Opinion: Workforce

RE recruitment woe is a societal problem – but not like many think

Census data showing Britain becoming a more secular society are no excuse to lose everything RE has to offer by letting recruitment worsen, writes Bushra Nasir

Census data showing Britain becoming a more secular society are no excuse to lose everything RE has to offer by letting recruitment worsen, writes Bushra Nasir

19 Mar 2023, 5:00

Whatever the subject you teach, you can guarantee students will ask you something you weren’t expecting. I’ve long been an advocate for religious education in large part because it’s a subject that gets young people asking some of life’s most profound questions.

The recent census suggests fewer Britons identify with an organised religion. However, this doesn’t mean society is becoming more secular. Research among people who tick ‘no religion’ shows they include people who identify as humanists, people who pray and those who believe in God.

Nor do these changes to our relationship with religion mean our interest in the big questions is waning. On the contrary, there’s evidence that young people have a strong spiritual capacity when thinking about the meaning of life, the origins of the universe and how we should treat others in a cohesive, diverse society.

RE is therefore more important than ever. At its best, it prepares young people to tackle these questions. It teaches them that everyone has a worldview – their way of experiencing and understanding the world, including religious and/or non-religious worldviews.

What better way to prepare them to consider these questions than exploring those worldviews that have a profound influence on our society, from Christianity and Islam through to humanism. Teaching their differences and similarities also provides an intellectual basis for understanding the diversity and respect for freedom of religion or belief we want all schools to promote.

Sadly, RE is struggling to attract a new generation of teachers to deliver this modern, relevant and exciting curriculum. The subject has recruited well with a teacher training bursary. However, since it was axed applications have fallen short, with some applicants drawn to subjects attracting funding.

UCAS data shows applicants are a down by one-third compared with a 20 per cent shortfall across all subjects.

There’s a huge gap to fill, and we can’t afford to fall back

This comes at a time when there’s already a problem with RE provision in some schools, with up to 500 secondaries not teaching it in year 11. Not only does this risk doing a disservice to children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced education, but it also puts some school leaders in a difficult position, often having to choose between asking non-specialists to teach the subject or cutting time for it entirely.

Yet it remains a statutory requirement for state schools to teach the subject, which is still very popular at GCSE. Nearly 250,000 students take the subject annually.

When I became one of the country’s first Muslim headteachers, inter-faith understanding was poor. It’s better now, in part thanks to RE teachers up and down the country. This inter-faith understanding rests not on tokenistic lessons about different religions or beliefs, but on giving students a chance to academically and critically engage with their personal worldviews and those of others.

This is the foundation not just for a well-rounded education, but for partaking meaningfully in modern British society where people of many different religions and beliefs are now found.

As a RE Champion for Culham St Gabriel’s, I’ve written on the role individual schools can play in promoting the subject and ensuring sufficient time on the timetable. We’re also doing our bit to tackle the recruitment crisis hitting our subject by launching our own recruitment campaign, ‘Beyond the Ordinary’, which appeals to RE’s academic rigour, its passionate discussions and its importance to our society’s prosperity.

But there’s a huge gap to fill, and we can’t afford to stall or fall back in our progress towards inter-faith understanding and acceptance. As one student Shreya said at a parliamentary roundtable on the subject last year: “RE is the one time in school where you can talk, listen and try to make sense of people, events and beliefs in the world.”

Young people deserve to be given a safe space to discuss these matters. In doing this they’ll be able to better understand each other’s visions and values for society. There’s no better place for that than in the RE classroom, with a trained and skilled teacher.

Latest education roles from

IT Technician

IT Technician

Harris Academy Morden

Teacher of Geography

Teacher of Geography

Harris Academy Orpington

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Exams Assistant

Exams Assistant

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult & Community College

Lecturer Electrical Installation

Lecturer Electrical Installation

Solihull College and University Centre

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

It’s Education’s Time to Shine: Celebrate your Education Community in 2025!

The deadline is approaching to nominate a colleague, team, whole school or college for the 2025 Pearson National Teaching...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Navigating NPQ Funding Cuts: An Apprenticeship Success Story

Last year’s NPQ funding cuts meant that half of England’s teachers faced costs of up to £4,000 to complete...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Embedding Formative Assessment: not just a box-ticking exercise but something long-term and meaningful for all

Our EFA programme has been proven to help schools achieve better GCSE results, as evidenced by the EEF. Find...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Building capacity in family support to tackle low school attendance 

Persistent and severe school absence impacts children, families, and communities—especially in disadvantaged areas. School-Home Support’s Attendance Support and Development Programme...

SWAdvertorial

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *