THE Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report, published by the Department for Education this month, has applied “a social justice lens throughout its work” to raise standards in schools, and has identified a problem with religious education (RE).
“Despite the fact that RE is compulsory for all pupils up to the age of 18 (unless they are withdrawn), evidence suggests that a lack of national agreed content standards has led to national disparities in the quality of provision,” the report says. By law, schools are required to provide RE and RSHE (relationships, sex, and health education), although they are not curriculum subjects.
“There is a balance to be struck between securing an entitlement to high quality content for all, and, particularly in the case of RE, the need for flexibility to be retained for different school types (i.e., schools with a religious designation and those without). We will consider these points through our analysis of each different subject before publishing our final report.”
The review panel was convened last summer to “seek to refresh the curriculum to ensure it is cutting edge, fit-for-purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people to support their future life and work”. It intends to “ensure that the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all our children and young people”.
Across “a reasonably broad and balanced curriculum to age 16”, attainment appears uneven and problematic. “While we know that elements of the system are working well, we heard strongly that the current system is not working well for everyone. The evidence shows that too many young people are not gaining the right knowledge and skills as they progress through the system and by the time they leave formal education are not prepared to thrive in life and work.
“Persistent attainment gaps remain. There remains a stubborn attainment gap between those that are socio-economically disadvantaged and their peers, and young people with SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] fail to make sufficient progress in comparison to their non-SEND peers.”
Primary-school pupils are achieving the expected standards in reading, writing, and maths; so there has been “some progress and recovery since the pandemic. However, it still means that nearly 4 in 10 children are not meeting all the standards they need to build successfully on foundational knowledge and thrive in secondary schooling.
“From the perspectives of both social justice and economics, it is vital that we take the necessary steps to drive up standards for young people who are presently underserved by our education system. Therefore, in addition to making sure that the curriculum and assessment system prepares young people for life and work, the Review . . . will consider the positive impact we can make on the outcomes for socio-economically disadvantaged young people and those with SEND with the levers that are at our disposal, while remaining aware of the wider challenges the sector faces.”
The Religious Education Council of England and Wales praised recognition of “the value of teaching high-quality religious education”, and the way in which, “in its opening paragraphs, the report recognises the power of the curriculum to support a ‘flourishing civil society’ as well as ‘promoting social cohesion’. It promotes the value of learning as an ability to see others’ perspectives and ‘broaden their horizons’. Religious Education is a subject best placed to do this.”
Read opinion on the subject from Eve Poole
