Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the RE national curriculum gives pupils a balanced understanding of religious and non-religious beliefs.

The department recognises that non-religious worldviews, including humanism, can play an important role in supporting pupils’ understanding of beliefs and values. Religious education (RE) is not part of the national curriculum but is a mandatory subject for all pupils aged 5 to 18 in state-funded schools in England. Schools should deliver RE in an objective, critical and pluralistic way and already have the flexibility, through their locally agreed syllabuses, to include the study of non-religious beliefs, such as humanism.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended that government should explore the inclusion of RE in the national curriculum, contingent on the sector reaching a consensus. The sector group has reached a consensus and the department will consult on a draft RE curriculum in line with the national curriculum consultation.