GCSE RE content ruled unlawful ... a victory for common sense!

The claimant's case was "that the subject content [of proposed GCSEs curriculum] gave unlawful priority to the teaching of religious views as compared to non-religious views, including those of humanism. The claimant's case is that the state has a duty to ensure that any educational provision it makes for RE treats religious and non-religious views on an equal footing ...".

The problem arose in an assertion by the Secretary of State for Education that the new GCSE content "is consistent with the requirements for the statutory provision of religious education in current legislation".

Schools have a legal obligation to provide religious education. Under the Education Act 2002 the provision must be "balanced and broadly based".

So the finding is that it cannot be balanced if you exclude non-religious views from the equation and only study religious views. If the GCSE was simply an academic subject and religious education continued to be taught alongside it then I think there would not be an issue. The problem is the assertion by the Secretary of State that the study of this GCSE would satisfy the legal requirement for religious education.

It is a victory for common sense. It is absolutely vital that kids who have been abused by having religion rammed down their throat (especially at ghastly faith schools) to be made aware that not believing in a deity is a valid approach to life of no more or less value than having a faith.

I am thrilled by the news today. Long overdue and absolutely vital. What needs to happen next is that some reduced form of such a new syllabus is compulsory in all schools, and in a context where all faiths and none are treated on a strictly equal basis.

BackforGood - it is highly regrettable that you display the same contempt for atheist and humanist views as the twats behind the existing syllabus. Yours is exactly the kind of attitude that needs to be culled from our education system.

And me

So how is including non-religious views in an exam that is called religious studies a victory for common sense? Sounds quite the opposite to me