Testing Times for Religious Education in Catholic Schools in England and Wales

Abstract

In England and Wales, the changes to public examination specifications for Religious Studies that were first introduced in September 2016 have begun to have a significant impact on Religious Education in Catholic schools. In Catholic schools, the amount of time formally directed to studying religions other than Catholic Christianity has increased substantially. For Catholic schools, what is unusual about these curriculum changes is that they are being forced on them by shifts in government policy in relation to public examinations for Religious Studies. For the first time, it is British government policy that is directing or stipulating what needs to be taught in RE lessons in Catholic schools. This chapter analyses why these specification changes are having a disproportionate impact on Catholic schools in England and Wales. It is argued that perhaps these changes ought to be accepted as positive developments for RE in Catholic schools. Although these are testing times for RE in Catholic schools, there is some scope for optimism, especially if RE teachers regard them as opportunities to further develop this important part of the curriculum in a Catholic school.