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ATCRE Responds to the Curriculum and Assessment Review
ATCRE Response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review
Association of Teachers of Catholic Religious Education (ATCRE) Response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review
We find a number of the recommendations in the report to be positive steps and feel we can support these.
For example, we are delighted with the ambition to reduce exam time across GCSE subjects given the positive impact this will have on the workload and wellbeing of both teachers and students.
We are delighted to hear about the removal of the EBacc which treated RE unfavourably and unfairly. We would like to call on the government to go even further and not implement the ‘Academic Breadth’ aspect of the Progress 8 measure. We feel that, in real terms, this is not so much a removal of the EBacc as it is a change in name. We worry that it might not make much practical difference to the decisions made by Headteachers about the place of RE in the curriculum, especially at Key Stage 4.
We are in favour of high-quality RE that, amongst other things, prepares students for life in modern Britain. Therefore, we applaud the spirit behind the review’s desire to ensure that the quality of RE is as strong as it can be across all types of schools. We will always support clear and consistent teaching of Catholicism and its practices in schools which are not Catholic, alongside excellent teaching about a range of religions and worldviews.
We feel that the spirit behind the idea of bringing stakeholders together to seek a common good for RE is an example of a dialogical approach to faith much encouraged by Pope Francis. We commend the report for this recommendation.
We do, however, recognise that RE in Catholic schools and colleges has a unique place and role as the ‘core of the core curriculum’. This means that we would want to see it continue to be protected by retaining its current legal position, and for it to remain under the authority of the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales.
We would also like to highlight that as RE is the ‘core of the core curriculum’ we cannot support the recommendation to remove the entitlement of students in school sixth forms (Key Stage 5) to receive RE. We call on the government not to implement this recommendation.
We echo the comments made in the Catholic Education Service (CES) press release that, given it has a minimum of 10% curriculum time from Key Stage 1-4 in schools, the teaching of religions and worldviews other than Christianity is already given time and importance in the current Catholic RE curriculum, and that the time dedicated to teaching religions and worldviews other than Christianity is often greater than that in non-faith schools.
Finally, following our recent press release on the matter, we would like to reiterate our disappointment at the removal of the training bursary for RE. Given the report’s emphasis on the importance of quality RE, we feel it is a baffling oversight to remove one of the mechanisms to support the training of teachers who could deliver this subject with passion and expertise. We once again call on the government to urgently rethink their position on this area.
Dave Legrand
ATCRE Co-chair
(On behalf of the ATCRE Executive)
ATCRE Expresses Deep Disappointment Over Removal of RE Teacher Training Bursaries
The Association of Teachers of Catholic Religious Education (ATCRE) has expressed profound disappointment and frustration at the Department for Education’s decision to remove the £10,000 Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursary for Religious Education (RE) from September 2026.
Whilst ATCRE recognises the profound shortages in other subjects too, this decision will have a detrimental effect on the whole RE community who will feel undermined and undervalued by the government.
This decision comes despite RE recruitment reaching only 54% of its target for the 2025–26 academic year—one of the lowest rates among secondary subjects. The bursary, reintroduced in 2024–25, had led to a 40% increase in applications to train as RE teachers, demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing the long-standing recruitment crisis.
Religious Studies/Religious Education lessons in Secondary schools are already alarmingly short of subject specialists.
Data shows that at least 51% of Secondary RE lessons in England and Wales were taught by someone whose main subject was something other than RE. And only 44% of those who taught a lesson of RE on their timetable held any qualification in the subject compared with 80% in English and 78.5% in History.
ATCRE, which represents and supports teachers of Catholic RE across England and Wales, warns that the removal of this financial support will have serious consequences for Catholic schools, where RE is considered “the core of the core curriculum” and occupies at least 10% of the timetable (and 5% at Key Stage 5). ATCRE is worried about the impact the removal of the bursary will have on both those currently in RE teaching and those wishing to train in RE.
“This is a short-sighted and deeply concerning move,” said Dave Legrand, Chair of ATCRE. “Catholic schools rely on well-trained, specialist RE teachers to deliver a curriculum that is both academically rigorous and spiritually enriching. Removing the bursary undermines efforts to recruit and retain such teachers. Headteachers and Heads of RE are telling us about the challenges of finding RE teachers and their increasing reliance on teachers trained in a subject other than RE. This adds to the workload of the specialists who are already having to do the ‘heavy lifting’ with resourcing, exam classes, and supporting those teaching RE outside of their specialism.”
“The Prime Minister, when he announced the bursaries, said that he was supporting ‘talented people to become great teachers.’ ATCRE is calling on him to show this support to the great teachers of RE today and in the future by giving the subject proper support and funding.” Legrand added. “Religious Education plays a vital role in helping young people understand diverse worldviews, build community cohesion, and develop critical thinking skills. To neglect this is worrying.”
ATCRE is calling on the government to urgently reconsider this decision and reinstate the bursary for 2026–27.
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[Your name]
[Your address] [Postcode] [Email] [Date]
Dear [Member of Parliament’s name],
I am writing as a constituent to ask you to consider supporting the reinstatement of the £10,000 Initial Teacher Training bursary for Religious Education (RE) from September 2026.
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Religious Education faces a serious recruitment crisis: recruitment hit only 54% of its target for 2025–26, and RE applications rose by 40% after the bursary was reintroduced in 2024–25. Currently at least 51% of secondary RE lessons in England and Wales are taught by staff whose main subject is not RE, and only 44% of teachers delivering RE lessons hold a qualification in the subject. Catholic schools — where RE is given a central place in the timetable — will be particularly affected.
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Removing the bursary risks further undermining specialist RE recruitment and placing extra burden on existing teachers, weakening the quality of RE provision that helps young people understand diverse worldviews, build community cohesion, and develop critical thinking.
Please urge the Department for Education to reconsider the decision to remove the £10,000 ITT bursary for RE and to reinstate it for 2026–27.
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Thank you for your time and for representing our community on this important issue.
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Yours sincerely,
[Your name]