Religious Education at KS4

What are the options for secondary schools?

Religious Education (RE) is a statutory subject in all state-funded schools throughout the whole of a child’s formal schooling (in each year group from 5-18 years). However, data from the DfE’s workforce survey shows that 28% of schools are failing to allocate curriculum time for RE[1].

The table within the attached document below sets out some of the main options available for schools at KS4, giving recommendations about how schools can comply with their legal expectations to provide RE for all.

NATRE recommends any system of RE teaching where all students are being:

• given their entitlement to receive high quality RE
• taught by trained and experienced RE teachers
• given enough time to fulfil the legal expectations and/or the requirements set down by the examination awarding bodies. Most Agreed Syllabi state that RE should be allocated a minimum of 5% of curriculum time. Exam bodies recommend 140 hours minimum for a GCSE course.

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[1] State of the Nation report