Ofsted: RE curriculum should be improved

Schools need to add depth to their religious education (RE) curriculum, a report from Ofsted has suggested.

Ofsted inspectors found that leaders have been keen to improve the quality of education in RE.

However, evidence shows that there has been little progress since Ofsted’s last subject report in 2013.

The report found there is still a lack of clarity on the curriculum and recommends that government should provide better guidance about what should be taught and when.

The report draws on evidence from visits to a sample of primary and secondary schools last year.

It suggested that where the curriculum prioritised depth of study, pupils learnt more.

Ofsted also found that a significant proportion of schools do not meet the statutory requirement to teach religious education at all stages of a pupils’ journey through school.

Sir Martyn Oliver, Oftsed's chief inspector, said: "A strong RE curriculum is not only important for pupils’ cultural development, it is a requirement of law and too many schools are not meeting that obligation."

He added: "I hope that the examples of good RE curriculum in our report help schools develop their own practice and support the development of a strong RE curriculum for all."

The report contains a number of recommendations for schools, including to make sure there is a distinct curriculum in place for teaching RE at all key stages.

Other suggestions were to encourage leaders in secondary schools to design the curriculum to meet or exceed exam board specifications instead of being driven by them, to make sure all teachers have the right knowledge to teach the subject proficiently, and to organise the timetable for RE so that gaps between teaching are minimised.