'Teaching humanism in religious studies will fail pupils'

Making RE lessons relevant to students suggests that identifying with, rather than studying a belief system, should be the aim of religious education, writes David Ashton
In response to the Department for Education’s recently proposed GCSE religious education criteria, Maxine Beech, an RE teacher, claimed thatmany students find it hard to engage with religious studies, because they are unable to relate to the content.

Ms Beech argues that humanism is an answer to this, saying: "[pupils] have the right to study a way of life that reflects their own."

This is the view of the British Humanist Association (BHA) who argue that rather than having to teach about two religions at GCSE, schools should have the option of teaching one religion and humanism. They claim, “it is vital that religious education remains relevant to young people … this means including non-religious world views. RE struggles to engage these young people when their beliefs are excluded.”

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