Thoughts on withdrawing from RE lessons?

[MidgetJones1]

We’ve had to send our son to a Catholic high school (Long story but no real choice and 70% of the kids there are not Catholic). I’ve looked at the RE curriculum and it’s almost entirely a study of Catholicism rather that a comparative study of a variety of faiths/beliefs, which I’m obviously not surprised about with it being a Catholic school. We are firmly atheist and would be very happy for him to study a regular inclusive RE curriculum but not comfortable with him being taught from the perspective of Catholicism being the truth.
We are considering withdrawing him and finding an online course for him to do instead so he doesn’t waste his time out of lessons.
Has anyone got any experience of withdrawing from RE from a parent or teacher POV and how has it worked out? Thank you

I don’t think you do want your child to study all religions equally OP. There are hundreds of them. Just as I don’t think you want your child to study all history equally. All subject curriculums have to select what they study out of a vast range of choice.

You are applying standards to religious studies you don’t apply to other studies. And that shows your attitude is based in prejudice.

Even if you do want your child to study all religions, that isn’t an offer at the school. Feel free to teach him this in your own time, if you believe it to be important.

But overall, the prejudiced attitutude that religion uniquely is one where you have to believe it to study it, is so stupid. It bugs me. Religion contains so much of humanity, history, architecture, art, sociology, morality and ethics,literature, archaeology, poetry, war, culture, ideas, I love it! It’s fascinating. And it’s so relevant to the modern day and modern threats we face. So many people comment confidently but wrongly on modern issues as they simply don’t understand religion and a religious worldview.

I have GSs who are taking GCSE RE as they see it as a doddle and a chance to add another qualification - not that most employers are impressed with it I am guessing.

But they believe none of it. It is cultural education and as such has value in terms of understanding literature, art, music, the history of hate and division etc.

What is worrying is where a school plugs one religion as true.

Yes it is. A quick google gives you the answer

The National Secular Society has a FAQ on withdrawing a child from RE lessons https://www.secularism.org.uk/21st-century-re-for-all/re-faq (and also info on withdrawing from collective worship https://www.secularism.org.uk/end-compulsory-worship/guide-to-the-right-of-withdrawal).

Jo

This is a great point. I suppose it's like being upset that a school in the UK teaches a british-slanted history curriculum.

I agree with you that religions carry so much history, literature and general knowledge, it's all so relevant to human history whatever parts of it you personally do or don't believe.

I think you might be over thinking it a bit. I went to a catholic all girls school, ran by the local convent and I come from quite a religious (use the term loosely) catholic family and I don’t know anyone who believes the really outdated views about homosexuality etc that you might be worried about.
I remember the lessons being more around debates and arguments for and against certain topics and it was really interesting and thought provoking.
Majority of the girls I went to school with and keep in touch with are well rounded adults and we laugh about the catholic rituals that were part of our school (eg forehead ashes on Ash Wednesday, weekly assemblies starting with prayers, hymns etc).

It must depend on the child. I would just ask them what they want to do. I think both of mine would have wanted to be removed from that much Catholic RE and would have happily sat in the library, getting ahead on homework or reading.

He'll hopefully learn about Christianity, which underpins European culture. It's terrible how little most of us can really understand our own culture because we don't get a grounding in either Christianity or Classics. Pretty much all pre-20th century art, literature, philosophy, architecture, even science draws heavily on either or both, and their influence lasts well into the modern day, and stretches across the entire world. What a wonderful opportunity for him, I can't imagine why you'd want to deny him that.

A lot of students would dearly love to sit in the library rather than do PE, or Science, or PSHE, or Geography... I don't think it should be up to them. It's good to learn outside your comfort zone.

This. A lot of life is just getting on with stuff.

A pp mentioned Welsh. I’m in Wales and it’s compulsory. A completely useless language wasting a gcse in the opinion of many. But you just have to get on with it, just like you will have to get on with some tasks you will be given in your work life that you find boring or unnecessary. Learning that sometimes you just have to get on with stuff, is quite a useful life skill.

I wouldn't let mine choose about other subjects, not that it's an option. But about 230 hours of Catholicism over 3 years isn't about a comfort zone, it's about a waste of time due to a anachronistic education system that allows a school to be a "Catholic school" despite having 70% non-Catholics going there. It's more like a school abusing its power.

Ok. Don't send them to a Catholic School. Problem solved.

This ⬆️ absolutely.
It's the cult of the individual, and being closed minded.

I haven't sent mine to a religious school for just that reason, though their community primary school had too much religion in assembly for their tastes, due to the religious worship requirements.

But we were lucky to be able to choose where to live and have viable alternatives, not everyone can afford to make that kind of choice.

Some people are allocated religious schools because the other schools in the area are full. School choice is an illusion for many people and it's remarkable how many people don't seem to know that.

Wales has compulsory Welsh despite only 20 percent of welsh people speaking any welsh and only ten percent being fluent. And no other country, except one tiny outpost, speaking any welsh.

Lots of kids in school do subjects they think, sometimes correctly, are utterly useless to them.

Having a good understanding of a major religion which has influenced world history and British history is probably less useless than a lot of other things studied.

I have no idea how many people know this or don't.
However, if your child ends up at an RC school, compromises will probably have to be made.

Very good points. Take it as an academic exercise.

It's not much different. Significantly less likely to have the local evangelical groups coming in to say that of course, evolution is merely a theory and everybody knows the truth or 'offer' to provide the sexual education part of PSHE, though.

It explains the differences between different bibles, different approaches and beliefs about God, what happens after death - and about other faiths. It's a typical compare and contrast.

In the last couple of schools I've worked in, one had an RC Head of Department, one had 2 RC teachers, most of the teachers who had any faith at all were Muslim and it's an easy GCSE win if they've got the ability to get a pass in GCSE English - easier than English Literature for many, too.

And the law allows for the compromise of withdrawing for RE.

A Catholic school that recognised that it was majority non-catholic might consider a broader RE offering in parallel to the Catholic focused one. But they don't seem to. Not sure if that's a legal thing or compromise has to go one way for children and families caught in this unfortunate position.

How often do they teach about homosexuality? I'd be very surprised if it came up. Teachers know to avoid those kind of topics.

I remember one ex-nun at my Catholic School in the 90s trying to teach the Catholic views on abortion and realising she wasn't going to get very far against a group of 14-year-olds who mostly disagreed with her.

That must surely be even more relevant in 2026.

Overall, it would have been good to learn about other religions, but the Catholic focus was very useful input into GCSE and A level literature. Lots of Christian themes across both classic and modern literature.

Plus, RE was useful for learning study skills that applied across all essay subjects. The content was less important.

My understanding is that some do.

You are misinformed - for clarification :

RE is locally determined, not nationally

• A locally agreed syllabus is a statutory syllabus for RE,
recommended by a local standing advisory committee for RE
(SACRE) for adoption by a local authority.
• Maintained schools without a religious character must follow the locally agreed syllabus.
• Voluntary controlled schools with a religious character should follow the locally agreed syllabus unless parents request RE in accordance with the trust deed or religious designation of their school.
• Voluntary aided schools with a religious character should provide RE in accordance with the trust deed or religious designation of their school unless parents request the locally agreed syllabus. In many of these school
types there will be an overarching body, such as a diocese, which can offer support.
• RE is compulsory for all pupils in academies and free schools as set out in their funding agreements. This is a contractual responsibility. Academies may use their locally agreed syllabus, a different locally agreed syllabus
(with the permission of the SACRE concerned) or may devise their own curriculum.
RE is multifaith, and recognises the place of Christianity and the other principal religions in the UK.
Non-religious worldviews are included
• The RE curriculum, drawn up by a SACRE or used by an academy or free school, ‘shall reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’. Contemporary guidance from the Government makes clear that the breadth of RE will include the six principal religions of the UK and non-religious world views

I wouldn't be worried about this OP. Having gone to a Catholic school, the curriculum generally avoids topics like that. I would say most people from my school even when we were students would be considered very liberal in terms of approaches to LGBTQ+, anti-war etc..
Of course all schools are different and some more conservative than others but the curriculum shouldn't change too much per school. it will teach some information about other religions - I remember learning about Islam and Judaism.
As it is taught from the Catholic church pov, it will mostly be just learning about the bible, what are the stories in it and how can they be interpreted. It is actually a good course for teaching critical thinking skills.
I would imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find any school that teaches religion in a way that focuses fairly across all different types of religion. Pulling your son out of class will only single him out and be more disruptive.

So why on earth get a job at a Catholic school? How can you love the school when you don't support it's aims and objectives and raison d'etre

I'm surpised you got the job if you were honest about you particular belief (or rather non-belief system?

Catholic schools are provided by the trustees for the purposes set out in their governing documents, known as the Trust Deed. Most Trust Deeds state that the school is provided ‘for the maintenance and advancement of the Roman Catholic religion’, and the provisions of Canon Law form part of the Trust Deed in every Catholic school.
Under charity and education law, the school is regulated by its trust deed, and the school’s Instrument of Government must reflect those requirements.

Which bit of that do you think the poster you are replying to is misinformed about? The school in question is presumably voluntary aided.