Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Religious Education: Maintained Schools

Monday 12 October 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Maintained schools are required to teach religious education to all five to 18-year-olds.
  • Concerns about non-compliance should first be addressed through the school's complaints procedure.
  • If unresolved, complaints can be escalated to the Department's school complaints unit.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Janet Daby Lab Lewisham East
Education Religion & Faith
Context

Concern about maintained schools not meeting their duty to teach religious education.

Question

What steps he is taking to ensure maintained schools comply with requirements to teach religious education. Any concerns that a maintained school is not meeting this requirement should go through the school's complaints procedure and escalate to the Department's school complaints unit if unresolved.

Answer from Nick Gibb

Maintained schools are required to teach religious education to all five to 18-year-olds. Any concerns that a maintained school is not meeting this duty should first go through the school's complaints procedure, and if the complaint is not resolved, the issue can be escalated to the Department's school complaints unit.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific steps or commitments are provided for ensuring compliance beyond referring to existing procedures.

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Q2 Janet Daby Lab Lewisham East
Education Children & Families Religion & Faith
Context

40% of all schools give no hours to RE in year 11 according to the Religious Education Council. Question addresses need for better support from the Department.

Question

Religious education helps children grow up understanding and respecting different backgrounds, but 40% of all schools give no hours to RE in Year 11. Does the Minister agree that the Department needs to better support schools meeting their obligations?

Answer from Nick Gibb

I agree with the hon. Member. Good quality religious education can help develop children's knowledge of values and traditions, fostering understanding among different faiths and cultures. At a national level, the proportion of time secondary schools spend teaching RE has remained stable at 3.2% in 2010 and 3.3% in 2019.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No new commitments or actions are provided for improving support to schools beyond acknowledging existing stability in allocation of time.

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