Why is RE GCSE COMPULSORY???

[Melondramatic]

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

BigBlue - It might not have been called RE on the timetable. It might ,as was the case at dd's school been called PHSE & Citizenship & delivered as part of a co-curriculum. The visiting speakers would have undoubtedly been a part of the schools's provision. Faith schools and Academies can set their own syllabus.

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 computer science will be out of date in 5-10 years

Couldn't agree more. And computer science at gcse level really IS a subject you could teach yourself at home without the benefit of discussion groups

Wow, talk about ignorant.

Computer Science is not IT. It's one of the subjects I am qualified to teach and the core of the sylabus hasn't changed much since I did O Level computer studies in the early 1980s. The main difference is the programming languages used and the internet/world wide web (which are not the same thing) but the binary and hex are still the same, ASCII codes are still used, logic gates are still used.

You might think your PC with it's gui and huge amounts of storage is different to the the first one you encountered but the processor still uses the same theory to operate.

Rant over, back to the RE.

My other subject is 'Health and Social Care', my favorite unit to teach is equality and diversity and the student who have done (or are currently studying) a broader GCSE RE often bring ideas / skills others don't.

That being said students from faith schools often follow a much narrower GCSE course, eg RC schools can opt for an RC GCSE where they may also study Judaism.

It depends a lot on the school though. I went to an RC girls' school and did an RC O Level, my brother, at the RC boys' school in the same town did 'scripture' which was much more Bible study.

I can't believe someone actually thought that just because things have changed a bit, CS is useless. You do realise that developers are massively in demand right now, right?

SegmentationFault
I tend to switch off whenever anyone claims a subject is useless or pointless. It always smacks of I'm personally not interested in it and naturally my opinion means nobody else could possibly enjoy it, find it interesting or of merit.

Mine hasn't done any RE since about Y3 in Primary.
They do PHSE but no religion in this. Citizenship is an option for GCSE, hardly anyone takes it though as it's a humanity and they prefer History or Geography.

MaisyPops you're still missing the point. Should it be on offer as an option? sure, I guess, though I would prefer schools to be a religion-free zone. Should it be a mandatory part of the curriculum? Absolutely not.

I'm not missing the point at all.
I do think learning about different beliefs should be on the curriculum. Maybe then we'll have fewer people holding extremist views and smugly thinking their worldview is better and more enlightened than anyone else.
If learning about different beliefs was such a dangerous thing and going to convert everyone who hears about it then surely places of worship would be full every holy day, but they arent.

It comes back to the same thing as I've always said, the only people who seem to have an issue with students learning about different beliefs are either militant atheists who see it as their role to ridicule religious beliefs or religious fundamentalists who think their narrow view is the only one. Both groups seem to be the type of people who are terrified of children hearing a range of viewpoints.

If learning about different beliefs was so successful then there wouldn't be any religious bigotry in the UK, but there is. You've made a case for it to be on offer in schools that I personally find unconvincing but OK, if you insist, so be it. You have not at all made a convincing case for RS being compulsory, particularly as you've failed to address the question of faith schools using RS to push the one narrow fundamentalist world view you're so scared of. I also don't see the rationale why the range of viewpoints studied, if that is what you think is important, has to be about religion rather than any other of the myriad aspects of human culture. Nor have you addressed how other parts of the world turn out tolerable human beings while religion is actively banned in schools.

What I like about RE at our school is that it Is one of the few unset subjects-so all abilities have the opportunity to debate and share opinions- and where the top sets can be shocked by the lower sets having good arguments and opinions,

the only people who seem to have an issue with students learning about different beliefs are either militant atheists who see it as their role to ridicule religious beliefs or religious fundamentalists who think their narrow view is the only one
Also thick racists based on a couple of parents at my dc's primary school.

It's hardly going to matter. It's fairly easy to pass too so is an extra subject.

She won't have compulsory subjects at A level so don't worry. Oh and plenty did 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at O level, that's all about fairies.

Also thick racists based on a couple of parents at my dc's primary school.

Also people who object to unelected bishops in the House of Lords setting the educational agenda.

Sadly the new syllabus GCSE is much more prescriptive and allows much less opportunity for a good teacher to make it interesting and relevant to the particular group they are teaching.

thick racists

are there any other kind ?

I am really enjoying your posts LaDaronne

Unfortunately not all racists are 'thick'....it is dangerous to assume that

Thanks Melon You might be interested in looking up the National Secular Society if it's something you feel strongly about: www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/religious-education-briefing-paper.pdf

"thick racists

are there any other kind ?"

Sadly, yes.