East London Humanist op piece looks at the prospect of education reform in the light of two major developments. Op piece Newham, Romford and Ilford Recorder newspapers Nov 2025
Important reforms are on the cards for teaching about religion and belief in State schools. It’s about time.
November saw publication of the Government commissioned Curriculum and Assessment Review. One landmark recommendation is that RE (Religious Education) be included in the National Curriculum. This would replace the current patchy arrangements which leave quality and content down to local authorities and schools.
Then, on 19 November, a Supreme Court ruling upheld the concerns of a non-religious parent and their child in Northern Ireland about the slanted nature of their school’s RE. They objected to imposition of a curriculum which taught Christianity as an absolute truth, albeit there was a right to withdraw.
The Supreme Court decided that RE teaching which is not ‘objective, critical, or pluralistic’ amounts to ‘indoctrination.’ They added that a right to withdraw is stigmatising where other children are not withdrawn. Although the case was heard in Northern Ireland, it has profound implications for all the UK.
I must at this point applaud the fantastic RE education which does take place in some schools. As an accredited School Speaker for Humanists UK I have spoken to well over a hundred schools around East London and Essex, many in this Borough. Inviting a Humanist gives children the opportunity to hear non-religious ethical perspectives in addition to the perspectives of faith groups. I invariably highlight shared values, such as kindness, fairness, respect for each other and the environment, and the importance of tolerating difference. Inclusive RE helps promote community harmony and cohesion.
Unfortunately, as matters stand, schools get to choose how much or how little they teach about different faiths or about Humanism, and many fall short. The way many assemblies are conducted is another outdated anomaly. They are a vital part of every school day – a time for children to gather as one community and to learn and reflect together. According to all recent surveys less than half the adult population is Christian and well over a third have no religion. Yet it is still a requirement under the 1944 Education Act that every State School holds a daily act of collective Christian worship.
Humanists will continue to work hard through campaigning and upcoming consultations to make sure all students get the broad inclusive education they deserve – an education fit for a modern plural democracy.
Paul Kaufman
Chairperson East London Humanists
