed. Which state schools, by which I mean schools wholly paid for by the taxpayer, are allowed to be for one faith only (if any) ? Can they refuse to take children of other faiths?

[Buenchico]

Under the National Curriculum, Religious Education is a "statutory subject with a non-statutory programme of study". So all state schools are obliged to teach the subject but exactly what they teach, and the way that is taught, is up to the governors of each school to decide.

Faith schools, within the state sector, can be 'voluntary aided', 'voluntary controlled' or 'foundation'. In a voluntary controlled school the local education authority normally controls the admissions policy (but in a way which is sympathetic to the views of the governors). In a voluntary aided and foundation schools, the admissions policy is determined by the governors (in consultation with the local education authority). It is permissible for the admissions policies of all such schools to require that the child's family can demonstrate their commitment to the religious ethos of the school, e.g. by regular attendance at an appropriate church, synagogue or mosque.

Chris

[fredpuli47]

That's helpful, Chris, thanks. Searching the various Acts only serves to give the reader a lot of jargon to be translated by constant cross- reference to schedules and sections of interpretation. I already suspected that, as with the 1944 Act, a lot of what happens in practice was dictated by governors and local conditions.

[sophie_1003]

I read somewhere that PSHE&C (Personal, Social and Health Education and Communities) and RE are being scrapped by the new government but can't find where I read that now so it may have just been a rumour!