Details of that expansion have now been formalised in a report by Rotherham’s Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE).
It is a body made up of interested groups, faith and non-faith based, and recommends what is taught in schools on the subject.
The report being considered by councillors said RE “encourages pupils to develop their own well-reasoned viewpoints while learning to disagree respectfully, evaluate evidence, think critically and respond with imagination, empathy, and respect”.
Tony Griffin, a humanist who was a member of SACRE in Rotherham for 10 years until recently, said he was keen on a curriculum that helped pupils develop rational thinking and to question beliefs rather than accept them at face value.
“I joined [SACRE] because I wanted to make sure they were teaching about religion, not teaching religion – that they weren’t in any way evangelising or saying that these things are necessarily true.”
Humanism is explicitly included in the minimum programme of study at Key Stage 2 in Rotherham’s new policy, which the borough’s community and voluntary-controlled schools must follow.
Schools are expected to devote about 5% of curriculum time to RE, roughly equivalent to an hour a week.
The locally agreed syllabus must be followed by Rotherham’s community and voluntary-controlled schools.
While academies and free schools must provide RE lessons, they do not have to adopt the same policy.
Parents still have the legal right to withdraw their children from RE lessons in schools.
