NASACRE
c/o Religious Education Council of England and Wales, Northgate House, North Gate, New Basford, Nottingham, NG7 7BQ
Withdrawal from RE and Collective Worship in one English LA, NASACRE, 2018
This short article summarises the background to and concerns about the right of parents to withdraw their children from Religious Education (RE) and collective worship in English Schools. It reports on the scale of the issue in one English Local Authority (LA) and suggests that it is not a widespread issue in the area of the survey. It recommends that the survey is replicated in other areas so that a national picture can begin to be built up.
The Inter Faith Network
NASACRE is a member of the Inter Faith Network (UK) where it represents the interests of SACREs and ensures that IFN work informs ours where appropriate. This personal reflection is by one of our representatives at the IFN, Michael Metcalf.
What’s in a name? Religion or religions? Read more here
Exec member Michael Metcalf has written another thought-provoking piece providing a stimulus for SACREs:
‘The Welsh Government’s Department for Education and Skills has put forward proposals for Religious Education which include renaming the subject “Religions and World Views”. This name is almost identical to that of the Report of the Commission on RE: “Religion and World Views: The Way Forward”. Almost identical, but not quite. The addition of the “s” is apparently quite minor, but in fact it opens up a multitude of avenues for discussion and reflection. In exploring these avenues, I will use, for brevity, the acronyms RRWV (the Welsh preference) and RWV (the CoRE Report).
A personal reflection from Michael Metcalf on the book ‘Religion and Worldviews: The Triumph of the Secular in Religious Education’
This book covers territory much of which will be familiar to anyone who has been involved in the RE world in the last decade or so. Many of the people centrally involved in producing the 2018 CoRE Report “Religion and Worldviews: The Way Forward” had hoped to forge an “irresistible coalition” whereby RE could be reformed and revitalised, with new legislation. The book shows how such a hope proved to be unattainable, while the various essays raise profound questions about the philosophical and pedagogical weaknesses of the “Worldviews” bandwagon. This is a “must-read” for all who are engaged in planning, presenting and developing RE in today’s world.
New Settlement: Religion and Belief in Schools, Westminster Faith Debates, June 2015
Charles Clarke, Linda Woodhead
This policy pamphlet was launched at the House of Lords on 15th June. NASACRE has provided a briefing paper to support SACREs in discussing its implications.
A New Settlement Revised: Religion and Belief in Schools, Westminster Faith Debates, July 2018
Charles Clarke, Linda Woodhead
NASACRE Patron the Rt Hon Charles Clarke and Prof Linda Woodhead launched the revised version of their proposals at the House of Commons on Tuesday 17th July 2018.
Living out Shared Space, Wright K., May 2019
Article written by Dr Kathryn Wright CEO, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust
Religion and Worldviews The Way Forward, Commission on RE, September 2018
The Commission on RE published its final report in September 2018. You can read an initial response from our Chair, Paul Smalley here.
The full response of the NASACRE Executive to the Commission on RE can be read here.
RE: The Truth Unmasked, APPG, March 2013
RE: The Truth Unmasked Final report
RE: The Truth Unmasked Summary report
This report is the result of an inquiry carried out by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on RE to investigate the supply of and support for teachers of religious education. The report draws on over 400 sources of evidence and concludes that there are some serious issues which need to be addressed if schools are to provide high quality religious education for every young person.
Religions are not Monoliths, NASACRE, March 2007
Papers encapsulating the presentations by Dr Abdullah Trevathan and Bob Reiss from the Religions are not Monoliths conference, held jointly with AREIAC in March 2017, prepared by Dilwyn Hunt.