'Teach humanism in religious studies

As a teacher passionate about religious education, my heart sank when I recently read about the draft subject content for religious studies GCSEs and A-levels.

Last academic year I spent one day a week working on a research project – funded by the University of Oxford-based Farmington Institute – to develop resources for teaching humanism in religious education. It has transformed my teaching.

The starting point for my research was my students. 77 per cent of them, almost 300 young people aged 11-18, identify themselves as “not religious” (when defined as “not believing in god”).

They don’t automatically identify themselves as “humanists”, but then many had never heard of the word before I taught them. They did not know their views and beliefs were represented by anyone.

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