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Secondary education

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Original poster

Non-religious state school requires Religious Studies at GCSE

59 replies

chillberry · 21/05/2021 10:37

One of the non-religious state secondaries we're looking at requires Religious Studies at GCSE. This seems quite surprising and a bit disappointing tbh.

We're not a religious family, but we talk about respecting those who are religious and about the importance of learning about different religions and belief (or non-belief) systems. We don't mind the approach to RE at primary level, as our school is very inclusive. However, I'm not that keen on our DC being given no choice about pursuing RS at GCSE when they could be choosing other subjects that are of more interest to them.

I'm waiting to hear back from the school as to whether there's any flexibility around it, but would be curious about what others think. We didn't grow up in the British school system, so I'm wondering how common this is. No other similar school sin our London area require it.

OP posts:
clary · 21/05/2021 12:44

@paralysedbyinertia

A lot of people are saying that it's an extra qualification, but that isn't the case in the schools I know that have a compulsory RE GCSE - they still do the standard ten GCSEs like my dd's school, they just have one less option.

Are people saying that the kids at these schools are actually doing 11 GCSEs, and if so, doesn't that make for a heavier workload/reduced time for the other ten subjects?

As I and others have said, a lot of schools cover the curriculum in the one lesson a week they would give to RS anyway.

So at my old school they did 10 full GCSEs (or 9 if doing double science) and then half an RS GCSE on top. Most didn't worry too much about it as it was fairly low-key so they didn't get stressed. And it didn't eat into their time on other subjects - or at least, only in the way that core PE, assemblies, lunchtime did.

UserAtRandom · 21/05/2021 12:45

Plenty of schools only allow 8 or 9 GCSEs, so I'd argue 9+ RS is having it as an extra subject.

My daughter is not keen on science but has been forced to take 2 GCSEs in it. She'd have rather focussed on other subjects. Why does no one have an issue with this?

TheFnozwhowasmirage · 21/05/2021 12:48

My dd's school don't have it as compulsory. Dd1 did her GCSES in 2019 and Dd2 has just been assessed for hers this year.

paralysedbyinertia · 21/05/2021 12:48

So they don't need to do any work outside that one lesson a week, but they still come out with half a GCSE? Doesn't really sound like half of a GCSE tbh, just a certificated course of some kind.

The schools near us with mandatory RE do it as a full subject, and it replaces one option. I wouldn't mind if it was just one lesson a week and no homework.

paralysedbyinertia · 21/05/2021 12:49

@UserAtRandom

Plenty of schools only allow 8 or 9 GCSEs, so I'd argue 9+ RS is having it as an extra subject.

My daughter is not keen on science but has been forced to take 2 GCSEs in it. She'd have rather focussed on other subjects. Why does no one have an issue with this?

Ah, ok. All of the local schools round here do ten. Some including RE, some not.
clary · 21/05/2021 12:52

@paralysedbyinertia

So they don't need to do any work outside that one lesson a week, but they still come out with half a GCSE? Doesn't really sound like half of a GCSE tbh, just a certificated course of some kind.

The schools near us with mandatory RE do it as a full subject, and it replaces one option. I wouldn't mind if it was just one lesson a week and no homework.

Pretty much. Mind you this is info from a few years ago so it may have changed. It was a short-course GCSE. It's a thing, it's not a particularly challenging thing...

AQA used to offer short course in MFL (don't think they do now) - you did either listening paper and writing coursework or reading paper and speaking coursework. Obviously it took a lot less time (or effort) that doing the whole GCSE.

TeenMinusTests · 21/05/2021 13:00

The standard at DD's comp is 9.5 incl 0.5 RE.
If you do triple science it is 10.5
If you choose to do RE full GCSE it is 9 (or 10 if doing triple science)

They start RE and Science in y9, proper options subjects start in y10.

Ilovemaisie · 21/05/2021 13:15

The topics covered in RS are compulsory up to age 16. Even colleges that take 14 year olds on alternative education schemes the children have to do a version of it. In other words you have to do it whether it's a GCSE or not.

pointythings · 21/05/2021 14:25

At our local school the number of GCSEs depends on whether a student is doing triple science or not - if they are, they'll be doing 10. DD1 did 10 including RE, DD2 did 10 plus Finance, but that was a piece of cake - she didn't revise and got an A, so it was just a bit of icing on the cake. RE would have been better.

bonbonours · 21/05/2021 14:29

Ours does a compulsory half GCSE. It's because they have to teach the subject anyway so the kids may as well get a qualification out out. Of course it's not really compulsory -you can withdraw from RE totally if you feel strongly about it but they won't get another subject to replace it. My daughter's friend who doesn't do RE just sits in the library during RE lessons.

SE13Mummy · 21/05/2021 16:02

For my Y11 DC, GCSE RS was one double lesson a fortnight. It's the 11th GCSE because DC has done triple science.

Quackd · 21/05/2021 17:14

@chillberry check with the school as to whether it is the full GCSE or just the short course version. The latter doesn't have any of the religious practice elements. It has one module that compares and contrasts two religions (ours did Christianity and Islam, which I don't think anyone could argue isn't useful in today's society) and another module looking at ethics - ours chose the ethics of war and conflict and also relationships and families. In the ethics modules they look at the standpoint of different religions and also non religious views, and are encouraged to express their own views too.

We're atheists and I have no problem with my children doing this course. In fact Humanists UK advocate good quality RE which includes none-religious world views. We need to understand other people even if we don't agree with them.

toffeebutterpopcorn · 21/05/2021 17:18

It wasn't compulsory for DS but he did do the GCSE. He found it very interesting - it explores the 'major' religions and there's a fair amount of philosophy/debate. I likes the way is encouraged discussions in class about all sorts of topics.

Quackd · 21/05/2021 17:21

Also worth adding that all schools have to teach some RE in Key Stage 4, so at least by doing the GCSE they get a qualification out of it. My kids' school actually does the GCSE in year 10 and gets it out the way before year 11. It"s good practice for the following year.

Yubaba · 21/05/2021 17:27

It’s compulsory at my DDs school for a full GCSE qualification, except if you are doing triple science then you can drop it.
DD is doing triple science but she still has 1 RE lesson a fortnight but she won’t earn a qualification for it.

Singalongasong · 21/05/2021 20:06

I've been won round to RS. My preconceptions were similar to yours OP but both my atheist children have loved studying it with their atheist teacher and it's a hugely popular GCSE choice at their school. The ethics part of the curriculum is a big draw, but also learning about Islam is very relevant to understanding and interpreting current events. I think it'll help them grow into tolerant adults who can see things from others' point of view.

In the late 80s I learned a lot about the second world war, and that was v relevant to the current affairs of the day, such as the Cold War. I think you could make an argument that RS can hold a similar role today. Plus there's even more emphasis on discussion and debate than there is in history. RS seems very different in different schools, but at our secular state school it's unrecognisable compared with how it was when I was at school, and I think it's a really strong choice. But, I know that's easy for me to say when it's not compulsory.

HeddaGarbled · 21/05/2021 22:53

I think it’s quite an easy one to get good grades in so it’s good for the school’s Ofsted statistics, and for the students’ progression. I wouldn’t stress about it: it’s an inclusive syllabus and good for broadening knowledge, IMO.

purplefoxglove · 22/05/2021 14:09

I’m as atheist as you’ll get and my kids feel the same way - both did RE for GCSE, I quite liked the idea because they still need to understand what they don’t believe in. Very little effort involved and one got a 9 and the other an 8. Apparently atheists find it easier to do well in RE.

ContessaVerde · 22/05/2021 14:19

You need to find out if the RE gcse reduces their options.

My kids are at a faith school, with compuls RE, and once they decided to do 3 sciences and were forced to pick hist/ geog and a lang, they had 1 option which was an actual choice.

When a pp says only the govt care about ebacc, actually that means schools care. A lot, that’s why they think it’s fine to restrict choices as above.

My kids cant wait for a level when they can just do subjects they are interested in.

ContessaVerde · 22/05/2021 14:21

Plus i wonder how many people eulogising over RE gcse and the ethical debates actually have experience of the new curriculum?
It is much less interesting according to my RE teacher colleague.

TeenMinusTests · 22/05/2021 14:31

Contessa My DD did RE GCSE this year. Really interesting.

8 topics:

  • Christian beliefs
  • Christian practices
  • Muslim beliefs
  • Muslim practices
  • Relationships
  • Life
  • Peace & conflict
  • Crime & punishment
SilverGlitterBaubles · 22/05/2021 14:36

I wouldn't dismiss or be fearful that RE will indoctrinate your DC into some faith or that it pushes them towards a particular belief. From my DCs experiences it is one of the most relevant and engaging subjects which helps them understand the wider world. There is little scope or time for discussing topical issues in other subjects in the same way. Having a broader understanding of the world, society and different religious beliefs is hugely important as are skills learned in essay writing and critical thinking which also help with other subjects especially at A Level.

clary · 22/05/2021 15:43

@ContessaVerde

You need to find out if the RE gcse reduces their options.

My kids are at a faith school, with compuls RE, and once they decided to do 3 sciences and were forced to pick hist/ geog and a lang, they had 1 option which was an actual choice.

When a pp says only the govt care about ebacc, actually that means schools care. A lot, that’s why they think it’s fine to restrict choices as above.

My kids cant wait for a level when they can just do subjects they are interested in.

That's true of lots of school tho, and becoming more so, with the increased content of the new GCSEs.

I can think of two or three schools local to me, at least one highly rated, where students basically have one free choice. I don't think this is a good thing btw. But the compulsory RS is rarely using up an option IME.

My DC had two choices but that's because triple science is allocate on ability rather than being an option.

purplefoxglove · 22/05/2021 21:25

The way our local outstanding secondary school continues to provide a quality education was by reducing choice of subjects for Gcse snd A level - full classes are cheaper - it’s a crap but inevitable response from schools who have no other choice - the Gov have a lot to answer for but the idiots keep voting for them believing we can squeeze more value from the system - but there are casualties- are they worth it?

PresentingPercy · 22/05/2021 21:54

My DDs went to a small independent school and didn’t get a huge choice of gcse subjects. The school was better for it! They could have done arts subjects though which are often cut by state schools. And several
MFLs were offered. However subjects which you don’t need to study prior to A level such as economics, politics and sociology were not offered.