RBWM schools ‘may not be meeting statutory requirements’ on Religious Studies education

Changes in how Religious Studies is being taught and taken up were examined in a Windsor and Maidenhead council meeting on Monday.

Data for academic year 2022/23 showed that the percentage of pupils taking GCSE-level RS ‘has declined significantly’ over the last four years.

However, it is still ‘slightly’ above the national average at 19 per cent, according to the RBWM Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE).

Percentage results for grades 9-4 (A* to C under the old grading system) sit ‘slightly above’ the national level, as well.

A Level results are broadly in line with national numbers too, though the number of candidates entered has dropped each year for which data is available since 2017.

Two schools with Sixth Forms in the Borough had no A Level RS candidates this year, where previously there had been small numbers.

Another school had entries for only the second time. The number of entries has risen for that school.

Some schools have ‘very’ low numbers of pupils sitting RS examinations at GCSE level. Two schools enter the entire cohort of pupils, and both have seen their results improve from 2019.

The one school that, in past years, had no entries for RS, is now beginning the process of teaching it – and should have its first results next academic year.

The academisation programme ‘is allowing some schools to escape local accountability,’ found the SACRE report.

All bar one of the secondary schools in the borough are academies and the one that is not is a Church of England Voluntary Aided school.

Some schools ‘may not be meeting statutory requirements’ but this is ‘outside of the remit’ of the council to solve, the report said.

These results have led SACRE to conclude that the revision of the syllabus needs to suggest content for core Key Stage 4 and 5 (GCSE and A Level).

The current recommendation, that all should follow an accredited course, ‘appears not to [be] being met.’