Why is RE GCSE COMPULSORY???

[Melondramatic]

Dd just got her choices. And RE is a core subject!! How ridiculous

Well maths is compulsory but the current maths gcse is arguably less relevant and useful than the current RE syllabus.

I agree!!

You really don't need any of the more esoteric stuff in the maths GCSE in everyday life, whereas learning about moral and ethical issues and how to debate them - yup, you need that.

Maths is a tough one because however shit the syllabus is, badly taught etc, you do need the qualification to do so many things.

I haven't used probably the majority of things I was 'taught' lol in GCSE maths, and the maths I do use a lot, budgeting, interest calculations etc, wasn't on the syllabus either. But a lot of the things I've done in my working life, I have needed the piece of paper in order to be able to do. Same with English. There are some subjects you need even if you don't need them.

Each school is different so it may just be her schools choice.

KNOWING people of faith is what removes ignorance and barriers. Learning theory really doesnt

And yet you claim to know people of faith but come across as pretty ignorant in your first few posts. Referring to what people call God as the fairies isn’t great for pulling down barriers either.

I would have thought most kids these days know kids from other religions - mine certainly do. They don't tend to sit and discuss each others religions though, so apart from knowing when Diwali and Eid are I can safely say they aren't learning that much about Islam or Hinduism

I agree that RE is an interesting, useful subject but don't think it is more interesting and useful than many other subjects, so I don't think it should be compulsory at GCSE level in a non-faith school.

Someone said RE has been compulsory since Thatcher - the only RE we got at my state non-faith grammar school in the late 80s early 90s after we had chosen our GCSEs (if we dropped RE) was in assembly, where we sung hymns and I suppose got five minute talk from our head, although I have absolutely no memory of any religious element to that - all I remember is the sixth formers doing a scene from the Revengers Tragedy, or announcements about charity bake sales.

I do think RE can teach independent thinking. I remember comparing the different Gospels, and learning why each writer might have put that particular spin on the events of Jesus' life, how long after his death they were writing and so on, it was treating the Bible more like a historical document and was very interesting.

I would have thought most kids these days know kids from other religions

I think that depends massively where in the country you live. Certainly in the extremely homogeneous rural area I come from that would be unlikely.

I live in a very rural area and I can't think of a mainstream religion off hand that isn't represented in some way in my dds year group!

Different people have different experiences, who'd have thought it? As I said upthread, I went to a Christian ethos school in the UK. I didn't meet a single Jewish / Muslim / Hindu person until I went to university. I certainly didn't learn anything about their religions. Admittedly this was back in the nineties, but I've read a few books in the meantime and have a grasp of their beliefs, learned entirely outside of RE class.

Actually it is important. It helps you understand different view points and then come to your own conclusion. Important for the likes of voting as an adult.

You say your dd has more of an understanding and acceptance of other religions and cultures than most adults but you use the terms 'fairies'???

Also you don't seem to think science is of any use?!

I get the point that it is not (or shouldn't be) teaching a particular religion and that it may be interesting and involve a lot of moral and ethical debate. I'm still not convinced it is more important than other optional subjects such as history, geography etc which teach about the world we live in. My daughter's school also does it as a half GCSE, I think on the bus that as they have to do it they may as well get a qualification out of it. However in my opinion there are lots of other subjects my daughter would prefer to spend her time on which would be just as worthwhile.

IMO RE is far more useful than computer science. computer science will be out of date in 5-10 years

Nonsense.

I did GCSE Computing about thirty years ago. Dd did it last year. The principles and logical, the underlying theories, the computational knowledge, etc are all the same now as they were then.

Whilst some of the programming languages change the rest doesn't.

Once you've learnt one language, it makes learning others easier, though some of the languages from thirty years ago are still being used now. Besides the computer programming aspect is a small component of the course - it was a practical element of 20% but that no longer counts how.

Clearly someone who doesn't understand what is studied in computer science and how it is studied and assessed. Maybe if you were taking about ICT that might be the case to an extent, but not the much more vigorous subject of computing!

LaDaronne

I cant disagree with you there, I'm vehemently opposed to organised religion and would happily see it banished from school and society, but alas that won't happen any time soon so think it's important we understand what others believe.

That said, my own (optional) RE GCSE was limited in impact by the fact we looked at the opinions and thoughts of only 3 religions of the teacher's choosing: Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism. I think it needed to be broader and would argue Buddhism while interesting wouldn't be as useful to understand as other more prevalent religions.

It's fascinating that people are saying that in their experience RE isn't compulsory when, if I could be arsed, I could quote chapter and verse (ha!) from the legislation! It's possible to opt out but the school has to provide it.

The Originalo question was, Is GCSE RE compulsory which it isn't. The compulsory element of RE can be satisfied by a RE/ethics component of a single lesson of PHSE/Citizenship each week.

No, the original question was WHY is GCSE compulsory. We have established that the exam is not compulsory, but the teaching is. So my question is why is the teaching of RE compulsory until 16, when many other equally useful/interesting subjects arent compulsory?

Ok, why is GCSE RE compulsory.

Answer - it isn't.

It is interesting to discover that is is compulsory to study Citizenship, Computing & PE as Foundation subjects alongside RE & Sex Education at Key Stage 4. I wonder if those schools who don't offer Computer Science GCSE or the ECDL cover the computing bit by incorporating IT into other lessons.

I think the compulsory teaching of RE, Citizenship & Sex Ed (many schools do lump them together) in some form is because the governmet wishes to promote an understanding of the society we live in. Religion is a huge part of British society and underpins many of its traditions and processes.

@snapnfarter learning how to properly feed yourself and how to DIY so you can fix and improve your home are vastly more important as they are life skills. Learning the specific details of some sub section of the populations believe system just isn't.

learning how to properly feed yourself and how to DIY so you can fix and improve your home are vastly more important as they are life skills.
Which either parents, carers or friends can help you develop. Or you can work on when you're older like the rest of the population.

(Ps if I'm remembering right are you're the same poster who starts multiple threads about how school and teachers have nothing to offer your child? If so it's interesting that you feel broadening knowledge and awareness about the wider world is such a pointless area of study. If you're not that poster then apologies).

Or you can work on when you're older like the rest of the population.

You mean like by reading a book or something? Why doesn't that apply to religion? I'll give you a clue. It does.

There's life skills and then there's the academic study of a discipline.

You could just read a book for most subjects but we don't because there's a requirement for a broad curriculum. We could take lots out of PSHE, but we don't (If anything the list gets longer and longer because it's too much to expect people to bother equipping their own children with any life skills).
Based on 'you can read A book' let's get rid of history and geography and literature and business studies and sociology and any other subject where information can be acquired from a book.

The only people who have an issue with RE as a subject prove the reason why it's needed. It's almost always conservative religious people or radical atheists who can't see any merit in finding out about any beliefs other than their own.

You're right, we'd better make history and geography and literature and business studies and sociology compulsory as well.

So explain how vast swathes of the planet manage perfectly well without it then. And I'm still waiting for an answer on why we need to understand other people's religious beliefs but not their philosophical ones.

Religious studies covers philosophical debates and agnosticism and atheism. Personally, debating, tolerance, critical thinking at useful skills.

There's a curriculum. PE is compulsory as is PSHE. I'm not entirely convinced 1 hour of half arsed running around is that necessary or will do anything to make people who are inactive become active, but I'm not going to argue it so pointless and nobody benefits from it so we shouldn't do it.

As long as there are people who think radical beliefs are the norm and seek to ridicule those of differing views then there is a place for learning about other views.

And I'm still waiting for an answer on why we need to understand other people's religious beliefs but not their philosophical ones

RS a level is also called philosophy and ethics

Religious studies covers philosophical debates

So call it philosophy and have, I dunno, six sessions outlining the major world religions. That way everyone's happy