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RE and the Primary Curriculum
Statutory Requirements
For local authority and direct grant maintained schools RE is a statutory subject which is part of the basic curriculum.
Specific curriculum requirements for religious education in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stages 1 & 2 depend on the type of school as indicated here: Specific Curriculum and Inspection Arrangements for RE in Different Types of School
Although curriculum documents relating to a new primary curriculum (see below) were sent to all English Primary schools in the early part of 2010, a change of government in May that year meant that the curriculum did not pass into law. Instead, another review was ordered. The government's intention is that new Programmes of Study for English, mathematics, science and physical education will be prepared and available to schools by September 2012, with teaching in maintained schools from September 2013. New Programmes of Study for all other subjects which are either to form part of the new National Curriculum or to have non-statutory programmes of study will be available to schools by September 2013, with teaching in maintained schools from September 2014.
Religious education is not to be included in the review. Instead, existing arrangements for the subject are to continue. Many organisations concerned with RE have requested that a review of the arrangements for RE takes place in parallel to the review of foundation subjects.
Non-statutory Guidance
In recent years there have been three documents produced by government agencies that have had an important impact on primary RE:
- The Non-Statutory National Framework for RE, 2004
- RE in English Schools: Non-Statutory Guidance from the DCSF, 2010
- The Proposed New Primary Curriculum, 2010
Current Curriculum Arrangements
Until a new curriculum is in place, information on the whole primary curriculum and the different subjects can be found at:
curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/index.aspx