Heads back CofE call to ban parents withdrawing children from RE

Apr 28, 2017 by

by Freddie Whittaker, Schools Week:

Headteachers have backed Church of England plans to ban parents from withdrawing their pupils from religious education, claiming it is being exploited by ‘interest groups’ and those seeking to incite religious hatred.

Under current rules, parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE lessons and collective worship at all maintained schools, including those of a faith character, and do not have to give their reasons for doing so.

Some campaigners claim that the right of parents to take their children out of RE lessons is important because of concerns that some faith schools do not provide a balanced education about all faiths, but the Church has denied that it seeks to deliver RE which is suitable only for Christians.

Church officials argue that there is a need for “all pupils from all backgrounds” to receive a “broad and balanced curriculum that includes high quality RE”, and has called for the right of withdrawal from RE to be repealed.

The Church claims the rules are being “exploited by a range of ‘interest groups’ often using a dubious interpretation of human rights legislation” and that they give “comfort to those who are breaking the law and seeking to incite religious hatred”.

“To the detriment of the subject the right of withdrawal also perpetuates the myth that RE is confessional in all schools and aligns RE too closely with collective worship in the minds of the media and the public,” a spokesperson said.

Some schools groups also believe that parents should not have the right to withdraw their children from RE.

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