Beyond the Classroom: Informal Religion and Worldviews Education in the UK

In a time of growing division, where religion is often seen as a problem, religious education cannot, and indeed does not, only take place within the classroom or within formal education. If we are to build compassionate, cohesive societies, we need to understand religious education as something active, lifelong, evolving and to be taken seriously.

The ‘Beyond the Classroom’ report from Theos* supported by Culham St Gabriel’s, explores where informal religious education happens across the UK; where are the places and spaces where people of all ages, in all kinds of communities, learn about and encounter other religions, belief systems and worldviews?

Through various sectors, including youth work, arts and culture, public services, media and sport, as well as extra-curricular spaces, campuses, anchor institutions and local interfaith networks, we map the opportunities and challenges of informal learning about religions and worldviews.

What have we found?

Informal religious education is strongest in areas of greater religious diversity, where there is greater opportunity for organic, unstructured encounters with those of other beliefs, reinforced by stronger interfaith networks. This raises the question of how to develop better religion and belief literacy in the whole population, not only those living in more diverse communities.

We find that informal religious education varies significantly from locality to locality, and context to context; nationally, the picture is somewhat patchy although there are myriad examples of good practice at a local level, which we highlight through case studies here. In some sectors, we identify a ‘squeamishness’ or tentativeness in talking about religion and belief, which we argue needs to be combatted in order to grow the religious literacy of everyone, regardless of background.

What can we do?

If every sector of society is provided with the tools and confidence for good conversations about religion and belief, then informal religious education can and will happen naturally anywhere. Greater formal literacy will lead to greater informal opportunities for religious education, which will in turn mean a more religiously literate population and a more cohesive community. The fact that this is not currently occurring universally or strategically across the UK is, we argue, a missed opportunity for a better society.

* Theos stimulates the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events. They are a Christian think tank based in the UK.