03/07/2026
The Church of England has welcomed an announcement from the Government today that they will consult in the Autumn on the potential of RE becoming part of the National Curriculum. This is part of the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Review as outlined in the Schools White Paper – Every Child Achieving and Thriving.
An Expert Advisory Group (involving both National Society for Education and Diocesan colleagues) was brought together earlier in the year to work collectively on these recommendations to the Secretary of State.
The group’s work has outlined the core legislative requirements needed to both ensure that the current arrangements for church schools are preserved, and that high-quality programmes of study can be made available through the proposed National Curriculum.
Andy Wolfe, Interim Chief Executive for the National Society for Education said:
“We fully support the government’s vision both for RE to become part of the National Curriculum and also to ensure that the arrangements for church schools are fully preserved in order to continue to support their strong and embedded practice in the teaching and leadership of RE.
"The shared work of the Task & Finish group has demonstrated strong collaboration, deep curriculum thinking and offers a transformational future for RE as a vital part of our national vision for every child to flourish.
"We look forward to participating fully in the consultation process, and working in partnership with our Dioceses to resource the effective professional development of leaders and teachers who will now be needed to deliver these exciting new programmes of study.”
Rt Revd Jonathan Frost, Bishop of Portsmouth said:
“As Chair of the National Society for Education, I fully welcome this government consultation on RE moving into the National Curriculum.
"This both elevates the importance of the subject as integral to the flourishing of every child in our nation, and also preserves long-standing arrangements for church schools which make up a third of the state sector.
"We look forward to working closely with colleagues and partners within the education community, and to bringing our contribution to the consultation.”
Tony Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Education, Oxford Diocesan Board of Education, and member of the Expert Advisory Group said:
“The need for the inclusion of Religious Education within the National Curriculum has never been more acute. The provision of high quality RE for all pupils is paramount in promoting and embedding societal cohesion.
"It has been an honour and privilege for me as an education system leader within the Church of England to be a member of a broad and diverse group that has worked collegiately and collaboratively over many months to produce a report that takes us a long way along this journey.
"It is my prayer and hope that our shared vision will become actualised to ensure and enrich the experience of current and future generations of children and young people within the subject.”
The Church of England will respond to the consultation in the Autumn, and the National Society for Education will work closely with its Diocesan partners to further embed the excellent practice in teaching, leadership and curriculum design across its schools.