The ‘state of the nation’ and the value of RE
Dr Kevin O'Grady (summariser)
Research Summary
This is a themed report across various sources, simultaneously illustrating the neglect and potential of RE. The RE Council / NATRE ‘state of the nation’ report gives a concerning picture of RE provision in English secondary schools – in essence, too many schools are failing to meet their statutory obligations where the subject is concerned. Other sources (REDCo, RE for Real and Does RE Work?) show how young people value RE as an important part of preparation for adult life. Both negative and positive data are useful in advocating RE’s social contribution: the neglect needs to be challenged and the potential widely realised.
Researchers
Dr Kevin O’Grady (summariser), RE Council / NATRE, REDCo project / RE for Real project & Does RE Work? project
Research Institution
Research carried out for Culham St Gabriel’s Trust
What is this about?
In England, a concerning number of secondary schools do not meet their statutory obligation to provide RE.
There are also concerns over the amount of RE teaching carried out by non-specialist teachers and the amount of time given to the subject in schools where RE is taught. These weaknesses mean that many young people are not being adequately prepared for adult life in a religiously and culturally diverse society.
Research on young people’s own perceptions of the value of RE underlines this problem whilst pointing to the subject’s high potential. For teenagers in the UK and Europe, the study of religions is desirable as a preparation for inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding and for adult life; school is its likely site. At the same time, the quality of teaching is a key variable. Good RE teaching needs a high level of specialist qualification and skill.
What was done?
This report reflects secondary research, in which the researcher collated data from four primary sources. The methodologies used in the primary research projects were wide-ranging (including analysis of official data, questionnaires and interviews).
Main findings and outputs
28% of secondary schools give no dedicated curriculum time to RE (this equates to about 800,000 pupils).
RE provision is largely dependent on school type. 96% of schools with a religious character offer RE at KS4. 90% dedicate at least 3% of their timetables to RE at KS4. In 90% of these schools, over half of their RE lessons are taught by a specialist teacher. Academies are the least likely type of school to offer RE at KS4: 73% offer RE at this level and 27% provide more than 3% curriculum time. In 66% of academies, over half of their RE lessons are taught by a specialist teacher. Nearly half of academies and community schools that teach full course RE do so on short course time allocation (5%).
However, teenagers strongly value RE’s actual or potential contribution. They recognise the need for knowledge about each other’s religions and worldviews. Those who learn about religious diversity in school discuss these more easily. They want learning to take place in a safe environment where there are agreed procedures for discussion. They want school to include learning about different religions or worldviews. English pupils value RE’s challenging of stereotypes, preparing them to live with diversity, focus on lived religion and contribution to their personal development. Good teaching requires specialist skill and knowledge: informed, skilled enquiry into different religions and world-views, enabling pupils to be well qualified in RE without reducing it to examination training.
Relevance to RE
This report results from conversations about how different research findings might be used to advocate the case for proper RE provision in schools and the importance of effective teacher training arrangements. In relation to the data on neglect, they are a reminder of RE’s statutory position in the curriculum; but also of its vulnerability and the need for teachers and other professionals to defend the subject. Those on the value of RE in teenagers’ eyes contribute to a positive basis for its defence and future flourishing.
Generalisability and potential limitations
The findings have high credibility. The data on neglect of RE in English schools come from UK government sources. Those on the potential of RE as seen by teenagers are remarkably consistent across three different major studies. A limitation is the secondary focus, but the findings could help to model research on RE provision in primary schools.
Find out more
For an overview of REDCo project findings, see Robert Jackson, “Religion, education, dialogue and conflict: editorial introduction,” British Journal of Religious Education 33 (2), (2011): 105-109:107-108. The key text reporting Does RE Work? Is J.C. Conroy, D. Lundie, R.A. Davis, V. Baumfield, L.P. Barnes, T. Gallagher, K. Lowden, N.Bourque and K. J. Wenell, Does Religious Education Work? A Multi-disciplinary Investigation (London: Bloomsbury, 2013).
https://www.natre.org.uk/uploads/Free%20Resources/SOTN%202017%20Report%20web%20version%20FINAL.pdf