We at the Religious Education Network affirm that Religious Education should centre upon
the divine, the transcendent, and human life and faith. We uphold a rigorous approach
grounded in theology, philosophy, and religion, believing this framework provides the best
way forward for RE in England. Our organisation seeks to strengthen and enrich Religious
Education under existing legislation, rather than reimagining or renaming the subject as
“Religion and Worldviews.”
We agree with the Rt. Hon. Damien Hinds that Religious Education must be reinforced, but
we maintain that a switch to “Religion and Worldviews” is not the solution. Instead, we
champion building on established best practice and sharing excellence in curriculum design
and delivery. We believe that disciplinary knowledge—drawing on theology, philosophy,
and related fields—is paramount in raising both the standards and standing of Religious
Education.
We also maintain that:
- RE Teachers have a responsibility to ground their lessons in robust academic content,
ensuring pupils engage critically and thoughtfully with religious and philosophical questions. - Schools should provide sufficient curriculum time and resources for a rich, specialist-led RE
programme, respecting the integrity of diverse faith traditions and philosophical
worldviews. - SACREs play a vital role in representing faith communities, advising on local syllabuses, and
supporting schools to deliver academically rigorous and inclusive RE.
We reject the use of ‘worldviews’ as a meta-framework for the entire subject. Reducing
religion to mere sociological phenomena or personal viewpoints undermines academic
rigour, overlooks essential theological dimensions, and risks trivialising the lived faith
experiences of communities. Overemphasising pupils’ personal knowledge and identity in
RE lessons distracts from the core goal of fostering deep understanding of religious and
philosophical traditions.
We are concerned that many emerging resources under a “Religion and Worldviews”
banner overextend into sociological analysis, diminishing theological and philosophical
study. Such approaches ultimately weaken Religious Education’s disciplinary foundations
and risk turning it into a broad, unfocused exploration of opinions.
In contrast, the Religious Education Network is committed to facilitating a nationwide
exchange of expert knowledge and best practice, involving a diverse range of faith
communities and educational stakeholders. Through principled collaboration, we seek to
maintain the substance and standing of Religious Education, ensuring that pupils receive the
rigorous and meaningful academic experience they deserve.