Increase to spiritual training after consultants warn it is not adequate
Ministers have ordered a evaluation of non secular training following warnings it’s “generally of poor quality” within the nation’s colleges.
New lesson plans are being created for academics to make use of, with the primary resulting from be revealed within the autumn and the work resulting from be accomplished subsequent yr.
The Department for Education can be providing a £10,000 bursary for trainee RE academics who start programs this yr.
Religious Education is a obligatory topic in all state-funded colleges in England as much as the age of 18 however college inspection service Ofsted warned colleges “often consider RE as an afterthought”.
Ministers say youngsters must find out about spiritual beliefs so as to perceive the society they dwell in.
The Department for Education has commissioned Oak National Academy, a physique initially set as much as create on-line classes through the Covid pandemic, to develop new RE classroom sources.
The purpose is to make sure “high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils,” in line with the Department for Education, though use of the brand new plans shall be non-obligatory.
Schools Standards Minister Damian Hinds stated: “Religious Education is an important part of a school’s curriculum and can contribute to a young person’s personal, social and academic development.
“When taught well, the subject develops children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, helps them to better understand those of other countries, and refines pupils’ ability to construct well-informed, balanced and structured arguments.”
Ministers have confirmed RE will stay a obligatory topic as much as 18 at the very least till the final election, though Ofsted has warned that “many schools” don’t meet the statutory requirement to show it in any respect levels.
An inquiry final yr by Colin Bloom, the Government’s Independent Faith Engagement Advisor, stated some colleges had deserted devoted RE classes completely whereas in others the topic was taught by unqualified academics.
It discovered 28 per cent of state secondary colleges had no devoted spiritual training classes in any respect, warning this “deprives students of vital knowledge which enables them to understand the different religions, faiths and beliefs that shape the contemporary world they live in.”
And Ofsted stated in its annual report: “Pupils are rarely taught enough substance to prepare them to engage in a complex, multi-religious and multi-secular society (where religion and non-religion play different parts in different people’s lives).”
A consultation is currently underway about Rishi Sunak’s plan to interchange A-levels with a brand new Advanced British Standard, which is wanting on the topics that must be included.