Including nonreligious worldviews in religious education: the views and experiences of English secondary school teachers

ABSTRACT

Although the teaching of nonreligious worldviews has been advocated in a Council of Europe Recommendation, few European countries include such a study in religious education (RE). Guidance on implementing the Recommendation recognises that inclusion is problematic, raising issues for policymakers, teacher trainers and schools. In this article, findings from a qualitative study of the views and experiences of 25 RE teachers in England are used to identify and explore a range of issues, in relation to national and international debates and research. Examples of inclusion and the models that they suggest are considered and it is argued that major obstacles, such as limited time and lack of a framework for the integration of religious and nonreligious worldviews, can be of overcome. However, it is concluded that this will require further research and curriculum development work and that international collaboration should be pursued.

KEYWORDS:

• Nonreligious worldviews
• religious education
• teachers
• international policy
• curriculum development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. See www.gov.uk/types-of-school.

2. The BHA has recently announced that ’Humanists UK’ will be its operating name.

3. Religious Studies is the term used for RE at examination level. In many schools, pupils begin an examination course in their third year and all schools must select a course from the range offered by accredited national providers.

4. The requirements do state that syllabuses should aim to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of religions and nonreligious beliefs such as atheism and humanism (2015a,3).

5. A unit of work is typically 5–10 lessons.

6. Syllabuses must cover four topics: Beliefs and teachings; Practices; Sources of wisdom and authority; Forms of expression and way of life (2015a, 5–6).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Judith Everington

Judith Everington is Associate Professor at the University of Warwick’s Centre for Education Studies. She has worked with teachers of religious education for 25 years as a teacher educator, MA course leader and PhD supervisor. As a member of the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, she played a key role in the Warwick RE Project and development of the Interpretive Approach and her publications include studies of curriculum development and RE pedagogy. She has been researching the beliefs, practices and lives of religious education teachers for 18 years and written extensively on this theme.